She has struggled tremendously over the past year. But now, Frida Karlsson can finally train without pain. She is following her usual program and is injury-free ahead of the upcoming Olympic season.

“Now she can do everything, run and roller ski. She’s training according to the set plan for this time of year,” her personal coach, Per Nilsson, told Expressen.

The 25-year-old’s injury nightmare began in August a year ago. That’s when she withdrew from Toppidrettsveka, and the injuries plagued her throughout the fall and winter.

According to Per Nilsson, Frida experienced pain in her foot, which led her to alter her movements during training. This, in turn, caused problems in her groin and the attachments of her abdominal muscles.

“There are a lot of working muscles connected in that area,” said Nilsson, who admitted that surgery had been considered.

“It was probably good that it didn’t come to that, because otherwise, the injury period would have been much longer.”

Frida Karlsson endured the pain and pushed through to the World Championships in Trondheim, where she won two gold medals.

Also Read: Frida Karlsson targets Olympic gold with high-end training boost

A more cautious start

Now she has learned her lesson and approached the new season more cautiously than before. Instead of going all-in from May 1, she postponed intense training and spent significantly more time doing alternative workouts than usual.

“Last year she didn’t run much, but now she can do everything, like running and roller skiing. That’s been the plan from the start. She’s now training with the volume and load typical for this time of year, and that’s quite a lot,” says Per Nilsson.

Which could be bad news for competitors from other nations.

A bit behind – but no panic

Frida herself notices that she’s a bit behind in her July fitness level since she started her buildup later than usual.

“But there’s no need to panic just because you started a little later,” says coach Nilsson, adding that Frida Karlsson will join the national team’s training camp that starts on Sunday, August 10, in Torsby, Sweden.

It’s her birthday, so it’s a perfect occasion to celebrate with an injury-free body.

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