“With last weekend’s results, many people are counting on me as a favorite. Marcialonga is a big race; every skier standing on the start line wants to win. To be on the podium, the race will be equal or harder than the races before,” says Persson.

Emil Persson has been unbeatable in Ski Classics lately. He ended last season by winning Ylläs-Levi, and during this year’s season, he has been able to win at: Bad Gastein Criterium, La Venosta Criterium, Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge and last weekend’s Engadin La Diagonela.

In fact, he was so successful that he reached the maximum points in the Ski Classic’s ranking system:

“The athlete can count their 12 best results in the last 24 months, and Emil has reached the maximum score. We will review the ranking system after the season,” smiles Ski Classics CEO David Nilsson during the pre-event interviews earlier this week.

Watch Here: Marcialonga Pre-Event Interviews Live On SC YouTube

Lager 157 Ski Team’s Emil Persson had chosen slightly different tactics in the races during the season, at least when he made the decisive move. In Saturday’s Engadin La Diagonela, he decided to wait before powering to the finish line.

This weekend, Marcialonga ends with a steep climb (Cascata), but different from before; this time, the climb is shorter but steeper, with the skiers finishing in the same place but in the opposite direction:

“So far (Wednesday), I have only seen the finish on a map, but we will go there on Friday and Saturday to analyze how I want to approach the finish,” says Persson in the pre-event interviews.

How much of your tactics do you decide before the race?

“I try to have a plan before the race; how I expect it to be and how I want to act in different situations. Then it doesn’t always go as expected, and I can’t influence how other teams act, so it’s important to be active and be able to change the plan depending on the situation,” says Persson.

Who do you see as your biggest competitors this weekend?

“Everyone who stands on the starting line wants to win. But if I were to pick two, I would say Andreas Nygaard, who has not won Marcialonga, and it is a race he really wants to win. And then Max Novak showed good form in Engadin La Diagonela,” says Persson and continues:

“I have felt good since the weekend’s competition. I have been able to train well, train every day, and was out the other day doing a session to optimize the time at high altitude,” says Persson, who was first over the finish line at Marcialonga 2021 after beating Tord Asle Gjerdalen in a sprint.

“It was snowy that day, and the speed was not that high. We were quite a large group in the last 15 kilometers, but I felt early on that we had good skis, and I already felt when I entered the last climb that I had a good chance to win,” concludes Emil Persson. 

The upcoming Ski Classics Pro Tour event is Marcialonga, a 70km classic technique event in Italy on January 29.

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 40km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedrichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 15km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 67km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.

As a member of ProXCskiing.com, you get full access to all content on the site and live streaming of Ski Classics Pro Tour events with English commentaries.

When you become part of one of the world’s leading XC ski communities, you will receive many exclusive offers all year round. 

Register HERE as a Member.