Truls Gisselman: Dark horse now inside reach of top‑10 in Tour de Ski — “Better than ever”

Truls Gisselman has emerged as a surprise contender in the Tour de Ski after a strong performance on New Year’s Day. The 23‑year‑old, who stepped into the first relay leg at last year’s World Championships when Calle Halfvarsson fell ill and helped secure a bronze medal for Sweden, has had a difficult season and was not selected for the A‑team earlier in the year. He had not raced in the World Cup before Christmas.

At the Tour de Ski Gisselman seized his opportunity: he climbed from 20th to 15th on the stage and now sits 15th in the overall standings, only four seconds from the top 10. Sweden’s men’s head coach Lars Ljung praised the youngster’s form after the stage: “I’m super impressed. We know Truls’ level, but it’s frustrating when things don’t work. Today we recognise him — I would say he’s better than ever.” Ljung noted Gisselman was eighth on the stage, 19 seconds behind Edvin Anger.

On the question of Olympic selection, Ljung said the team will evaluate results after the Tour and discuss possible nominations with the Swedish Olympic Committee, adding that strong World Cup performances always help an athlete’s case.

Gisselman himself is featured in a short clip in the article, talking about his performance and whether he now feels ready for an Olympic berth.

The piece is published amid broader Tour de Ski coverage that includes interviews and reactions from several other athletes, and links to related SVT videos and reports on skiers such as Edvin Anger, Frida Karlsson, Ebba Andersson, William Poromaa and others.