“I dislocated my shoulder, but it popped back into place on its own. It was really painful, but I continued to the finish line,” says former biathlon star Emil Hegle Svendsen.

The biathlon legend was one of many ski stars at Saturday’s popular Lofoten Skyrace, covering 32km with over 1900 meters of elevation gain. But not even a dislocated shoulder could stop him.

Emil Hegle Svendsen smiles a bit strained in the finish area. It was supposed to be a friendly outing with a skyrace included, but his competitive instinct is still very much alive.

“My form isn’t what it used to be, but I was doing well until I had the mishap with my shoulder,” says Svendsen, who made up several places on the second mountain.

“But afterwards, I had to take it easy; especially going downhill, I was cautious.”

It could have gone much worse, but Emil Hegle Svendsen completed the race in Svolvær in 4 hours and 39 minutes. A couple of hours later, he was feeling better again.

“Can’t run downhill”

The biggest star was, of course, Olympic champion Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. He fought for a top-10 finish the entire way.

“I did well uphill, but I can’t run downhill. They’re completely crazy,” he says with a laugh.

The shock was significant when several competitors zoomed past him on the steep downhill sections.

The Olympic champion didn’t risk life and limb for a top placement, but he was all smiles when he crossed the finish line in 10th place. With a time of 3:53.08, he finished 36:28 behind the dominant winner Anders Sommer from Varegg in Bergen, who won for the second consecutive year. He has also won both Stoltzekleiven Opp and Ulriken Opp at home.

Alsgaard still has it

Another skiing legend at the start was Thomas Alsgaard. And yes, the Olympic champion from 1994 still has it.

“I’m mostly here because my daughter wanted to race. It’s slower now, but I’m satisfied,” says Thomas, who handled the distance quite well.

The star finished 18th among the men, with a final time of 4:08.37.

“It was a great race with a lot of beautiful nature, but really tough.”

Thomas Alsgaard had to concede to influencer Hedda Skaug, who won the women’s class with a time of 3:56.28, finishing just over three minutes behind Klæbo. She continues to shine and recently set a personal record in the half marathon with 1h15 in Grue.

You can find the results here.