The Olympic gold is her greatest triumph. Behind the facade, she fought a battle that no one saw. Now she breaks her silence about the nightmare and why she dreads the spring.

As the final competition weekend of the season approaches, Olympic gold medalist Ebba Andersson opens up about a season that has been tumultuous, where injuries have dictated her performance.

“Before the season opener, it was absolutely terrible,” the Swedish ski star tells Expressen.

The first part of the season was subpar. She started with finishes of 4th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st in the four World Cup races before Christmas. She placed fourth in the Tour de Ski but did not compete again until the Olympics.

This winter’s Olympics in Val di Fiemme were a rollercoaster. First, she secured two silver medals behind Frida Karlsson. Then came the relay. Andersson started in the lead but fell twice, lost a ski, and became a meme worldwide. After drying her tears, she confronted herself.

“I thought: ‘I can’t be that bad downhill,’” Andersson says.

She then picked herself up and concluded the Olympic Games with one of the most dominant golds in history in the 50km.

Also Read: Swedish star powers to 50km mass start gold at Milano-Cortina 2026

The story continues below.

The Championships Saved the Season

“But the time before and after the Olympics has mostly been a struggle. If it weren’t for the Olympics, I would be sitting here quite dissatisfied,” says Ebba Andersson.

It has not been a highlight. Injury issues flared up again just before the season opener in November.

“I can honestly say that before the season started in Gällivare, it was a crisis. I thought: ‘Will I even be able to compete this season?’ I struggled a lot with stability downhill and keeping my balance in the turns and being quick enough on my feet,” Andersson recounts.

“Who are you trying to fool?”

Andersson felt insecure but chose to keep it to herself.

“You learn how the media works. If you give them a little something, it quickly becomes a big story. I didn’t want to waste energy on that,” she says.

But Andersson had to deal with it. It has overshadowed her entire season.

“Yes. You start to believe that everything is fine, and then just… who are you really trying to fool?”

At the same time, Andersson believes that the injury may have made her better at handling adversity and adapting her training.

“It may have actually led to better results in the end than if everything had gone perfectly from the start. But it has been frustrating to work my way up, get a little boost, and then be knocked down again.”

After the Olympics, she again had to withdraw from important races due to her knee injury.

Dreading the Spring

The season is now nearing its end. This weekend’s Swedish Championships in Idre will be her last competitions before the spring break. She is dreading it.

“That’s when you suddenly aren’t a top athlete anymore… and it has been challenging in previous years. The rest of the year is governed by training. But when that disappears, what will you do then?”

The Swedish Championship finals this weekend will kick off with sprint relays on Friday, continue with long-distance races on Saturday, and conclude with the 30km and 50km on Sunday.

Struggling with knee injuries for half her life

Knees have been a problem for the 28-year-old for almost half her life, ever since she dislocated her right knee during a run in 2014.

In 2016, Ebba Andersson had to end her season prematurely after cartilage pieces detached from her right knee. She underwent two surgeries.

In 2019, she slipped while running, injured her right knee, and had to delay the start of her season. In 2022, she dislocated her left knee after a gym session.

And in the summer of 2025, she fell again, sustaining a minor meniscus injury that prevented her from running for a large part of her season preparation for the Olympics.

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