He delivered the best race of his career at the World Championships. Then the entire start of his Olympic preparation was ruined by a stress fracture. Now he has suffered another setback — and the Olympic clock is ticking relentlessly.

He produced the race of his life at the World Championships. Then came the brutal news: in early May, the 27-year-old was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the lower back.

The injury forced Finnish ski star Remi Lindholm to put his Olympic buildup on hold. Instead came weeks and months of crutches, rest, and rehabilitation.

By late summer, he had finally returned to regular training. But then it happened again. In early September, he was diagnosed with a new stress fracture in his back.

Hopeless timing

For Lindholm, the new injury came as a shock.

“It came completely out of nowhere. I started to feel pain again and was sent for an MRI. The doctor said the fracture from the spring had healed well, but that there’s now a new one on the left side,” Lindholm told Ilta-Sanomat.

Once again, Lindholm must pause his Olympic preparations. This time it meant two weeks without training. Now he can gradually resume alternative training — cycling and strength work. It’s far from what he had planned.

For Lindholm, the timing couldn’t be worse.

“It’s always harder the closer you get to the season start. I’ll have a very busy time ahead,” he said.

Lindholm, who finished seventh in the World Championships 50km race in Trondheim, is known for extreme training volumes — often logging 40 to 50 hours per week. He loves pushing himself to the limit, and often beyond. That hasn’t changed this year, despite the injuries.

“I’ve definitely logged a lot of kilometers,” Lindholm admitted.

Also Read – Remi Lindholm: The Balance between hard training and rest

More health troubles

In addition to the new stress fracture in his back, doctors fear Lindholm may have celiac disease, which could partly explain his physical issues. Celiac disease is a gluten intolerance that can cause various health problems, including reduced muscle strength.

“That’s a possible cause. I’ve been eating gluten-free for several weeks now,” Lindholm said.

Curtains closed

Lindholm admits that the health problems have affected him mentally. He lives in the cross-country skiing paradise of Vuokatti and says there isn’t much to do there besides training — something he hasn’t been able to do.

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve mostly been sitting on the couch at home with the curtains closed. Sometimes I’ve driven my friends to Vuokatinvaara, where they’ve gone roller skiing,” he said.

The ski star describes long, dragging days. He hasn’t found new hobbies and is tired of TV series. He’s been watching recordings of his own races from last winter to analyze what he can improve.

“I usually go to the sauna in the evening, but that doesn’t fill the day. And I changed the curtains in the kitchen — but that only took me an hour, so I can’t really call it a hobby,” Lindholm said.

No regrets

Despite paying a high price, Lindholm says he has no regrets about his extreme training approach.

“If you want to be the best, you have to dare to test things,” he said, adding:

“I trained specifically for the 50km in Trondheim for several years, and I’m sure it wouldn’t have gone that well without all those years of hard work. You can train half-hard, but then the results will also be half-good.”

Hoping to make the season opener

Lindholm still hopes to be ready for the World Cup opener in Ruka in November. The Olympics in Italy take place in February, and making the team is his only goal this season. He hopes to get back on skis as soon as possible — perhaps already next week.

“I guess the World Cup opener in Ruka in November is the first realistic goal. But I haven’t been on skis for over four weeks,” the Finnish star said.

“I’ve trained more strength and balance than before. I just have to hope and believe that I’ve become stronger in the upper body.”

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