William Poromaa on the pain — may quit the Tour: "Then you want to disappear"

William Poromaa about the pain — may withdraw from the Tour: "Then it gets hard to race"

Updated 3 January 2026 — Published 3 January 2026

Earlier this week William Poromaa suspected he had broken a rib.

Despite that he started today's sprint qualification — but did not progress to the quarterfinals.

"When it twinges you want to disappear," Poromaa says about the pain.

Poromaa fell during Thursday's stage of the Tour de Ski and took a blow to his ribs. The Swede then suspected a rib fracture, but at Friday's press conference he said it felt OK.

On Saturday he chose to race the sprint in Val di Fiemme — where he was eliminated after placing 48th in qualifying.

"I thought the skiing itself felt completely okay. I feel it especially when I double‑pole, but it's not super dangerous," he said after the race and added:

"The worst is when I got to the finish and had to cough — that wasn't pleasant."

Whether Poromaa will continue to compete remains to be seen.

"You can race, but if it feels like this afterwards we'll see. Then it will be tough to keep competing."

The best Swede in the sprint qualification was Alvar Myhlbäck.

See also: exclusive images showing Poromaa after the fall and his breathing difficulties.