As a young athlete, he was ashamed of his weight. Now, those same kilos might be the key that decides whether he wins or loses at the Olympics.

Edvin Anger is one of the top favorites for an Olympic medal on the men’s side — and also one of the biggest cross-country skiers physically on the World Cup circuit. Today, he sees his size as an advantage, but it hasn’t always been that way.

The powerful Swede stands 193 centimeters tall, and this summer, he weighed over 100 kilograms — right before running a 10-kilometer race. He became a talking point after clocking 31:37, possibly setting an (unofficial) world record for someone weighing over 100 kilograms.

Also Read: 100 kilos, 10 km, and an astonishing time – a potential World Record

“I get motivated by things like that — breaking norms and physical laws. It’s cool to show that you can ski fast even if you don’t weigh 75–80 kilos. It’s fun to challenge that standard. And it feels like you’re also helping open up cross-country skiing to more people,” Anger told SVT.

There’s no denying that Anger has proven he can ski fast. Last winter, he won the U23 World Cup by a wide margin and finished second overall in the World Cup standings, behind only Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

Opening up about body image pressure

After his strong results last winter — becoming the best Swedish World Cup skier in over 20 years — Anger is among five cross-country skiers already confirmed for the Olympic team. He received that news back in May.

But the road to the top hasn’t been easy. Anger admits he hasn’t always felt confident about himself. Now, he’s opening up about how he used to be ashamed of his weight and even lost weight at times just to fit in.

Ashamed of his weight

The cross-country star from Hedemora, near Falun, Sweden, has always been bigger than most — and as a younger athlete, that took a toll.

“I used to be ashamed of my weight. At times, I lost weight because it felt better to say I weighed 90 kilos instead of 95. You’re more insecure when you’re younger. Now that I’m older and more confident, I’ve turned that (weight) into a strength instead of a weakness,” says Anger.

Getting down to race weight before the Olympics

For Edvin Anger, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina is the primary goal of the season. But to be in top form, the 23-year-old realizes he’ll need to lose a few kilos.

“100 kilos is a bit too heavy. Around 95 kilos usually works well for me. Then I’m at about 7–8% body fat, and I can’t really go much lower without losing performance,” Anger explains.

How much difference does one kilo make?

“One kilo more or less doesn’t mean that much, but five kilos can make a big difference.”

Read More: Fired his agent – now he’s following Klæbo’s playbook to become the best in the World

Next up for Edvin Anger is the Swedish season opener in Bruksvallarna, held from November 21 to 23.

The Cross-Country World Cup kicks off in Ruka, Finland, on November 28, while the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina will take place from February 6 to 22.

Also Read
Cross-country skiing World Cup: Calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season
Program for cross-country skiing at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

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