She is going all in on Ski Classics and has impressed during the roller ski season for the Norwegian Pro Team, Team Kaffebryggeriet DRIV. But the Czech veteran also has another goal this winter.

“It’s my last chance to make it to the Olympics — and I intend to take it!” says the Czech Pro Team athlete Sandra Schützová.

Schützova was dominant at Lipnoloppet, crushing Olympic hopeful Katerina Janatova. The 34-year-old from the Czech Republic also impressed at Alliansloppet, where she stayed with the lead group all the way to the finish.

“Czechia has seven Olympic spots for women, and I have to qualify through three Alpen Cup weekends,” says Schützova, who runs her own program and doesn’t have much contact with her Norwegian team during the summer.

And an Olympic spot is clearly realistic. Schützova has previously represented the Czech national team at three World Championships. At Seefeld 2019, she skied the anchor leg for the Czech women’s relay team.

“It’s probably my last chance to go to the Olympics, and I’m going to seize that opportunity,” she says to Langrenn.com.

Her motivation is even stronger after winning the Czech sprint championship on roller skis earlier this fall.

The road to the Olympics, combined with a full Ski Classics season, is no “walk in the park.”

“The first qualification event will be the Alpen Cup, the weekend before the Ski Classics premiere in Bad Gastein. Then there will be two more Alpen Cup weekends. The (ski) federation might also send me to the World Cup in Goms, Switzerland, at the end of January — but that clashes with Marcialonga, so I’m not sure how that will work out,” Schützova explains.

All in for Ski Classics

Sandra Schützova also plans to race every Ski Classics event this winter, with a clear goal: to reach the podium finally. Last season, she came close, finishing 8th at her home race, Jizerská50 in Bedřichov.

“That’s a big goal for me, and Jizerská is of course especially important. But I think I have a good chance in several of the other races too,” says the tall Czech veteran, easily recognizable by her long blonde hair.

At Alliansloppet, she broke a barrier by staying with the top women until the finish. She has often dropped from the lead group after a few kilometers, but now she has proven to herself that she can hang on all the way.

Her 12-minute victory over Janatova — who races for Team Aker Dæhlie and is considered almost certain for the Olympics — plus the Czech sprint title, has given the 34-year-old a massive boost of confidence ahead of the coming season.

Also Read: Vesterheim and Schützová winners of Energamo Lipnolopet 2025

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Strong Olympic chance

“The Olympics have been in the back of my mind for a long time, and I’ve trained both classic and skating techniques in addition to double poling for Ski Classics. The hope is to succeed in both,” says Schützova.

Her chances of making the Olympic team are good — much higher than they would be if she were competing for Norway or Sweden, where the depth is far greater. She also has a strong working relationship with the Czech team’s Norwegian coach, Ragnar Bragvin Andresen.

“What worries me a bit now is an injury that’s causing pain in my foot. I don’t know how serious it is, but it hurts,” she says.

Still, Sandra Schützova is training hard — this week in the ski tunnel in Oberhof, Germany, before heading to her favorite place, Livigno in Italy.

“The season starts with the Alpen Cup in Planica, December 5–7. That’s one of the three weekends when I can qualify for the Olympics. There’s a freestyle sprint, 10km classic, and 15km freestyle. The following weekend, Ski Classics kicks off in Bad Gastein, Austria,” says the Czech skier.

Sandra Schützova turned 34 on October 21, and she doesn’t know if she’ll continue after this coming season. That’s why this is her big chance — to claim an Olympic spot.

But she also wants to stand on the Ski Classics podium.

Also Read: Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XVII 2025/2026

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