She got a sore throat the day before the sprint final at the World Championships in Oberstdorf in 2005. But with the help of whiskey, which she gargled, she won a sensational World Championship gold for Sweden. It made a lot of headlines, but finally, luck turned for the woman who always had bad luck when it mattered most.

“It was the doctor who recommended that I use whiskey in my throat. It wasn’t a lot, but it helped. I was healthy for the final and in top form. When you’re in peak form, you’re sensitive to illnesses,” says Emelie Öhrstig, who won the Swedish-dominated World Championships final. I was the announcer back then and clearly remember that Sweden had 3 out of 4 skiers in the final (there were only 4 in the final at that time).

“I knew I was in good form. I had been in good form all season. I beat all the best over the 10km classic at the premiere in Bruksvallarna and was on top in the test race. But something always happened to me, and I was always close but never reached the top,” says Emelie to Langd.se.

The Big Day 

In Oberstdorf, however, it was the day when Emelie Öhrstig, the girl from Borås who had focused on both cycling and cross-country skiing since she was little, would experience her big day. Three of the four in the World Championships final were Swedes. Lina Andersson was closest, and Canadian Sara Renner took bronze ahead of Anna Dahlberg (later Olsson, married to Johan). And, of course, there were headlines when Emelie talked about the whiskey, but the World Championships gold remains the highlight of her career.

“The other highlight is probably winning Tjejvasan in 2002. I sprinted away from Antonina Ordina in Moraparken,” says Emelie, who got to compete in the Olympics once. It was in Pragelato in 2006.

“There were problems there, too. I got a glandular disease in July the year before, and even though I fought hard, I wasn’t in top form.”

A Different Career 

The career has not been straightforward.

“I focused on both cycling and skiing from the age of 14-15 until I was 21. I never did roller skiing, and the seasons overlapped.” In 2000, Emelie became a professional in the Italian team La Rosa de Eventi.

“But it didn’t suit me at all, and I didn’t stay long. The other girls were of junior age, and I felt I didn’t want to be there anymore.”

There were still victories in the Nordic Championships in both mountain biking and road cycling when Emelie was 21 years old. Both times in Finland.

“I won the mountain biking in Vuokatti when I broke away. I won the road cycling in Lahti, where I broke away alongside the ski jumps,” she says.

Eventually, cross-country skiing became the main focus, and she reached the top. She has done so even after her career. Emelie Öhrstig is now the CEO at Stena Trade & Industry after having a top job at Volvo Cars for 10 years. Love brought her to Gothenburg, but her professional life started in Stockholm.

Wanted to be an Engineer 

“I wanted to be an engineer and was halfway through my studies when I moved to Östersund. The education wasn’t available there, so I switched to economics instead,” says the now 46-year-old World Champion.

She has quickly climbed in her professional life and reached the top just like in her sports career. Before Volvo Cars, she worked for Nike, and Emelie has also been heard many times as an expert commentator for various channels.

“I’ve started thinking more like an athlete in my professional life. The CEO job is about leadership and positive development. During the journey, I’ve started thinking more and more about how we thought as athletes and how we worked towards goals and as a team.”

Emelie Öhrstig has a deep love for cross-country skiing. She sat on the board of the Swedish Ski Association for 8 years and now helps in the Gothenburg Ski Association. Her oldest daughter has started competing for OK Landehof, and the former national team skier still has a desire to help even though she has a demanding job.

Personal Details 

• Name: Emelie Öhrstig 
• Age: 46 years 
• Residence: Gothenburg 
• Occupation: CEO at Stena Trade & Industry and interim CEO at Stena Steel
• Family: Husband Daniel and three children, Ellen, Karl-Axel, and Hedvig 
• Clubs as an active athlete: Main club IK Ymer in Borås, then Stockviks SF, and finally Piteå Elit.
• Ended career: 2006
• Best memory from career: World Championships gold, but also winning Tjejvasan. Have many nice memories from the time as a cyclist. 
• What I miss from my active career: The excitement, the focus, all the beautiful training environments, and all the dedicated leaders/coaches. 
• How I follow sports today: I keep up quite well and like to follow elite competitions when I have time. It’s also exciting to follow the youth and junior classes; there are many good broadcasts nowadays. 
• Hobbies today: I love being in nature with my family and enjoy jogging with our dog. In winter, of course – skiing!

Emelie Öhrstig’s Merits 

• 1998 – 2nd at Tjejvasan
• 1999 – Nordic champion in cycling, mountain biking, and road cycling 
• 2002 – Winner of Tjejvasan 
• 2004 – 2nd at Tjejvasan 
• 2005 – World Championships gold in sprint and two Swedish Championships golds 
• She has been 2nd in the World Cup team sprint and has several fourth-place finishes individually.

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