The 2023 Swedish sprint champion talks to Langd.se about his latest crash, nerve damage, the road to recovery, and his big dream goal.

Last week, the Swedish cross-country skier Olle Jonsson was in Vålådalen to enjoy a few good days on early snow.

“It’s luxurious to have snow in October, despite a few days of mild weather. Latti, who is the track manager here, is a bit nervous but also very experienced,” Jonsson says.

When Langd.se reached Olle, the mild weather had hit hard. The thermometer showed between 7-8 degrees. As a result, small patches of ice began to appear on the snow bed, especially in sharp curves. And it was these ice patches that played the leading role in this drama.

During a training session on Wednesday morning, Olle took a hard fall, hitting his head.

Fell Like a Tree

“There was a small ice patch in a curve. I was skiing classic with klister, and when I stepped on the patch, my inner ski slid away, and I fell like a tree,” says the 2023 Swedish sprint champion, and continues:

“Given that I had been injured in my shoulders, I didn’t want to break the fall as usual with my arms and upper body. So, my head took the hit, which may not have been the best choice.”

“I got off pretty well and don’t feel pain anywhere else except my head, especially where the impact occurred. At first, we feared a mild concussion, but it seems like I escaped that. Because of this, I’ve had some screen rest and have been doing light training for two days,” Olle explains, reflecting:

“… and then I have a big black eye, which people (at the mountain station in Vålådalen) think is part of my Halloween costume. When others ask what happened, I just tell them, ‘I didn’t pay the track fee.’”

Earlier this winter, Olle had struggled with pain and numbness in both shoulders after an infection. Despite this, he chose to compete as the defending champion in the sprint at the Swedish Championships in Boden. However, with a twist, he skated the entire course and finished in 80th place. “I skated for fun and to feel what it’s like to race as the defending champion,” he wrote on Instagram.

Didn’t Know What to Do

In February, the then 28-year-old skier woke up with numbness and pain in both shoulders and up towards his neck.

“I had no idea what it was about. Could it be a stroke? I had time to think. I’m rarely worried, but at that moment, I was pacing around the apartment, not knowing what to do,” the skier explains.

After long investigations, it ended up with a neurologist in Östersund.

“The diagnosis I got only affects 2 out of 130.000 patients in Östersund. I was unlucky. It was an autoimmune reaction triggered by an infection in my body. The result was that the antibodies attacked the nerves in my shoulder blades and shoulders, instead of targeting the infection. It just didn’t connect,” says Olle, continuing:

“Things you take for granted, like lifting your arm to take down a glass from a cupboard, didn’t work at all.”

How could this happen? Is there an explanation?

“I did a long-distance race and felt like I had some symptoms the night before. But by the morning, the symptoms were gone, and my resting heart rate was good. So, I decided to race but had to drop out soon after starting. I felt that something was wrong in my body,” says Jonsson, thinking further:

“I rested for two days because I felt like I was going to get sick. However, the cold symptoms never came, and on the third day, I woke up with that pain and numbness in my shoulders.”

Continuing to Chase the Dream Goal

This year, Jonsson is outside the Swedish national teams and is largely pursuing his goals with his club, Trillevallen SK. The plan now is to be ready for the season opener in Bruksvallarna at the end of November.

“I’m going to keep pushing, and the dream goal is the World Championships in Trondheim. At my best, I’m definitely good enough to represent Sweden in a championship,” says Olle.

Despite positive signs during the Kopparskidan (Copper Ski in free translation) in early October, where Jonsson finished sixth in the sprint with the fifth-fastest prologue time, he acknowledges that he’s not yet fully recovered.

“On the strength tests I do in the gym, I’m currently about 10% off. Given the circumstances, it’s much better than I dared to hope and expect,” Olle concludes, adding:

“Difficulties, injuries, and obstacles happen. It’s all about how you get over or past them. That’s been my approach all along.”

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.