He was on the podium six times in the World Cup last winter. Now Calle Halfvarsson is looking forward to the upcoming winter. Here he talks about the winter’s most important competitions and football playing.

The Swedish national cross-country team is currently at a training camp in Åre. Calle Halfvarsson can reflect on a solid winter where he was on the podium six times in the World Cup. 

At the World Championships, he had solid races but ended up outside the podium, with five races and, in all of them, results from fourth to sixth place.

Are you making any training changes for the coming winter?

“I’m working on finding some small details to take another small step. But there will be no major changes. I had a good season last winter and got good results,” says Halfvarsson from the camp in Åre.

During the dryland season, the Swedish national team will split up at one point, with the distance skiers going to a training camp in Livigno at high altitude and the sprinters to Norway at Meråker.

Halfvarsson chose the “Norwegian” option:

“There are several reasons for this. One is that I have never been to Meråker before; then, I have a situation where I don’t want to be away from my family so much. And I see this as an alternative where I get good training but can be at home more and keep up with the sprint training. Then I don’t feel as much about training at high altitude; I’d rather do a little harder training in the low altitude.”

Halfvarsson showed good form a year ago during the summer season when he won Alliansloppet. This year he will return to Trollhättan to try to defend his victory:

“Competition is always good training, and it’s fun to compete. After all, we train to compete, and being able to practice being in a competitive situation means a lot before the winter. This is not least to practice the mental game that it becomes during a longer race,” says Halfvarsson, who will also start the races during the Blink Festival in Norway at the beginning of August.

What is the main goal for the winter?

“The World Cup overall will be very interesting. And to succeed, Tour de Ski becomes extra important,” says Halfvarsson, who, in addition to the Swedish national team and Sågmyra SK in cross-country skiing, represents Bjursås IK in football.

“Just like last year, I have participated in some training sessions. And I’ve also played two games this year. I see it as good training. I get to practice the speed of the runs, and then I forget that it’s hard when you have to chase a ball. Then I keep a little distance and avoid trouble with the big guys. Then it’s fun to be part of the soccer team.”

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