First, we chatted with the women’s coach: Per Nilsson. This is his first year as German National Team Coach since he was previously working with the Swedish National Team for years. In addition to his job with the German National Team, Per is also Frida Karlsson’s personal coach. 

Per, can you tell us how the Team’s preparation is going and what the plans are for the upcoming period? 

“The preparation started slowly because I still had my previous work in Sweden. It was a bit on and off. I have done several back and forths to central Europe. This camp is the first real one. So, we have been in Torsby for one and a half weeks, and now we are ending the camp with the races.”

“Then, we didn’t plan to go on altitude. Some athletes will be in Oberhof, some in Oberstdorf, and some in Ruhpolding. After that, we have test week in September in Oberhof. The athletes are doing some races and physical tests. Finally, we will go to Ramsau to get in touch with the snow.”

As you mentioned, you arrived on this Team just this year, but do you think the Olympics medals change something inside the Team? 

“Yes, I think they believe in them a little bit more. They realized that was possible. I think they are a little bit scared in the beginning if you change the setup, but you should ask them!” 

Following the advice of Per Nilsson, we have asked the same question to Katharina Hennig. 

“Yes, of course, I think it was good for the German Team and even for the German cross-country world. I think it was important, especially for the young skiers. It was a lot of motivation to see that the hard work pays off and that it is possible to have a medal in a big competition.”

After an Olympic year, what are your goals for this winter? 

“The goal is, of course, the World Championships in Planica. We do a lot of hard work to have the best results as possible this winter. The goal is to do a really good relay again in the Championships.”

“Personally, I want to do a good season and have a good result in the mass start classic. I am aiming for top 6.” 

Can you tell us about your preparation and training camps? 

“All the camps work in the same way: one camp per month, 10 to 14 days, and we are always all together with the men, which is great; it’s a good mix.”

“We were in a training camp in Torsby, in the ski tunnel, for the last ten days. It was our first time in Torsby, and the conditions there were really good. We did good training, with a lot of high-quality sessions. Last week was quite intense with some intensity sessions, and this weekend races are the key part of the camp.”

“For the weekend, the goal is the same for the whole Team: doing a good competition, good training intensity, and having nice days with nice weather here. It will be fun, we are delighted to join the event, and I’m sure we will have a good time and enjoy the races!”

Indeed Katharina succeeded during the weekend with fourth place in the sprint on Friday and a victory at the 15km individual start on Sunday.