The national team chose not to have a high-altitude camp.
Wrong, thinks Jonna Sundling – who directs criticism.
– We wouldn’t have turned it down, says the sprint star.
Frida Karlsson and Maja Dahlqvist shocked the skiing world last spring when they chose to leave the Swedish national team’s training group. This winter, the duo, who belong to the world’s absolute best in distance and sprint respectively, will compete in the blue and yellow suit and for Sweden just as usual, but during the pre-season the difference is enormous.
Had to pay ourselves
Karlsson and Dahlqvist train completely on their own, and do exactly what they feel like. At the same time, there has been some criticism of the national ski team for the way things have been managed during the summer. Perhaps our biggest sprint star, Jonna Sundling, has been clear that she wants to camp at high altitude before the season, but the national team said no. Instead, they would focus on being in Sweden, which prompted Sundling, together with her friend Emma Ribom, to act.
Sundling and Ribom chose to go to Italy completely on their own, paid out of their own pockets, just to get a few weeks at high altitude. A decision that Sundling does not regret.
– We had a great time in Lavazé, it was the first time we were there at 1800 (meters above sea level, ed. note). Nice to run, nice to roller ski, and I really want to go there again. It was a lovely thing to do when you had nothing to do during the month of July, she tells SVT.
“Wouldn’t have turned it down”
However, Sundling is clear in his criticism of the national team. She would have liked an arranged high-altitude camp – and wants to see changes for the next pre-season.
– Yes, but I absolutely would have done that. After all, it was already planned to only be in Sweden. So we knew about this and that’s why we set up our own camp in July. But I like to train at high altitude, which Emma also does, so we wouldn’t have refused to have something at a high altitude, she says.
However, Sundling is grateful that she had a close friend in Emma Ribom with her at the camp. The duo went there completely without a coach, as it was not lavished by the association, but the stars did not suffer.
– It means a lot that you and a friend can go away and train. For example, we didn’t have a trainer with us, we took care of ourselves and we almost didn’t want to go home from there because we were so at home.
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