After standing outside the national team last season, Maja Dahlqvist is back in the national team activities.

“I think that the areas that we developed last year, which were the reason we chose to be outside the team, have really been listened to by the national team management. I would say that there is a different feeling now, and we have been a smaller group. Eleven of the last fourteen championship medals have been won by women, which shows we have something to build on and develop going forward. I think we have done that now in a good way. Then there are always advantages and disadvantages of being both in and out of the team. But last year, when I was outside the national team, I missed being part of the team,” says Dahlqvist to Langd.se.

What training changes have you made for the coming season?

“It’s partly about focusing on high altitude. I’m 29 years old and haven’t spent much time at high altitudes before, so it’s been curious to see if training at high altitudes can improve me during the season. This feels exciting to test because there are not so many competitions at altitude in the coming season. Still, I feel that I have responded well to high altitude before,” says Dahlqvist, who attended a high-altitude camp in Park City, USA, with her partner and American skier Kevin Bolger.

“At home, I have worked a lot on developing my upper body strength. Previously, I have been very much a leg skier. By getting stronger in the upper body, I can better maintain my technique even when I get tired, which in turn means that I save a lot of energy during races. And the upper body strength is very useful both in pure double poling but also in diagonal striding and gear two (V2) and three (V2 alternate) in skating. And if there is a percentage that you can develop, you must try to do this. The upper body strength and endurance have been the parts where I feel I can develop the most compared to my competitors,” says Dahlqvist.

Last season, Maja Dahlqvist won the Sprint World Cup overall for the second year in a row. This after a fascinating battle against the Swiss Nadine Fähndrich all the way to the final in Lahti.

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