The season’s big goal for Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, has been to take back the Yellow bib in Ski Classics, which he won for the first time two years ago. Last year the overall winner was Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge.

There is no doubt about this season who was the best in Ski Classics. Both if you look at the result line and the margin down to second in the overall standings.

After his ninth victory of the season at Vasaloppet, Ski Classic’s Yellow Champion bib was secured.

“It’s absolutely great. When you win Vasaloppet, that was all you thought about, but then I realized “I’ve secured the total as well.” Then it became a bonus thing there,” says Emil Persson and continues:

“I’m very happy with it. It was one of the big goals of the season.”

Emil Persson has improved in some areas to regain the throne as a long-distance king. One of the areas he has worked on is double poling on steep uphills, which we could see the results of at the Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge in January.

“It is the uphill climb that I may have been a little worse at, and I have taken a big step this year. It is very nice, and you feel you have developed in many ways. It’s a good feeling when you achieve it.”

After the long-awaited win at Vasaloppet, there was a lot of commotion around Emil Persson, and he got to participate in the Swedish talk show Bianca, which Bianca Ingrosso hosts.

“It was really fun! There are some contrasts to what you do daily. It was great fun to be part of and experience such an evening. It was awesome.”

How much energy does it take to deal with the media?

“I think it was more a few years ago when you were new to it. But now I think I’ve found a good attitude and a good level of handling it, so now I don’t think it takes that much.”

The season’s results have made him historical. No other men’s skier has won as many times in Ski Classics as Emil Persson.

What are your goals for next season?

“I want to continue winning races and continue to be at the top and fight for podium places, win Vasaloppet again, and I have yet to win Birken, so it’s a race I want to win. You always think that you want to continue that way. But I don’t have any specific or training goals.”

Here you will find the final total standings.

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consisted of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 12km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 68km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.