The numbers were so extreme that the testing lab questioned whether Philip Lindkvist-Fløtten manipulated the test. Now it’s up to Sweden to invest in him, according to his Norwegian coach.

Philip Lindkvist-Fløtten from Norway is described as a rough diamond with immense potential, exceptional oxygen uptake, and incredible confidence.

This is stated by head coach Martin Eng of the Norwegian private team Team Consto, which brought in Philip Lindkvist-Fløtten less than a year ago.

At that time, the talent was out of shape, but Eng and assistant coach Fredrik Grusd saw the potential. Now he has become the world’s best junior and competes for Sweden.

“They get a rough diamond with enormous talent and potential. I hope they manage it well,” Eng tells Langrenn.com, and continues:

“Philip is good at training and living like a 24-hour athlete. He absorbs things quickly, tolerates an incredible amount of training, and responds extremely well to it.”

Stunning senior debut

Half a year after joining the Norwegian private team, Lindkvist-Fløtten won gold, silver, and bronze at this winter’s Junior World Championships – becoming the best athlete of the championships. This earned him a wildcard entry to the World Cup final in Holmenkollen at the end of March, something he is proud of.

The result of his World Cup debut was a 68th place, just seconds away from qualifying for the pursuit start. He calls it a rookie mistake after getting behind an Olympic winner almost from the start.

“I got behind (Johannes) Dale-Skjevdal on the first lap. It’s cool until you get tired, but I paid for it on the last lap. I had nothing left to give. But it’s fun to race out there with stars I’ve watched on TV for many years,” Lindkvist-Fløtten tells Langrenn.com.

The 19-year-old also has two podium finishes internationally at the senior level in the IBU Cup, against competitors who qualified for the Olympics this winter.

His ability to compete at such a high level is largely due to his exceptional physical capacity.

It’s rumored that you have an enormous oxygen uptake.

“Hehe. Is that so? But yes, my oxygen uptake is quite okay,” Lindkvist-Fløtten modestly responds.

Oxygen uptake, or VO2max, expressed in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min), measures the body’s ability to take up and utilize oxygen – and the higher, the better. A higher oxygen uptake enhances performance in endurance sports like cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Lindkvist-Fløtten reveals that his value is now well over 80. This is on par with – or better than – many of the world’s best cross-country skiers and biathletes.

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Completely overhauled training

The talent explains the extreme development by stating that he completely overhauled his training for this season. There has been more and harder training, more structure, and closer follow-up.

“There have been a lot of new things this year with training and double hard sessions, O2 tests, and lactate measurements. It’s more professional than what I’ve done before,” Lindkvist-Fløtten says and elaborates:

“There has been much more threshold training from May to August than I’ve done previously. Then came a period focused on harder i4 sessions. I trained much more VO2max training.”

The results of this overhaul have astonished experts.

In just over six weeks, Lindkvist-Fløtten increased his maximum oxygen uptake from 73 to well over 80 – an improvement of 11 percent.

“From the first to the second test last fall, I increased by eight such units. Those were my first two O2 tests in my life,” he says and adds:

“I increased much more than I had expected.”

What expectations did you have for what the training overhaul would yield?

“Well… I was almost at the point where I hoped that my oxygen uptake at least hadn’t decreased during those weeks. I hoped it would be higher, but I didn’t have such high expectations.”

The testing lab was shocked

One thing is that Lindkvist-Fløtten’s oxygen uptake is world-class. But equally important, according to coach Martin Eng, is the talent’s lactate profile, which is also exceptional.

“He has a threshold value that is very close to his maximum oxygen uptake, which is very high. This allows him to ski extremely hard without producing lactate. When you have those two things together, you go incredibly fast on skis, Eng tells Langrenn.com and recounts what happened when they took the super talent to the testing lab.”

“Joar Hansen, who also tests the Norwegian national team, Johan-Olav Botn, and the whole gang, was completely stunned when Philip came in to test. He wondered if the guy was trying to manipulate the test, for example, by not eating, or taking caffeine tablets, or bicarbonate. But no, he had eaten and trained as usual,” Eng says.

Nonetheless, Lindkvist-Flötten does not let training data and test results dictate everything.

“It’s fun to see the numbers increase. But what I find most enjoyable is that I notice I’m skiing faster and getting better.”

Quit school – Started training

Lindkvist-Fløtten is convinced that focusing entirely on training has been crucial.

“I quit school and started training. The combination became too tough, and I was really tired of the slow Norwegian lessons. So I moved to Lillehammer and joined the private team Team Consto. It has worked very well, so I will continue with it. School can wait until later in life,” says the 19-year-old.

In addition to the setup in Lillehammer, Lindkvist-Fløtten has also participated in parts of the Swedish national team’s gatherings in Östersund. Coach Martin Eng believes this will increase even more in the future.

“He is probably lost to Norway forever. Now he is most likely moving to Östersund, and then we can do no more. But he has been trained in Norway with a Norwegian private team,” Eng says.

“We are delivering a junior with rock-solid confidence, without being cocky. Now it’s up to the Swedish national team to invest in him, give him calm and confidence. Then he can take podiums in the World Cup quite soon and become Sweden’s golden calf in the next Olympics. Philip could very well become the next Eric Perrot,” Eng says, referring to this year’s French-Norwegian World Cup winner.

Philip Lindkvist-Flötten still has one season left as a junior, but his World Cup debut has left him wanting more.

“I think the World Cup is fun. Competing as a junior is also enjoyable, but racing with an audience is something entirely different. So I want to compete more in the World Cup next year,” he says.

And it will be in blue and yellow attire. For the half-Norwegian biathlon talent is clear:

“Now I have chosen a nation, and it will be Sweden for the rest of my career.”

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