The Swedish sprinters are in Meråker, Norway, for a training camp. Also in the group is distance cross-country skier Jens Burman.

“Good for me to get more speed and sprint-oriented training,” says Burman to Langd.se.

Before last winter season, the male athletes at the Swedish national team chose to split the squad on some occasions where the sprinters were training in one place and the distance skiers in another (read more about it here).

Currently, the Swedish sprinters are at a camp in Meråker, Norway, while the ‘distance team’ and women are at a high-altitude training camp in Livigno, Italy.

Calle Halfvarsson decided early on that he would have chosen Meråker, not least because he did not want to be away from his family for such long periods at home. Unfortunately, Halfvarsson missed the camp due to illness.

But Jens Burman also chose to be in Meråker instead of Livigno.

“There are several reasons for this. I want to spend more time at home and reduce the long travels. But then it is good for me to train more speed and high-speed skiing, meaning I get more hard training. At altitude, you can’t train as hard,” said Burman during last week’s Swedish national team’s press conference.

Jens Burman has his best results in the longer distances, but those races are becoming fewer and fewer in the World Cup:

“The development in the World Cup is more towards races of 10 and 20 kilometers, and it goes very fast there. The ‘shorter races’ is not a development I prefer; I like the old system with longer races. But now the situation is as it is. You have to adapt. And then, I feel that it is better for me to get more speed now and try something else. And don’t forget that I won the Swedish Championship sprint relay last spring,” Burman smiled.

Burman and Edvin Anger won the gold at the Swedish Championships last winter.

Next season, there are no major championships for the elite cross-country skiers:

“My goal will be to achieve a good result in the distance cup, so you have to aim to keep a consistently high level during the winter. Then, I can pick my favorite races during the winter, and the Tour de Ski will get extra focus,” concludes Burman.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more.