The 30-year-old set a new World Record in the 5000-meter SkiErg last weekend. But a mistake in the qualifiers almost cost him a spot in the final.

On Sunday, Olov Roos broke the world record in the 5000-meter SkiErg and won the SkiErg Open. But the road there wasn’t entirely smooth.

It started on Saturday morning when he wanted to test what level he was really at over 5000 meters. The result? Just two seconds off the World Record. Olov went home, had lunch, and then got in the car to drive down to Kosta, a trip of about 12 hours from Östersund, Sweden.

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Made it to the final – eventually

Once on site, he had misunderstood the rules and initially missed the final. But thanks to Oskar Kardin’s withdrawal, Olov Roos finally got a spot in the final.

“I don’t know if it was because I was nervous. When I was competing in the qualifier, I thought it was enough to beat one skier in my heat to make it to the final, but actually, it was the best times that advanced. Then I was at risk, if everyone in the next heat beat my time – and they did,” Olov Roos told Langd.se and continued:

“I also forgot to set the resistance on the SkiErg and started on resistance 6. Then I didn’t change the display, so I could only see my pace over 500 meters. And I never look at that when I train. So, I miscalculated the time and thought I had gone faster than I actually did. A lot went wrong in the qualifier.”

It was a painful wait before Olov Roos received the news that he had reached the final.

“When Kardin withdrew, my time was next in line, so I got his spot. That was really lucky. But yes, I learned a lesson – I need to know exactly what applies when I’m on the start line. That kind of chance probably won’t happen again.”

Read More – Training tips: how to get the most out of your SkiErg

Too fast in the beginning

But according to Roos, the final wasn’t entirely optimal, even though he set a World Record. Gabriel Strid went for the first two sprint prizes, and Olov was drawn into the high pace.

“I don’t think it was optimal, really. Or I was dragged along by Gabbe’s pace. You get so uncertain standing there. ‘Maybe he can hold it all the way,’ so I didn’t dare let him get too far ahead,” he said and continued:

“The first 2000 meters went faster than I had planned, so somewhere between the third and fourth kilometer, it was tough.”

How was the experience, breaking a World Record and winning?

“For me, it was really fun. I never thought it would get as much attention as it seems to have.”

Have many people reached out to you?

“Yes, quite a few. At least for me. I’ve never received this much response after ski races.”

The story continues below.

Aiming for the World Cup

Olov Roos lives in Östersund and has competed successfully in sprint in recent years. Last season, among other things, he finished seventh in the final sprint of the Smart Energy Cup. For the upcoming season, the 30-year-old has a clear goal in mind.

“I’m aiming to compete in the World Cup. That’s what you must do first before you can set higher goals. It’s in a classic sprint where I probably have the best chance to get a start,” says Olov.

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