On December 16, she was hit in a downhill during a Ski Classics event, resulting in an ankle fracture. On Saturday, Hedda Bångman is back to competition.

For this season, Hedda Bångman switched Ski Classics teams to the Czech Vltava Fund Ski Team. In the premiere in Bad Gastein, Bångman finished seventh after a solid race.

But the following weekend, at La Venosta Criterium, disaster struck:

“I was hit from behind on a downhill by another skier. I immediately realized that my foot did not feel right, but I didn’t have much pain. The binding broke, so my first thought was to find a new ski, but after a few minutes, I felt I could not complete the race. When I removed the boot and saw my ankle, I got a bad feeling right away”, Bångman said to Langd.se.

Two weeks ago, she removed the “boot” that she had been wearing since the accident (but she still has a smaller support around the ankle).

Over the last ten days, she has been able to ski:

“Initially, it was on the SkiErg and a lot of strength training, and I feel that I have become stronger in the core and upper body. Then, I don’t have the same muscle strength in my leg as before; it will take a few weeks before I am fully back. But I feel progression with every session I do, which is nice,” says Bångman.

And already this Saturday, she will wear a bib again, starting at the Kristinaloppet’s 30 kilometers in Norberg:

“I never thought I would be able to come back this quickly. When I realized what happened in La Venosta, I thought the season was over. But now it’s so good that I want to try it. Then, I will be careful in curves and downhill skiing. But Kristinaloppet is a relatively flat race,” says Hedda Bångman.

What are your thoughts on continuing to compete during the winter? 

“Of course, I have hopes for Orsa Grönklitt (next weekend, there are double Ski Classics Pro Tour events). But I’m competing this weekend and will take it as a test and evaluate it afterward. It feels fascinating to be able to compete again,” says Bångman.