Less than a month remains until the World Cup debut in Ruka, Finland. The Swedish cross-country skier Anton Persson had surgery on his injured ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and is in a race against the clock heading into the competition season.

“Things are progressing steadily, but the specific phase towards the season is shorter than in previous seasons,” says Persson to Langd.se.

It was during a roller skiing session just over a year ago that Anton Persson fell and injured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Despite the ACL injury, he chose to focus on last winter’s World Cup and the World Championships in Planica:

“I had a good period in the fall, but when I got on snow, it bothered me again. The muscles in my leg became overloaded. And after being in perhaps my best form ever in Bruksvallarna, it just got worse and worse,” says Persson, who, after about half the season, chose to stop competing to have surgery.

The first surgery was unsuccessful, however, and a second one was performed in May:

“It’s been a long road back, but I’m making steady progress, and in recent months, I’ve been able to train well. But it’s always a balancing act. It is still rehabilitation that is quite strenuous, which means that I have had to reduce the tough sprint-specific training,” Persson said at a press conference in Stockholm.

What has this meant in terms of preparation for the coming season?

“It has always been a question of how much I dare to race against others in the field. But now I am starting to be in such a good phase that I can challenge myself. But it is the case that the phase towards the season where I train together with others in sprint-specific sessions is shorter than in previous seasons. But on the other hand, I am usually in good shape early in the season, so I can now “push the form a little.”

The Swedish cross-country skiers will start competing in Gällivare on November 17-19, with the World Cup premiere the following weekend in Ruka, Finland.

But a clear difference for the coming season is that there are two competition weekends in Sweden before Christmas – Gällivare and Östersund – and there, the Sweden national team has twelve places compared to six spots at a “regular” World Cup competition.

“The fact that there are World Cup races on home soil early in the season gives me a space to go in a little more relaxed towards the premiere in Gällivare. I see the World Cup in Östersund (where the sprint is decided on December 9), which is a bit away in terms of time, as a time when it is reasonable to participate and perform. Then I have a little more time,” says Persson.

Which parts have you been able to spend more time on now during the rehabilitation period?

“I’ve made a step in terms of strength training. There’s been a lot of skiing, and now it’s important to combine strength training and skiing training with skiing. But above all, it is wonderful to train more as usual again, not to constantly think alternatively in the first place.”

The first weekends of the World Cup program

• November 24 – Ruka, Finland, Sprint C
• November 25 – Ruka, Finland, 10 km C
• November 26 – Ruka, Finland, 20 km mass start F
• December 2 – Gällivare, Sweden, 10 km F
• December 3 – Gällivare, Sweden, Relay 4×7.5 km 
• December 9 – Östersund, Sweden, Sprint C
• December 10 – Östersund, Sweden, 10 km interval F

Read More: Anton Persson on his first roller ski intervals after surgery

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