The transition from biathlon to long-distance skiing seemed smooth. But behind the facade, Stina Nilsson carried a different story. Now, she opens up about the reality.

After five Olympic medals and 23 World Cup victories in traditional cross-country skiing, Stina Nilsson shocked the entire ski community when, at age 26, she decided to switch to biathlon.

Last spring, she chose to change sports again. This time to long-distance skiing and Ski Classics – even joining a Norwegian Pro Team. She went straight to the top already in her debut season.

Also Read: Stina Nilsson joins the Ski Classics circuit

Stormed into the long-distance circuit

Stina Nilsson seemed to glide effortlessly into the long-distance scene, collecting podiums like apples in autumn.

Nilsson won her very first Ski Classics race, the Ski Classics Challengers roller ski race Klarälvsloppet, in September 2024. Then, she went straight to the podium in the long-distance event during the opening weekend in Bad Gastein in December.

Also Read: Stina Nilsson shines at Klarälvsloppet 2024

After a few close-but-not-quite performances early in the season, the 31-year-old struck with a dominant win in her Vasaloppet debut. Nilsson beat the established Pro Team athletes by a wild five minutes in the world’s most prestigious long-distance ski race, claiming her first Ski Classics Pro Tour win – and the first of three in a row: Birkebeinerrennet was next, followed by Marcialonga Bodø.

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Stina Nilsson shines and wins Vasaloppet 2025
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Stina Nilsson strikes again and wins Marcialonga Bodø

After the 13 Ski Classics events she competed in during her debut season, Nilsson ended with a total of three wins, two second places, and one third place. The tenth-place finish in the season opener was her “worst” result. In addition, she recorded two fourth places, three fifth places, and one seventh place.

But behind the scenes, Stina Nilsson was hiding a brutal reality.

The story continues below

Reveals the toll behind her success

From the outside, her transition from biathlon to long-distance skiing appeared effortless. But now she reveals it came at a steep cost.

“It’s so easy for me to glamorize the whole summer – it was perfect. But the truth is, I was totally spent in July because I had pushed too hard. It’s a tough balancing act,” the Swedish star says in a profile interview with SVT.

Watch the full interview with SVT, including bonus clips and extras HERE

The thing is, Stina Nilsson loves being in control of her own training. But it took her a while to realize what her body could handle. After transitioning to long-distance skiing, she was riding a high of excitement. This season, she racked up well over 1.000 training hours. As a biathlete, she typically trained around 800 hours.

“When I was at training camps, they held me back. They told me I needed to take it easy. But when I was home, I just wanted to go full throttle. So, I hit the wall at the beginning of July. For several weeks afterward, all I could do was swim and bike because I was completely worn out,” she says.

Stina Nilsson believes she has learned from the experience.

“It’s so easy to think everything is fine, but it’s a knife’s edge. This time, I managed to balance myself back. But it’s easy to end up in a thorn bush.”

Watch a video interview with Stina Nilsson after Birkebeinerrennet Season XVI (2025)

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