“Very honorable, but I still say that I’m going to the stadium. I still haven’t gotten used to saying Hellnerstadion (Hellner Stadium),” says Marcus Hellner with a smile.

Over the next few weeks, Sweden’s and the world’s top cross-country skiers will compete vigorously on and around Hellnerstadion in Gällivare.

This weekend marks the start of the Swedish premiere in Gällivare, and the first weekend in December will see two competition days in the World Cup at the exact location (including distance races in classic style and relay races for both women and men).

According to Langd.se, one of those who has trained and competed extensively on these tracks is Marcus Hellner, who moved to Gällivare when he started high school at the ski academy:

“The distance tracks may not look or feel so tough when you ski one lap. But after a few laps, it becomes both tough and decisive. These are fast tracks with many curves, and it really matters to push hard in curves and over the crests,” says Marcus Hellner, who has been the person to give his name to the ski stadium since winning gold at the Vancouver Olympics:

“It’s very special, and I’m naturally very proud that they named the stadium after me. But I never get used to saying Hellnerstadion myself. It’s always just the stadium,” says Hellner, who has also named a hill just before the finish at the Holmenkollen Ski Stadium in Oslo:

“That hill has almost ‘taken on a life of its own.’ It’s not officially named Hellnerbacken, but I talked to Therese Johaug during the recording of Sweden versus Norway, and she told me that they referred to the hill as Hellnerbacken. It’s certainly special to have a hill named after me right there because, on that arena, people have stood along the track and shouted more than a few things,” says Marcus Hellner.

Also Read: Gallivare Premiere: Start lists and start times for the 10km classic race