A couple of years ago, Ida Dahl dominated Ski Classics. Last season, she couldn’t compete at all. Now, the 29-year-old is opening up about the past year.

In recent seasons, Dahl has been one of the biggest stars in Ski Classics. In 2022/2023, she won five races and secured the overall cup. But last season, she didn’t race once.

In an interview with Långloppspodden, she spoke openly about a dark time in her life, and a trip to New Zealand where the first major crash came.

“This didn’t start the day I crashed. It’s something that built up over a long time. Of course, it’s a combination of pushing myself very hard in training and school, and also my personality — I want to please people,” Dahl told Långloppspodden and added:

“Even if you’re lying on the couch and your body is supposed to recover, your mind doesn’t rest. So, you don’t really recover.”

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Started Two Years Ago

The problems began before the 2023/2024 season. During pre-season, she dealt with illness, fatigue, and muscle soreness. Still, she opened the season with podium finishes in the first four races.

But towards the end of the season, her results dropped.

“Recovery got worse and worse. I couldn’t bounce back from training sessions like I normally do. In the last races, I didn’t recognize my body at all,” she said.

Collapse on Vacation

After the season, she and her partner, Eddie Edström, traveled to New Zealand with family. That’s where the first severe incident happened.

“We had been there one day and were sitting on the subway heading home. Suddenly, I felt like I was going to faint. I had to lie down, and it felt like a massive drop in blood pressure.”

“But it didn’t pass. I couldn’t talk or lift my arms; I just lay there.”

Her family tried giving her chocolate as she experienced intense heart palpitations and trouble breathing.

“I was terrified. I thought I was going to die.”

“Now the Time Has Come”

The next day, she felt slightly better and blamed it on jet lag. But the symptoms came and went throughout the trip. After two weeks, they planned to finish the vacation with a week in Bali.

“We were there for only 20 hours because I felt so bad. That evening, before bed, I collapsed. Everything in the room was spinning, and my whole body was shaking.”

She booked tickets home immediately. On the long flight, her condition worsened.

“I thought I was having a heart attack. With five hours left on the flight, my heart started pounding, and pain radiated into my arm. I thought, now the time has come.”

“I really believed I was going to die on that plane.”

Once home, doctors found nothing conclusive. It wasn’t until autumn 2024 that Dahl accepted that she had suffered severe exhaustion.

“When I finally accepted it, that’s when things got even worse. I developed more physical symptoms — severe dizziness and strange sensations. That gave me anxiety.”

Where She Stands Today

“Whether I’m an elite athlete or not, training is very important to me and always will be. My first goal is just to be able to run 10km without coming home and being wiped out for six hours afterward. That’s where I’m still at — just wanting to train reasonably well.”

When Team Engcon announced its lineup, Dahl’s name wasn’t included.

“I’ve had a hard time thinking about elite competition. It felt natural not to be part of it because I know how easy it is for me to rush back and push too hard, too soon.

Right now, I’m just trying to get good flow in training while still feeling well.”

Her future in elite skiing remains uncertain.

“It’s hard to answer that. I think I want to, maybe. But I don’t dare to hope that I’ll make it back,” she said to Långloppspodden.

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