THE LEGEND SMUTNÁ ENDS HER LONG CAREER
Kateřina Smutná puts her skis on the shelf after a long and successful career. Smutná is one of Visma Ski Classics Legends with as many as eleven event victories.
Among the eleven victories are two at Maricalonga, two at Jizerská 50, and one at Vasaloppet. The latest victory came at La Diagonela 2019.
“Årefjällsloppet 100 km became my last race in Visma Ski Classics,” writes the 37-year-old Smutná on Instagram.
“I had a lot of respect for the distance. Conditions were slow due to the warm weather, and the course had a lot of climbs. My goal was clear – to do the race with a smile because I wanted to complete this final race. It worked well, thanks to good skis. It was also great that I could do the whole race with Britta Johansson Norgren with whom I fought for the victory in so many races over the years, Smutná writes further.
Britta Johansson Norgren answers back on Smutna’s Instagram like this:
”An honor to compete against you, and I will forever remember our fights. Good luck with everything.”
Smutná started her long distance career in the 2015 by winning both Jizerská 50 and Marcialonga and finishing second at La Diagonela, König Ludvig Lauf, and Birkebeinerrennet. Season V ended with her winning the Champion competition.
Here you can see all Kateřina Smutná’s results in Visma Ski Classics.
Before his career as a long distance skier, Smutnás was also a World Cup skier for both the Czech Republic and Austria and has participated in both the World Championships and the Olympic Games.