William Poromaa is currently with the Swedish national team at a high-altitude training camp in Italy. However, his training season didn’t start as he had hoped. Too much running on hard surfaces led to what’s known as runner’s knee. 

“I don’t know if you can call it an injury. It was a bit of wear from the spring. I went ahead and trained a lot of running early on, and it became a bit overloaded. But it worked out well, and I had help from a physiotherapist in Sundsvall. It has turned around quite quickly, and it’s been working well recently,” says Poromaa to Langd.se.

Has it affected your preparation for the season?

“There was less running and more roller skiing. Whether that was positive or negative, I’m not sure.”

What will your preparation for the World Championships look like? Are there any competitions you will skip? 

“The first block will involve a lot of competition, and I aim to race in the Tour de Ski. After that, the focus is entirely on the World Championships. So, I might skip some competitions.”

Are there any races you already know you won’t compete in? 

“The races in Falun are likely out. I’m not exactly sure about the weekends before, but my full focus will be on the World Championships then.”

Several Stars to Miss World Cup on Home Soil 

Several of the Swedish skiers have already announced that they won’t race in the Tour de Ski. On Thursday, Expressen reported that the Swedish stars will most likely miss the World Cup in Falun, which overlaps with the national team’s high-altitude camp ahead of the World Championships. 

“Unfortunately, the weekend in Falun will suffer because we’ll be at a high-altitude camp with most of the World Championships squad,” confirms Swedish national team manager Anders Byström to Expressen.

Also Read: Poromaa adjusts his high-altitude training plan

How do you view the consequences for the World Cup when the best skiers choose to skip races to focus on the World Championships? 

“It’s hard to say whether it’s positive or negative. As a skier, it’s difficult not to prioritize a World Championships or Olympics, and a medal at a championship covers an entire season. Sometimes, you have to be a little selfish and focus on yourself to reach your goals.”

Klæbo sees you as one of his biggest competitors ahead of the World Championships in Trondheim. What do you think about that? 

“Of course, it’s nice to hear. I hope he’s right. I’ll have two years with more training and better preparation than last time. Of course, he hasn’t been lying on the couch since then either, but we hope we can beat him,” he concludes.

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