Oskar Svärd is a competitive person. He probably always will be. That’s why he mostly talks about training, form, and goals when you meet him. But now there’s also a blood clot in his leg that makes his pursuit of the World Championships in multisport – or adventure racing – in Ecuador in November hang by a thin thread.

“I got it at the beginning of February during a training camp. It’s in my calf and is really persistent. I’ve had an ultrasound three times, taken medications, and undergone all kinds of tests. Now I’m training as usual, but it still hurts sometimes,” says Oskar, who both hopes and believes that his military four-man team will make it to the start in November.

“We had to skip a competition in April, but we are planning for a European Cup at the end of July. Then it’s the World Championships in November. Two races a year are enough,” says Svärd to Langd.se.

930km in One Race

Oskar explains that recovery takes a very long time. The World Championships last for four days, while the European Cup is two days. During these events, one must navigate and move by running/walking, mountain biking, canoeing, and more.

“Last time, we slept 6 hours over four days and covered 930 kilometers. Most of our foreign competitors are professionals, while we are a team with a military background,” says the officer from Ing2 in Eksjö.

Has Two World Championship Golds

His team has won the World Championships twice, and a third victory is now the goal for the three-time Vasaloppet winner. In 2023, he, along with the other three team members (Malin Hjalmarsson, John Karlsson, Per Vestling), became World Champions in Adventure Racing in tough competition with 108 other teams. The competition is an extreme form of multisport/patrol competition and was held in South Africa. It was the second time in three years that the team became World Champions; in 2021, Oskar, along with his then team (Malin Hjalmarsson, John Karlsson, Emil Dahlqvist), won the World Championships in Spain.

Not an Ordinary Person

His skiing career ended in 2016. He could have stopped there, become an ordinary person, and lived a quiet life with his family. But that’s not Oskar Svärd.

“I missed having a goal. I also work with physical development in the military, so multisport was a natural choice.”

He is employed full-time and wears green clothes about half the time. The rest is training. Oskar is responsible for “physical combat training” at the Göta regiment (Ing2) in Eksjö.

“Without the military, I would never have been able to pursue this.”

First Vasaloppet Victory is the Greatest

But it’s the Vasaloppet that has become his signature event. The race he dreamed about as a child.

“I watched the Vasaloppet on TV and dreamed of participating. After a while, I realized that I got better the longer the races were. In my debut in 1999, I finished 9th, and the following year I was 2nd. Then I realized that this was my thing and what I should focus on.”

“Nothing compares to the first victory in 2003. Before that, it was tough to manage everything and participate in long races. Everything changed after that, and it was fun when David Nilsson started the first real long-distance team, Team Exspirit.”

The Long-Distance King

Oskar Svärd was the long-distance king when Ski Classics began in 2011. He won Vasaloppet in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Additionally, he won Marcialonga in 2010.

“It was a significant development. We started with less waxing, and eventually, we skied without any wax at all,” he recalls from that time.

But the successes didn’t continue in the years after Ski Classics began.

“My best years were from 2003 to 2011. I had a tough year in the 2011-2012 season. I didn’t race at all. The reason was that I contracted some kind of amoeba from the military World Championships in Brazil the summer before. I was in bad shape and never returned to the same form, even though I tried for several seasons.”

Also an Elite-Level Orienteer

In 2016, he ended his career, which began when he was a child in Tvärred. A great sports career that now continues in multisport. Oskar Svärd is now 47 years old and lives in Eksjö with his fiancée Kari Eie, a former Norwegian biathlon reserve for the World Championships, and their 5-year-old daughter Julia.

He has also been a skilled orienteer with a Swedish Championships medal in relay. He also has a Swedish Championships medal in traditional cross-country skiing.

As an orienteer, he wore the Ulricehamn club jersey, even though he achieved his best relay result with OK Skogsmårdarna from Malung.

“It was a fun time. We were good, and I remember the 9th place in Jukolan Viesti, the world’s largest relay, with Ulricehamn. Today, I run orienteering for exercise. My eyesight is too poor to compete at an elite level.”

“Now I also try to spend more time with Julia, who is five and a half. We try to keep her active, and she participates in everything, including dance and gymnastics. But I have nothing to contribute there,” laughs Oskar.

“She also likes playing in the woods and participated in the Eksjö city race. Maybe she will become an endurance athlete one day.”

OSKAR SVÄRD – FACTS

• BORN: September 19, 1976 
• LIVES IN: Eksjö 
• OCCUPATION: Officer, multisport athlete, coach, lecturer, training camp organizer, expert commentator 
• FAMILY: Engaged to Kari Eie, daughter Julia, 5 years old 
• ACTIVE CLUBS: Tvärreds IF, Sollefteå SK, Ulricehamns IF, Vålådalen SK, Försvarets SK 
• ENDED SKIING CAREER: 2016, took up multisport again in 2019 
• BEST MEMORY FROM CAREER: My first victory at Vasaloppet in 2003, everything fell into place that day, and I achieved my big goal 
• WHAT I MISS FROM MY ACTIVE CAREER: Friends, the environment, and being in top form! 
• HOW I FOLLOW THE SPORT TODAY: I have been an expert commentator on Discovery Networks for four years when they had Ski Classics. In the spring of 2021, I helped build Team Eksjöhus and was the Pro Team Director for two years. After that, I have worked with Ski Classics on a few occasions. I watch Ski Classics on TV and keep in touch with many skiers 
• MY HOBBIES TODAY: What are hobbies? 😉 I work, spend time with my family, and train/compete. There isn’t much time for anything else. 

OSKAR SVÄRD – CAREER

Vasaloppet 

• 1st place 2003 
• 1st place 2005 
• 1st place 2007 
• Vasaloppet 1999-2011: 9 – 2 – 5 – 3 – 1 – 4 – 1 – 5 – 1 – 4 – 2 – 7 – 7 

Marcialonga 

• 1st place 2010 

Jizerská50 

• 1st place 2003 
• 1st place 2004 
• 1st place 2010 

Finlandia Hiihto 

• 1st place 2011 

Ski Classics

• 8 victories and 24 podium finishes in Ski Classics

Swedish Championships

• 3rd place 50 km 2009, Åsarna 

Roller Skiing Swedish Championships 

• 2nd place 2006, Burserud 

Ski Orienteering Swedish Championships

• 2nd place relay 2002, Gällivare 
• 3rd place individual 2002, Gällivare 

Orienteering

• 2nd place Jukolan Viesti 2012 (first leg for Malungs OK Skogsmårdarna) 
• Swedish Championship relay medal 2007 (first leg for Ulricehamns OK) 

• Svärd set a record in En Svensk Klassiker in 2014 with a time of 13:57:16.

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