Cross-country: Emil Persson’s body won’t cooperate — why he’s skipping the Ski Classics opener

Swedish long-distance cross-country skier Emil Persson will not start in this weekend’s Ski Classics season opener in Bad Gastein, Austria.

Persson, a Vasaloppet champion and the overall Ski Classics winner in 2023 with 19 Ski Classics victories, says the decision comes after weeks of physical problems that began in October. He emphasizes that he doesn’t feel acute pain, but that his movement pattern is malfunctioning: something in the hip and lower back area “locks up,” leaving his body unresponsive and training largely impossible in recent weeks.

“It’s very frustrating. You feel a bit lost. When you want so much and try to move forward, it just doesn’t work,” he says. Because of this, Persson has decided he is not ready to stand on the start line.

He is now focusing on recovery with support from a physiotherapist, a naprapath, and massage. The plan is to reset, rest, and relearn proper movement. Persson hopes to be ready to compete in January, but admits the situation is uncertain and that his targets have shifted toward the cluster of races in March after the Vasaloppet.

The Ski Classics opener takes place in Bad Gastein this weekend without one of the series’ most decorated athletes.