Oskar Svensson is now part of the Norwegian team Team Swenor-Splitkon after being dropped from the national squad in April. After just two months with the successful Norwegian coach, he believes things could go “extremely well” at the home World Championships.

“The World Championships in Falun is the absolute major goal, and to be in the best shape of my life there. Period,” says Oskar Svensson to Langrenn.com after joining Team Swenor-Splitkon.

The 30-year-old from Falun has been in and out of the Swedish national team for many years. In April, he was dropped again after a season that went awry from the start, with his Olympic dream dashed before Christmas.

Now, Oskar Svensson is making a concerted effort to qualify for the World Championships at home, this time with a small, private Norwegian team based in Lillehammer. Oskar is brimming with motivation.

Svensson is one of two dropped Swedish veterans in Team Swenor-Splitkon. Calle Halfvarsson has also signed with the successful Norwegian coach for the upcoming season.

Also Read: Swedish cross-country skiing teams for season 2026/2027

Enormous success

After two months under the guidance of the successful Norwegian coach Vetle Leander Johansen, Svensson has already set new personal records in all standard sessions and is receiving praise for his performance so far.  

“The execution ability is 100 percent, and the development has been good,” says Johansen to Langrenn.com.  

“He was probably about the worst during our first gathering in Lillehammer in June.”

Svensson’s progress is remarkable, but according to the coach, it is not unique. Several members of the Norwegian private team have made significant strides with the same setup.

What would it mean for you to compete at the World Championships in Falun? 

“It is extremely important. That is what really drives me to continue. Having the World Championships at home is as big as it gets. I have trained extensively at Lugnet over the years. Just imagine competing at the World Championships where I learned to ski,” says Svensson eagerly. 

Do you believe it is possible? 

“Yes. I do. And I believe it can go extremely well.”

What can Norway offer that will help you reach the World Championships in Falun? 

“You simply don’t find this type of team in Sweden. There are mostly clubs with some setups for competitions. But the daily coach-athlete follow-up that I get with the team in Norway doesn’t exist outside the national team and ski universities in Sweden.” 

What makes this team different from what you have done before? 

“We simply train a lot more. I noticed that right from the first gathering. There are twice as many hard sessions now compared to what I had before, and at least as much easy training. But the intensity of the hard sessions is a bit lower than what I have done previously.” 

Read More: Requires 40 hours a week – the training that awaits Halfvarsson

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Olympic dream shattered from the start

Svensson believes he has the potential to compete for a World Championship medal in Falun, but he recounts that last season went off track from the beginning.

“The training year was good, and I had a solid start to the season in Gällivare, but then I got sick and missed both the World Cup opener in Ruka and Trondheim. My form just kept deteriorating after that, and I didn’t recognize my body at all.”

In hindsight, Svensson sees that he fell into the classic trap. 

“I probably started over a bit too early. But I wanted to make it to the important qualification races before Christmas to qualify for the Olympics. Instead, my form just kept getting worse, and I didn’t recognize my body at all.”

When the Olympic dream was shattered, he took several weeks off – all the way until the Swedish Championships at the end of the season. There, Svensson won bronze in the sprint and finished eighth in the 50km.

“Everything worked again then, even though I hadn’t trained at all for a month,” says Svensson. 

Must take charge of the situation 

Despite winning a medal and achieving top results at the Swedish Championships, he lost his place in the national team. Svensson then took another long break, during which he regained confidence in his ability to ski fast again. 

At the same time, Svensson was clear that he could not continue with the same setup. 

“I have trained quite similarly for many years now, and I felt that I wanted to make a real change. When Vetle presented his setup, I felt it sounded very reasonable, but it would be something completely different from what I have done before,” he explains.

“I had thought that I wanted to increase both the total training volume and interval time. That is something I believe will have a significant impact on my capacity and help me make strides in both sprinting and distance. It is a prerequisite for performing well in the World Cup.”

Assuming you were to win a medal in Falun with a Norwegian setup behind you – would you be able to show your face publicly in Sweden afterward, or would you have to walk around with a sack over your head? 

“Hehe. No, I don’t think so. Most people I’ve talked to are very curious about the setup and what it brings,” says Oskar Svensson. 

“But now there are two Swedes, both myself and Calle Halfvarsson, who are following this setup, so it will be easy to see if it yields results.”

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