Marte Skaanes was the fastest woman at the Rollerski World Cup premiere race in Telemark, Norway. The 25-year-old Norwegian athlete finished the 10km race with a margin of 31.3 seconds in front of the second-place Ragnhild Haga and ahead of Linn Sömskar, last year’s rollerski world champion.

“It felt good winning this race,” says Marte in an interview to ProXCskiing. “It means that training is going well this summer. I had trained a lot in the previous week, so I was not feeling completely recovered, but still not bad at all.”

The temperatures in Telemark were around 30 degrees Celsius, creating some challenges for Marte. 

“The main challenges in this race were the heat, finding the right pace, and sticking to it, because other competitors began the race much faster than me.”

The starting line was packed with high-level skiers, but Skaanes still managed to get an advantage, giving her confidence for the rest of the summer training and subsequent winter season.

“I know that none of the racers prepared as they do during winter, but still, it felt good winning the race. It means that I am in good training shape,” continues Marte. 

“This summer is going great. Training is good, and temperatures are good, so I will spend the rest of summer training a lot and hanging out with my family and friends. Probably I will visit my family’s cabin and my boyfriend’s family cabin too.”

Finding inspiration in Therese Johaug

Like many Norwegian cross-country skiers, Marte Skaanes has been training and racing since a young age and has many good memories related to the sport. On a personal level, Marte recalls the two best moments in her career so far.

The first one was in 2012 when she was 15 years old. She raced the Norwegian Championships for her age with her team and managed to win the relay competition. The other memorable moment was finishing last season’s Holmenkollen 30km race in the 8th position, just one minute and thirteen seconds behind the winner Therese Johaug.

Speaking of Therese Johaug, this Norwegian star has been an inspiration for Marte. Another memory that Marte likes to mention is one of Johaug’s victories. 

“The best moment related to skiing that I remember was watching Therese Johaug’s victory at Holmenkollen in 2011, during the World Championships in Oslo,” Marte shares with us.

Aiming for the Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica

Last season was Marte’s best so far, so this victory confirmed that her shape is getting better and better. Now, the Norwegian athlete aims to get qualified for one of the most prestigious competitions in the world of cross-country skiing. 

“Last season was the best season of my career. So, my goal for next season is to get qualified for the World Championships in Planica, Slovenia.”

According to the FIS website, Marte Skaanes is having the best phase of her career so far, and this victory at Telemark Rollerski World Cup is proof that she is in good shape. Hopefully, we will watch her next season among the World Cup skiers.