Maja Dahlqvist: “The support from the crowd is incredibly valuable”

“It feels so natural. The support from the crowd is incredibly valuable – and it really helps us out on the course.”

Those are the words of Maja Dahlqvist, who last week was named one of Falun 2027’s first three ambassadors.

Maja Dahlqvist is one of Sweden’s most decorated cross-country skiers. The 32-year-old has three World Championship gold medals and one Olympic gold medal to her name. In total, she has won ten senior medals at international championships, and she has never left an international championship without winning at least one medal.

“Of course, it gives me confidence to know that I’ve performed well at the championships I’ve competed in. Somehow, I manage to raise my game and perform at my best when it matters most,” says Dahlqvist, who, with Lugnet as her main training venue for many years, is likely to be one of the skiers who has covered the sprint course for next winter’s World Championships more times than most.

“Yes, I could probably ski that course in my sleep, haha. It has a fast finish, which suits me. My focus right now is to make sure I’m well positioned during the first half of the race, so that I’m in a good position when we enter the second half,” says Dahlqvist, who made her World Cup debut shortly before Falun last hosted the World Championships 2015.

But back then, Dahlqvist did not make the team for the World Championships – at least not as a competitor.

“I was there and watched a few races. I remember the atmosphere, but it’s difficult to imagine what it’s like to compete there yourself until you actually experience it. But I know how incredible the atmosphere usually is at the World Cup events and how much the crowd can help us.”

Can you give a specific example of that?

“Last year, I broke my pole in the sprint quarter-finals. If it hadn’t been on home soil, I wouldn’t have made it through. But that time, things went my way, and that was thanks, at least to a very large extent, to the support I received from the crowd,” says Maja Dahlqvist, who last week was named one of Falun 2027’s first three ambassadors, with Frida Westman and Truls Gisselman.