Emma Ribom on nightmare weekend: “The wind isn’t at my back right now”

Swedish cross-country skier Emma Ribom summed up a nightmare weekend at the Ruka World Cup. On Saturday, which was also her birthday, she received a second yellow card in the sprint and was disqualified.

In Sunday’s women’s 20 km mass start in Ruka, Ribom’s bad luck continued: first one of her poles snapped, and with about 500 meters to go she fell. She ultimately finished 21st, two minutes behind race winner Jonna Sundling.

“It wasn’t how I wanted to celebrate my birthday,” Ribom told SVT Sport. “It’s tough because I felt strong. My knees hurt now. The wind isn’t at my back right now. It takes a lot of energy to search for a pole, and it’s hard to ski with a pole that isn’t mine.”

Ribom also described a moment of sportsmanship during the race: after the pole break she heard Sundling shout “pole, pole,” helping alert for a replacement. Despite the setbacks, Ribom is looking to move on from a weekend she called anything but enjoyable.