The Top Contenders For Vasaloppet 2023

by ANDRÉ SANTOS • 04.03.2023
On Sunday, March 5, one of the most prestigious events of the Ski Classics calendar is taking place in Sweden. Vasaloppet marks its 99th edition this year, and ProXCskiing explored the top contenders to be the fastest Pro Tour athletes going from Sälen to Mora.
On Sunday, March 5, one of the most prestigious events of the Ski Classics calendar is taking place in Sweden. Vasaloppet marks its 99th edition this year, and ProXCskiing explored the top contenders to be the fastest Pro Tour athletes going from Sälen to Mora.

Every year, on the first Sunday of March, the most prestigious long-distance race in the world takes place in Sweden. Starting in Sälen, known for its popular alpine ski resorts, and heading to Mora, world-famous as the finish location. Vasaloppet traditions and importance are not only for Pro Tour athletes but also for recreational skiers from all over the world training to beat their best personal result year after year. And many travels to Sweden to experience the race’s vibes.

Who are the top contenders to win the 99th edition of Vasaloppet? For the last few years, Norwegian male athletes have won, with the previous edition being won by Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge. On the women’s side, Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie (former Team Koteng Eidisse), was the last winner, but victories have been distributed between Swedish and Norwegian athletes. 

The Favorite Men To Win Vasaloppet 2023

This year’s race will be very competitive. On the one hand, Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, is the winner of eight out of nine individual races this season, wants to win Vasaloppet for the first time, and last but not least, he can be the Swedish man to put an end to the Norwegian dominance in Vasaloppet. 

Moreover, Emil now has seventeen wins in Ski Classics races, making him the most winning man in Ski Classics’ history.

“It went really well this year. I am happy about that. When I started five years ago, winning seemed like crossing an ocean. But now I am here,” says Persson during a pre-Vasaloppet interview earlier this week.

Watch Here – Vasaloppet: Pre-Event Interviews Live On SC YouTube 

Since Emil started competing in Vasaloppet and Ski Classics, he has been conquering better positions each year at the classic Swedish race. Last year, Emil finished 2nd place last year, so he hopes to continue improving and finally reach the top of the podium. 

“That’s my plan; I am hoping for that. I have been aiming for Vasaloppet throughout the season. My goal is to get home with the victory,” says Emil and continues: 

“Last year, it was really close; now I just need to be a little bit better with tactics and skis, and I may have the chance to win. I have been in a quite good shape, so I keep the same training plan.”

But of course, there is a man that knows how to win. Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge, has won the race before and may be the man stopping Emil from winning. Nygaard has not won any race this winter, but he has already shown his ambition of winning one of the big races, and Vasaloppet may be his best opportunity to achieve his goal. With two victories and one 2nd place at the world’s most prestigious ski race, Nygaard knows his way to success.

Moreover, the Norwegian long-distance skier has been showing improved shape during the last races, with a 3rd place at Marcialonga and 2nd place at Jizerská50. Finally, he did not compete at the Grönklitt weekend, so he has had a long rest from the competition, most probably getting ready for this weekend.

The other strong contender, who has already admitted that his goal is winning Vasaloppet, is Kasper Staadas, also from Team Ragde Charge. The Norwegian skier is having his best season so far. He has won Jizerská50, and despite not having conquered a strong result in Orsa Grönklitt, it does not mean anything. Kasper was facing that weekend primarily as training and not competition.

However, Nygaard and Staadas compete for Team Ragde Charge, and their individual ambitions may collide with team tactics. At least, that is what Emil hopes so that he can take advantage of that.

Finally, a skier coming from the new generation of Pro Tour athletes may challenge the established ones and surprise them at the finish line. 

Amund Riege, Team Ramudden, is having an impressive season and is currently in 2nd place in the Yellow Champion competition. Amund has been a consistent top 5 athlete, and he even reached 3rd place at Jizerská50. This will be the 3rd start at Vasaloppet for this Norwegian athlete. He has been 47th and 21st in the earlier editions.

“I hope to be better this year. Last years I was learning how to deal with energy, nutrition, and so on. I think it is a race that can suit me, and I hope I can stay in the lead until the finish,” says Amund and continues: 

“I have been gradually increasing the training load with longer sessions of 5-6 hours double-poling.”

The Favorite Women To Win Vasaloppet 2023

On the ladies’ side, three Pro Tour athletes may fight for the title. Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, is the reigning winner of Vasaloppet, and she already admitted that winning this race is one of her goals for the season. But with World Championships in Planica, will the Norwegian skier be able to fight for victory again?

Last year’s edition winner is having an impressive season, and it is safe to say that she is one of the world’s strongest skiers, competing both at long-distance and traditional cross-country skiing. Last week’s performance at the skiathlon and relay races in the World Championships was impressive. Astrid finished 3rd place just behind Ebba Anderson and Frida Karlsson on the skiathlon and grabbed a gold medal at the relay with the Norwegian team. 

On Saturday, just one day before Vasaloppet, Astrid competed in the 30km classic race in Planica and finished in 10th place. But this Norwegian skier is so strong that she will compete in Vasaloppet the day after. And her sponsors even decided to arrange a private jet plane to ensure she would be at the starting line on Sunday.

But other women can win, especially since Astrid will have a tough weekend. One of them is Magni Smedas, Team Eksjöhus, who is having a good season. 

This Norwegian skier won Marcialonga and Jizerská50, finished 2nd at Tjejvasan, and is currently leading the Yellow Champion competition. Moreover, she is the only one who can complete a Grand Slam this season, winning all four big events: Marcialonga, Jizerská50, Vasaloppet, and Birkebeinerrennet.

However, Magni has never competed in Vasaloppet. She has yet to double-pol this long distance, and that is something that can give an advantage to her competitors. However, it will be interesting to see if she can surprise her two main competitors, Astrid and Ida.

“I am really excited; I have never skied this long before. I am just trying not to train too much to save energy,” Magni says during the pre-Vasaloppet interview. 

“If I could win this race, it would be amazing. But I see this as a step forward to developing as a long-distance skier. I will try my best at Vasaloppet, but I have never raced it before, and it will be exciting to see what I can do”.

Finally, Ida Dahl, Team Engcon, is the most likely winner of this year’s Vasaloppet. With Astrid possibly overwhelmed by so many top competitions and Magni being somehow a newbie in this course, the Swedish skier may have the opportunity to win the most prestigious race in her country.

The athlete is currently in the 2nd position in the Yellow bib competition and has had several victories in many of the Ski Classics events, but she has never won Vasaloppet. After winning Tjejvasan, Ida feels confident about tomorrow.

“I hope that things work out perfectly and I end up at the 1st place,” Ida says during the pre-event interview and continues: 

“To get a good start and get away with a good group of men is important for us women. I hope I have improved my top speed and can do that.”

A Very Tough Fight Along 90 Kilometers

The world’s most prestigious long-distance ski race will be challenging. On the men’s side, Emil Persson will try to stop the Norwegian dominance in Vasaloppet. However, the Norwegians, especially Nygaard, will try to achieve the glory of the win, especially now that the Champion competition overall is almost at Emil’s hands.

On the women’s side, Astrid Oyre Slind wants to win again, as this race is important for her. But will she be able to race at a high-level two back-to-back competitions?

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists 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, Bedrichov, Czech Republic, 50km
  • Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
  • Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 15km
  • 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, 67km

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

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