2023’s World Championship star is cementing her spot in the Norwegian team for this winter’s home championships. But just weeks ago, she couldn’t even bring herself to visit the Granåsen ski venue.

On Friday, the 36-year-old delivered a rock-solid third place in the 10 km freestyle in Lillehammer. With two podium finishes out of three World Cup starts this season, Astrid Øyre Slind has already emerged as one of Norway’s strongest candidates for the distance events at the Trondheim World Championships in Granåsen.

But not long ago, she couldn’t even look at the venue, located just a stone’s throw from her home.

Battling Setbacks

The reason? When Øyre Slind contracted whooping cough this autumn, she feared her dream of competing at a home World Championship might slip away. At her lowest point, she couldn’t imagine regaining form in time to make the team.

“It was pitch black,” she admits. “It took a long time to recover, and I trained less this fall than I had planned. But now, I’m back to the level I need to be at.”

She reveals that during her illness, she was so downcast that she couldn’t bear to go near the championship venue.

“Before getting sick, when I was in good shape, I used to get excited every time I went to Granåsen and saw the construction progress. I’d think, ‘This is where I’m going to ski fast.’ But within weeks, I was so down that I had to stay away from Granåsen. I couldn’t even think about the fact that the World Championships would be held there,” she says.

Relieved and Reassured

With Friday’s third-place finish in Lillehammer, Øyre Slind now has two World Cup podiums this season, already surpassing last year’s results, which were highlighted by two fourth-place finishes.

“I felt like I had to prove myself today. But now, I’ve submitted two solid applications, and as of now, I think I’m in,” she says.

Still, she takes nothing for granted.

“There are many races left, and there are skiers at home who will pick up speed as the winter progresses. I just have to keep the momentum and not get too comfortable. You need to ski fast all the way to the championships to secure your spot,” she says.

Read more: “Astrid has paved the way for everything to be possible”

Balancing Long-Distance and Allround Events

Øyre Slind plans to compete in as many World Cup races as possible through the Tour de Ski. On Monday, she travels to Davos to prepare for next weekend’s World Cup there, followed by high-altitude training in Livigno ahead of the Tour de Ski.

In January, she will also compete in several Ski Classics long-distance races with Team Aker Dæhlie as part of her preparation for the 50 km race at the Granåsen World Championships.

This dual focus on long-distance and allround skiing was part of her success leading into the 2023 World Championships. That season, she earned two medals—bronze in the skiathlon and gold in the relay—along with numerous World Cup top-10 finishes and five Ski Classics victories.

However, Øyre Slind will not repeat the grueling double she pulled off in 2023, where she raced the 30 km World Championship event on a Saturday afternoon and Vasaloppet the following morning.

Read more: Astrid Øyre Slind: “I Won’t Do Vasaloppet And The 30km The Same Weekend Again”

In 2025, Vasaloppet takes place on Sunday, March 3, while the 50 km World Championship race is scheduled for March 9, with several other championship events in between.

See the upcoming Ski Classics calendar here