The Pro Team athlete did his first session on classic skis since November. Then, Emil Persson won the Ford Smart Energy Cup sprint in Östersund, Sweden.

“But I’m not exactly the king of diagonal striding,” says Persson to Langd.se.

Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, dominated Ski Classics last season, with nine times at the top of the podium. He is still waiting for his first win in the Ski Classics Pro Tour this season. 

The next chance is Birkebeinerrennet in the upcoming weekend, but on Friday, he won the classic sprint at the Swedish National Cup in Östersund.

“I chose to ski with kick wax; it was the first session on classic skis since the premiere weekend in Gällivare in November,” says Emil Persson to Langd.se and adds:

“I had a good day, but it was a bit tough before the prologue. I’m usually bad in qualifying, but I finished thirteenth and had a perfectly fine feeling.”

What were the tactics during the heats?

“In the quarterfinals, I went on the first hill, and then I could watch the field. In the semis, I struggled a little more up the hill. I’m not the king of diagonal striding, but it goes quite well if I think about it. But if I stress, I easily lose the technique. In the final, I was fourth after the first hill, took a position towards the last small uphill, and got past Anton Persson. Then, I knew that it was important to get a good position in the stadium; it was very decisive, and I noticed quite early on that I gained more speed than Oskar (Svensson). Then passed him with 75 meters to go, and then it was quite easy,” says Persson.

What does this victory mean?

“It was super nice and shows that I maintain a good level and have good speed in my body when I ski man against man. The form feels good now, so it’s promising for the rest of the season,” says Persson, who will race Sunday’s 20-kilometer skate race in Östersund. 

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