Last winter, he made his World Cup debut and won a relay medal at the U23 World Championships. In this article, Måns Skoglund talks about his goals for the upcoming season, the choice between cross-country skiing and soccer, and the similarities and differences in training with his brother.

December 9, 2023, was a day that the Swedish cross-country skier Måns Skoglund had been looking forward to. He finally made his debut in the World Cup. And he did it in a strong way when he made it through the prologue and reached the quarterfinals in the sprint in Östersund, Sweden.

The 22-year-old from Täby was also selected to compete in the World Cup sprint in Drammen in early March but had to decline due to illness.

For the upcoming season, he hopes to compete in a sprint in Norway, specifically the World Championships sprint in Trondheim. And he has shown that sprints in Norway suit him well.

In the Scandinavian Cup in Hommelvik, he made his best performance of the season when he pushed Emil Iversen all the way to the finish line. It was about “half a big toe” that made the difference in Iversen’s favor:

“It was a really good day. The skis were great, the body was fresh, and it was a course that suits me; short hills and where you can generate a lot of speed in the turns,” says Skoglund, who a few weeks earlier had set his sights on the U23 World Championship in Slovenia.

He made several solid performances; individually, his best result was eighth place in the sprint. But he won bronze in the relay after leading off a team that also included Elin Henriksson, Truls Gisselman, and Märta Rosenberg. And the margins were very small; the difference to gold was 0.8 seconds.

Skoglund is still young enough to compete in the U23 World Championships next winter, and it is one of the goals for the season:

“If I can set dream goals, it is to perform well in the World Championships sprint in Trondheim, to win a medal at the U23 World Championships, and to get more chances to compete in World Cup events,” says Skoglund to Langd.se.

And this in the sprint?

“Well, I would say I am quite all-round, but I am a bit better in sprint. I want to be an all-round skier, but I think it might be easier to take the first step and break into the World Cup in sprint and then take on the distance races. So now I am focusing a bit more on sprint, especially skating since that is what matters at the World Championships,” says Måns Skoglund, who was also very promising in soccer.

At 13, he played with AIK’s academy team:

“But it wasn’t possible to combine skiing and soccer. So, the choice became skiing.”

The soccer connection remains, though. His brother Hampus plays in a Swedish soccer club:

“We try to learn from each other even though there are big differences between the sports. But I would say that what I can learn from soccer is the importance of having good body control and leg strength. And I play some soccer during spring and summer, mostly because it’s fun. But also, because it’s good training, not least when it comes to speed and quick turns,” concludes Måns Skoglund.

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