The upcoming Ski Classics Season XV kicks off on December 9. This weekend, Emil Persson will participate in a competition rehearsal. Here, the Lager 157 Ski Team skier talks about the preseason, his ambitions to reach Britta Johansson Norgren’s record, and how the successes of the past winter mean he will “never be late.”

Twenty athletes have entered the Ski Classics Hall of Fame so far. To be a Legend, one must have won at least five Pro Tour events.

Last season, Emil Persson skyrocketed the list. When he won Vasaloppet, it marked his 18th victory in total and the ninth of the season. A few weeks earlier, he had surpassed Anders Aukland and Andreas Nygaard, both from Team Ragde Charge, who were the most successful male skiers of all time until last winter (both with 16 victories).

But Persson still has seven victories to go before he equals Britta Johansson Norgren:

“Of course, I have thought about surpassing Britta’s number of victories,” says Emil Persson to Langd.se.

Is that a goal for this winter?

“Well, I aim to win many races, to win the Yellow bib again, and to win Vasaloppet again. So, why not? But it’s hard to know. Last season, with nine victories, was almost too good to be true. But, of course, if I’m going to continue to develop, I probably must win ten now,” says Persson with a laugh.

Have the successes of last winter changed anything about you personally in terms of external attention?

“Well, I get a bit more recognized. There’s someone else who wants to take a photo. But I live the same life as before last winter. There’s not a big difference. Well, except that I’m never late now (each victory in Ski Classics meant a watch from Certina as a prize, and Persson also won another as the overall winner in Ski Classics).”

During the past weekend, Emil Persson was in Gällivare for the Swedish premiere, putting in a strong performance in the classic-style distance race, finishing seventh.

“It was a nice competition weekend, and it’s nice to go there with low expectations. I came to Gällivare after a training camp in Spain, so I had my first ski session on Wednesday. But apparently, skiing stuck in a good way, but it’s like when you’ve learned to ride a bike.”

How do you view your preseason?

“It has been stable. I mean, neither extremely good nor extremely bad. It feels like it has rolled on as I wished, and for the most part, I have done the same as last year.”

The upcoming Ski Classics season starts on December 9 in Bad Gastein. According to Langd.se, on November 30, Persson heads to Livigno to acclimatize to high altitudes before the Ski Classics premiere. But yesterday, he went to Edsåsdalen for a final training camp on Swedish soil before the premiere.

As part of the preparations, there is a long-distance training competition which takes place on Saturday.

Forty-five kilometers await:

“It would be nice if I could get good answers from that race. Then you can feel a bit calm and not have to chase or stress towards the premiere,” concludes Persson.