Seven years ago, Johanna Hagström moved to Falun. Next winter, the 27-year-old is looking forward to a championship on home soil. And already on February 28, Hagström will be chasing top results in front of a large crowd at the World Cup sprint at Lugnet.
Last season, Johanna Hagström claimed her first World Cup victory when she won the classic sprint during the opening weekend in Ruka, Finland.
— That victory was very significant. It gave me a confidence boost, and it felt like I finally got to prove what I’m capable of, says Hagström, who has put together a string of strong performances during the season that is now just over halfway through.
She has reached the sprint final heat four times in the World Cup, and in December in Trondheim she secured the second World Cup victory of her career.
Now the 27-year-old is in the final stages of preparation for the major goal of the season: the Olympic Games in Val di Fiemme. Next year, as is well known, the World Championships will be held in Falun. Falun has also been Johanna Hagström’s home for the past seven years:
— It would be so cool to get the chance to race a World Championships event at Lugnet. Of course, it’s already a driving force in my training, and especially when I’m at home in Falun, I notice that there’s more and more talk about what’s coming at Lugnet next winter, says Hagström.
How big of an advantage is it, as a home skier, to be able to train on the sprint course?
— Of course it’s an advantage to be able to ski it and really learn the course inside and out. I’ll try to include sprint sessions on the course on the way toward the World Championships. But during the competition season I’m not home that much, says Hagström, who finished sixth in last season’s World Cup sprint at Lugnet.
What does the home crowd mean?
— There’s usually a great atmosphere at Lugnet, and the crowd really helps us Swedish skiers. That will be the case at the World Cup at the end of February, and I imagine it will be even more so at the World Championships. At the World Championships in Trondheim last year, I really made sure to soak in the crowd and felt that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But then the World Championships in Falun must be even more of a once-in-a-lifetime moment, Johanna Hagström says with a smile.
Do you want to follow Johanna at Lugnet February 28-March 1? Tickets