He was a huge talent and won three gold medals at the Junior Swedish Championships (JSM) in Torsby in 2016. Today, he is 28 years old and has already retired from skiing for three years. Several national team skiers had to quit due to back problems – Viktor Thorn was one of them.

“It’s hard to say what caused the problems. I had two surgeries for a herniated disc in my back. Maybe it’s genetic, maybe I trained incorrectly,” says Viktor Thorn to Langd.se.

It was in 2016 that the public seriously took notice of the guy from Bengtsfors in Dalsland, Sweden.

Three Gold Medals at the Junior Swedish Championships (JSM)

Three gold medals at the JSM in Torsby was impressive, and already as a junior, he took silver in the skiathlon at the Swedish Championships (SM) in Piteå. By then, he had already won two gold medals at the JSM in Lycksele in 2014.

“I got to experience a World Championships and an Olympics,” says Viktor, who was especially strong in the prologues of sprint races.

At the 2019 World Championships in Seefeld, Austria, he tied for first place in the prologue with Russian Sergei Ustiugov. But, as so often before, he was eliminated before the final.

“My best World Cup finish was 8th place,” he says, a position he achieved three times.

Still Living in Östersund

Today, he is distant from elite skiing. He still lives in Östersund and doesn’t plan to return to Dalsland.

“No, I’ll probably stay here,” he says, adding that much of his free time is now spent hunting and fishing in the Jämtland mountains.

“I exercise, but I guess you could call it old man’s training,” the 28-year-old says.

However, he stays connected to skiing through a job as a biathlete coach at Mid Sweden University in Östersund.

Working with Stenersen

Viktor also runs an event company together with former biathlete Torstein Stenersen.

“We met a few years ago and are quite similar as people. Today, we’re best friends and work with companies and the like.”

Regarding the level of Swedish cross-country skiers today—the ones who remain and could have been his teammates – he is uncertain.

“It probably needs to be filled with younger talents, which takes time. It was the same for us. There were no spots on the A-team when we had such a strong team with Johan Olsson, Richardsson, Hellner, Calle, and Co. There was a gap when they retired.”

The former enormous talent doesn’t have a good explanation for why Sweden is so much better on the women’s side than the men’s side.

“They are more numerous and have many at the top level. The depth is probably a factor.”

VIKTOR THORN

• Born/Age: May 11, 1996/28 years old
• Residence: Östersund, Sweden
• Occupation: Entrepreneur who runs a company called ST Event with former biathlete Torstein Stenersen. We work with all sorts of things depending on customer demand, but mostly, it’s hunting & fishing guiding, events, and project management with companies and private individuals
• Family: Partner and dog
• Clubs as an Active Athlete: Bengtsfors BOIS & Ulricehamns IF 
• Career ended: 2021 
• My Best Memory from my Career: World Championships in Seefeld 2019 
• What I miss from my Active Career: Being in peak form and having that perfect day where it feels like you can ski as fast as possible and nothing can stop you
• How I follow the sport today: I have a job at Mid Sweden University where I coach students who compete in biathlon, so that’s mainly how I follow sports. Then, I watch cross-country skiing and biathlon during the winter
• My Hobbies today: A lot of hunting, fishing and training with the dog. I might also consider my job a hobby because I love my job and the various experiences and activities it brings! 

Viktor Thorn’s Results 

• 8th World Cup sprint, Quebec (CAN) 2019
• 5th World Championships relay, Seefeld (AUT) 2019 
• 1st World Championships sprint qualification, Seefeld (AUT) 2019 
• 20th World Championships sprint final, Seefeld (AUT) 2019 
• 8th World Cup sprint, Otepää (EST) 2019 
• 9th World Cup mini-tour, Lillehammer (NOR) 2018/2019 

• 2nd Swedish Championships sprint, Skellefteå 2018 
• 8th World Cup sprint, Falun (SWE) 2018 
• 8th U23 World Championships sprint, Soldier Hollow UT (USA) 2018 
• 26th Olympics sprint, Pyeongchang (KOR) 2018 

• 1st JSM 10 km F, Torsby 2016
• 1st JSM sprint, Torsby 2016 
• 1st JSM skiathlon, Torsby 2016 
• 5th Junior World Championships relay, Rasnov (ROM) 2016 
• 9th Junior World Championships 10 km C, Rasnov (ROM) 2016 
• 2nd Swedish Championships skiathlon, Piteå 2016 
• 5th Swedish Championships 15 km C, Piteå 2016 

• 1st JSM sprint, Lycksele 2014 
• 1st JSM 10 km F, Lycksele 2014

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it!