Cross-country: Sweden men’s team struggles — Anders Byström on Jens Burman: “I don’t understand”

Sweden’s men’s cross‑country team is experiencing a difficult opening to the season, and the latest downturn centers on Jens Burman.

Dropped from the World Cup squad, Burman raced the Scandinavian Cup in Östersund and finished 47th in Saturday’s 20 km and 65th in Sunday’s 10 km, more than two minutes behind the winner. He declined interviews afterward.

National team manager Anders Byström described Burman’s performance as a mystery. According to Byström, Burman had a strong autumn, ran a fast 10 km on foot, and posted solid pre‑season test results, making the sudden drop perplexing. Burman’s coach, Anders Högberg, is equally baffled. The federation plans to look into possible causes.

The concerns extend beyond Burman. William Poromaa and Oskar Svensson have struggled with illness, and Marcus Grate and Emil Danielsson are far from their targets. Byström acknowledges the men’s team lacks depth at the top level; without a broad group in peak shape, Sweden is vulnerable heading toward the Olympics. He notes that even veteran Calle Halfvarsson, who is outside the national team, has endured a nightmare start due to illness.

As for next steps, Byström says there is limited action to take when athletes are sick or out of form, apart from encouraging race starts in the Scandinavian Cup after Christmas to earn their way back to the World Cup. He emphasizes that there is still a long way to go in the season and that no one should give up.