After five to six years as a long-distance skier, along with several seasons as a biathlete before that, the 32-year-old hung up his skis at the elite level last spring. That’s when the results truly began to show, both physically and mentally.

This summer, Thomas Gifstad has dominated his competitors: In August, he first defeated 2022 World Cup winner and this year’s World Championship silver medalist Amund Korsæth at the Tanumsloppet. The following week, he won Topprullen after a neck-and-neck battle with several of the world’s best.
At the Alliansloppet at the end of August, he finished tenth, just half a second behind comeback star Petter Northug and three seconds off the podium in summer’s most prestigious roller ski race, marking his best performance in five years.

Read more: Gifstad and Sömskar winners of Tanumsloppet 2024

In Båstad-Mölle, he narrowly missed the podium. Last weekend, he was among the top ten in the Klarälvsloppet.
But really, the Rustad boy has been finished as a competitive skier since April.
“I decided to retire after last season. However, I came to an agreement with my Italian team to represent them this summer in various roller ski races,” the 32-year-old from Oslo told Langrenn.com.

And that’s when things started to happen. But why is this occurring now? And what does he think about the decision to retire now?
What changed? “I have a job that takes a lot of time, so I try to maximize the quality of the training hours I have available. After I decided to retire, I took the opportunity to see how good I could become with a different training regimen than the traditional cross-country model. I view it as a small research project on my own body,” Gifstad explained to Langrenn.com, elaborating further.
“Thinking differently and trying new types of training motivates me now. This summer, I’ve focused more on quality over quantity in my training, and I haven’t logged as many hours as I used to.”

What does that specifically entail? 

“It means I’ve been doing a lot of intervals. Since I have less time for training than I would like, I supplement with heat and altitude, plus intervals to make everything more efficient within the time I have available.”
Both altitude tents and heat training are things Gifstad has wanted to test for a while. Now that he has retired and can experiment with different approaches without worrying about compromising his season, he finally has the opportunity. It has whetted his appetite.
“Heat training is becoming more and more popular. In cycling, it’s very common, and I see that it’s spreading among athletes in cross-country skiing and Ski Classics too. It’s hard to say much about the effects so far, other than that it’s extremely painful to carry out,” Gifstad commented.
He also fears that such heat training blocks may cost more than they yield, especially for those who train a lot.
“For someone fully committed and training close to 1000 hours a year, for example, heat training can become too much, as one would need to reinstate at least five sessions a week of 50 minutes over five weeks to see any effect. It can drain your energy if you’re not careful,” Gifstad added.

Not Done with the Start Number

Although Gifstad can look back on a progression he never dreamed of after retiring, he is clear that he is done as a competitive elite athlete. But that doesn’t mean he’s putting away his skis. Instead, he is setting aside all external pressures of expectation.
“Now that my results this summer have been better than ever, I must admit I’ve regained some motivation and joy in the sport that I’ve been lacking in recent years,” Gifstad said.

He is now looking forward to the winter with much lower stress levels, even if his ambitions may still seem impressive to outsiders.
“I plan to race in Vasaloppet and Birken, and I dream of a top placement in Vasaloppet. But I won’t be competing in Ski Classics with a pro team like I did before. I hope to participate in some Norgescup events and the major long-distance races. The Swedish long-distance cup also excites me, so I don’t rule out participating in several competitions there this winter,” Gifstad said eagerly, continuing:
“My ambitions for the winter are to join races when it suits me, when it’s fun, and when I’m healthy. But I wouldn’t call it ‘competition’ in the same sense. I have a mindset that always wants to be at the top. So if I feel fit enough when winter comes, I have a small dream of winning the Swedish long-distance cup overall.”

Will you still live like an athlete? 

“In terms of hygiene, I’m totally environmentally scarred and will live like an elite athlete for the rest of my life. I’m terrified of bacteria.”

Read more: Tiril Eckhoff: Life after biathlon – Part 1

Katerina Paul in cooperation with Ingeborg Scheve