Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing: Heidi Weng in tears after Fossesholm’s retirement: “Very good friends”
October 08, 2025 / SVT Sport
Norway’s Helene Marie Fossesholm has announced her retirement from cross-country skiing at just 24, surprising teammates and legends alike. Heidi Weng said she shed tears and fully supports her friend’s decision, while Therese Johaug and Marit Bjørgen also expressed shock given Fossesholm’s strong preseason training and the proximity to the Olympic season. Fossesholm described a difficult summer and autumn and said she felt relieved after making the decision public.
Therese Johaug–level prospect Helene Marie Fossesholm retires at just 24
October 07, 2025 / Yle
Norway’s Helene Marie Fossesholm has announced her retirement from cross-country skiing at age 24, citing a loss of motivation. Once touted as the successor to Therese Johaug and Marit Bjørgen, she won World Championship relay gold in 2021, three junior world titles and reached two World Cup podiums. Johaug, now an NRK expert, expressed surprise but praised Fossesholm for following her heart.
Expert reaction to Helene Marie Fossesholm’s retirement: “That she’s doing it now…”
October 07, 2025 / SVT Sport
SVT expert Anders Blomquist calls Helene Marie Fossesholm’s sudden retirement at age 24 “very surprising,” especially given the timing in October of an Olympic season. He notes the shock within the cross-country community and says the young Norwegian still seemed to have many good years ahead of her. The piece links to related coverage of Fossesholm’s decision and past injury issues.
Norwegian national team skier retires at 24
October 07, 2025 / Sveriges Radio - Radiosporten
Former Norwegian cross-country prodigy Helene Marie Fossesholm has announced her retirement at age 24, citing a lack of motivation in an Instagram post. Despite several difficult seasons, she posted four top‑10 World Cup finishes last season and plans to begin a new career after Christmas.
Shock: Helene Marie Fossesholm retires from cross-country skiing: “Following my heart”
October 07, 2025 / SVT Sport
Norway’s Helene Marie Fossesholm, 24, has announced on Instagram that she is retiring from elite cross-country skiing ahead of the 2026 Olympic season. She cites fluctuating motivation and says she will begin medical school after Christmas, opting for a more “normal” life. Fossesholm won World Championship relay gold in 2021 and earned two individual World Cup podiums in 2020/21; Swedish star Jonna Sundling publicly wished her well.
Remi Lindholm reveals bleak lead‑up to the season: “Then I broke the other side of my back”
October 06, 2025 / Yle
Finnish cross-country skier Remi Lindholm says he suffered a stress fracture in his sacrum in late May, which healed, but about a month ago he fractured the other side of his lower back. He has been off skis for a month and is relying on cycling and double-pole training, raising concerns about reaching form for the Milano–Cortina 2026 Olympics. Lindholm, who finished 7th in the 50 km at the Trondheim 2025 World Championships, targets the Olympics but admits time is tight, with the World Cup opening in Ruka in late November.
Cross-country: Maja Dahlqvist’s Olympic plan — cutting 100 training hours
October 06, 2025 / SVT Sport
Swedish sprint star Maja Dahlqvist says she will reduce her annual training volume by about 100 hours ahead of what she expects will be her last Olympics at Milan–Cortina 2026. She wants to focus on fewer but harder sessions and believes doing more won’t make her better now. Expert Anders Blomquist calls the approach exciting; the interview was recorded during a high‑altitude camp in Lavazè, Italy.
Pia Pekonen shatters Finnish cross-country team’s glass ceiling — why did it take until 2025?
October 06, 2025 / Yle
Yle profiles Pia Pekonen, who has become the first female coach in the over 100-year history of Finland’s national cross-country skiing team, joining Reijo Jylhä’s staff ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympics. The piece examines why female coaches have been absent despite women delivering the majority of Finland’s ski medals, outlines Pekonen’s background and duties, and gathers reactions from figures like Sirpa Korkatti, Krista Pärmäkoski, and Johanna Matintalo. It also notes Nordic precedents such as Ida Ingemarsdotter and Marit Bjørgen and discusses structural barriers including hiring pathways and family responsibilities.
Ski Classics director Oskar Svärd responds to criticism: “I don’t agree”
October 05, 2025 / SVT Sport
Ski Classics director Oskar Svärd defends the series’ new 2025/26 schedule, which adds a sprint in Bedřichov on the same weekend as Jizerská 50 and introduces women’s and men’s 50 km individual time trials at Orsa Grönklitt between Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet. Several team managers, including Espen Trældal (Team Eksjöhus) and Magnar Dalen (Ragde Charge), criticized the changes, especially adding sprint to a long‑distance tour. Svärd says many Central European teams support the ideas and that February is left empty due to the 2026 Olympics and TV considerations.
Cross-country: Discontent in Ski Classics — several teams slam new formats as a “parody”
October 05, 2025 / SVT Sport
Multiple Ski Classics teams and athletes criticize two new formats added for 2025/26: a 1.5 km sprint in Bedřichov on the Jizerská weekend and a 50 km individual time trial in Orsa placed between Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet. Team Eksjöhus boss Espen Trældal calls the sprint a “parody,” while Ragde Charge’s Magnar Dalen says sprints don’t belong in a long-distance series. Max Novak says the sprint replaces a “real” race and questions the timing and structure of the calendar set by new director Oskar Svärd.