This weekend, 29-year-old Magni Smedås from Dalsbygda will race two events totaling more than 70 kilometers at altitude in northern Italy. Three days later, she’ll compete in the Norwegian National Championships (NM) at Gåsbu, aiming for a spot on the World Championships (WC) team.

“I really want to race the 50 km at the World Championships. But I know that when I’m in form, I can perform well in all the other distances too,” says the distance skier from Dalsbygda, a cousin of Therese Johaug, who previously focused on all-round skiing.

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All-In for the World Championships

A year and a half ago, Smedås decided to go all-in for the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim. At the second part of the Norwegian Championships last March, she won silver in the 30 km freestyle, finishing behind Johaug but ahead of Astrid Øyre Slind and the entire national team. She also won bronze in the same event at the 2022 Nationals.

However, the first part of this season and her fall training didn’t go as planned.

Smedås has struggled with poor form, sleep issues, and multiple bouts of illness. Christmas was marked by sinus infections and eye trouble, far from the training volume she had hoped for.

“I got sick on Christmas Eve, so the training over the holidays wasn’t what I had planned. But I had a good training period before I got sick,” she says.

Last-Ditch Effort for the WC Dream

So far this season, Smedås’s best results are a third place in the 10 km freestyle and sixth in the 10 km classic at the Norwegian Cup in Gålå. She hasn’t competed in any World Cup races yet.

“I was hoping to be in a better position now than I am, but I still have a few days to turn things around,” says Smedås optimistically.

Now, she’s making a last-ditch effort to save her WC dream, though she acknowledges that it will take a minor miracle.

A Wild Race Schedule

“If I’m going to stand a chance at Nationals, I need to be in better form than I am today. But I’ve managed to turn around hopeless situations before, and I believe I can do it again,” says Smedås.

Few athletes, apart from Johaug, Øyre Slind, and sprint star Kristine Stavås Skistad, have secured clear spots on the WC team.

Smedås has planned an intense race schedule over the next week, with five races in seven days and a brutal travel day.

This weekend, she’ll compete in two Ski Classics races at altitude in northern Italy: the 60 km Drei Zinnen Ski Marathon, one of the series’ toughest races, and the 11 km individual time trial at La Venosta ITT Kapron-Melago.

On Sunday evening, she’ll return to Norway. By Wednesday, she’ll be at the start line for the National Championships, racing all three individual events: the 10 km classic, freestyle sprint, and 20 km skiathlon.

“If I perform well at Nationals, there’s a chance to do more World Cup races, and depending on how those go, they’ll decide the final athletes for the later WC events. So at Nationals, I’ll race the 10 km, sprint, and skiathlon.”

World Championship Selection Criteria

The Norwegian Ski Federation outlines the following main criteria for selecting the WC team:

1. Results in the 2024/25 World Cup.
2. The Norwegian Championships at Gåsbu may be decisive in close cases.
3. Performances in previous championships will also be considered.

Visit Langrenn.com for more information ahead of the Norwegian National Championships.