Sweden’s most reliable World Championship contender has something quite special behind her left ear.

“They mean quite a lot to me,” says the 29-year-old from Umeå about the secret behind her ear.

Behind her left ear, Jonna Sundling has three delicate snowflake tattoos. Speaking to ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langrenn.com, the Swedish superstar revealed that the choice was both spontaneous and deliberate.

“It was pretty impulsive, really. I just felt like I wanted a tattoo, so I went ahead and got one. But that was several years ago now—I think it was in 2015,” she says.

However, the design she chose was no coincidence. Sundling explains that the snowflakes reflect who she is on many levels.

“I’m a December baby and a nature lover. I adore winter, snow, and skiing, and snowflakes make me happy.”

Did it hurt?

“It wasn’t very comfortable because the neck is quite sensitive with thin skin. But it wasn’t too bad, as it didn’t take that long,” Sundling shares.

Immense Joy for Skiing

Sundling’s love for skiing and passion for the sport make every race look effortless. From the sidelines, it often seems like Sundling doesn’t even have to dig too deep. Her performance in last weekend’s skate sprint during the crucial World Cup weekend in Lillehammer is a perfect example. She dominated from the prologue to the final, leaving her competitors in the dust.

“Today is one of those days where I just love skiing—where the body follows the mind. I feel strong, and not every day is like this, so I enjoy it a little extra,” Sundling tells Langrenn.com. She continues enthusiastically:

“Skate sprinting is one of my strengths. I love it, and it’s where I started to go fast. I took my first World Cup win here in Lillehammer, on this exact course. Coming back here gives me good flashbacks. I have great memories from the last time I was here.”

How did you approach the sprint?

“In the heats, the plan was just to ski technically well and feel in control. The body is the engine, but the skis do the work. I wanted to make sure the skis were gliding well. Everything clicked today, and I managed to build my pace throughout the race, from start to finish. I also like to keep some energy for the last climb—it’s a long one.”

A Simple Strategy for Success

With gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 2022 Olympics, four World Championship golds in sprint and team sprint (2021 and 2023), and 16 World Cup victories—including one in distance races—29-year-old Sundling is one of Sweden’s strongest hopes for the upcoming World Championships in Trondheim. She happily shares the key to her success:

“I just try to stick to my plan. We’ll see where it takes me. But it seems like I’ve found the right balance between training and racing,” says Sundling, often compared to Marit Bjørgen.

Do you get nervous before competitions?

“Yes, and I was really nervous before the sprint in Lillehammer. But I knew after the prologue that there was nothing wrong with my form. Sprinting is a bit special, though—each race has its own story. It’s like four restarts, unlike a 10-kilometer race where you start and go straight to the finish. Mentally, it’s challenging because you have to stay sharp,” Sundling explains, adding:

“I don’t take for granted that I’ll win the race just because I won the prologue by six seconds. The race really starts in the quarterfinals,” she says.