Last season, she won two World Cups before Christmas. This summer, Emma Ribom has been battling a prolonged injury.

“I thought it would get better after a few days of rest. But… it didn’t,” says Emma Ribom to Expressen during the national team camp in Lavaze.

Emma Ribom, who won gold in the team sprint and silver in the sprint at the World Championships in Planica 2023, is one of the favorites ahead of the World Championships in Trondheim.

“Easy to cross the line”

A few days before Expressen met Ribom in Italy, she had completed her first roller skiing session with poles since the beginning of July.

“Mmm, it’s been so insanely drawn-out, it continued throughout the entire summer,” she says.

According to Langd.se, the issue has been a muscle injury around her ribs on the left side. Because of that, she hasn’t been able to use poles while roller skiing for over two and a half months.

“It wasn’t like something happened suddenly. It was probably some form of overexertion. You always try to push yourself close to your limit, and then it’s easy to cross the line,” she explains to Expressen.

Also Read: Ribom won at the Svenska Spel Sommer Tour

Alternative training

Instead, her summer has consisted of alternative training, such as using a cross-trainer, skiing on a treadmill without poles, roller skiing outdoors with one pole, and running.

“I’ve never run as much as I have this summer. I’ve practically turned into a runner,” she says.

Even though Emma Ribom has been able to train, the summer has been mentally tough.

“It’s probably been hardest mentally. I always have a clear plan for what I want to develop, focusing on specific sessions I really want to complete,” she says, and continues:

“But being forced to scrap the plan I had in my head… that’s probably been the hardest thing of all. I’ve been so insanely tired of it. And super frustrated.”

How do you think the injury has affected you as a skier?

“I don’t know. But I think I’ve still been able to maintain fairly high quality in the training I’ve been able to do.”

Despite the tough period, she tries to stay positive about the situation.

“It has happened before that I’ve been in very good shape already in August. So maybe there’s something good in this – that my peak form will come a little later this year,” she concludes.

Also Read: FIS unveils 2024/2025 cross-country skiing World Cup calendar

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