Cross-country skiing: Gustaf Berglund on World Championships Selection – 'I'm Super Sad'

Swedish cross-country skier Gustaf Berglund, 26, believed he had secured a spot at the upcoming World Championships. However, he was informed that he had been dropped from the team.

In an interview with SVT Sport, a disappointed but composed Berglund explained that the national team’s decision was based on the requirement for consistently high-level results over a longer period. Although he produced his career-best performance by finishing seventh in the 10 km free race at the World Cup event in Cogne, it was not enough to meet the criteria for a World Championship spot.

Berglund discussed the matter with national team manager Anders Byström following the selections made after the Swedish Championships in Borås and at the team meeting that day. Byström explained that Berglund’s results, apart from a single strong performance, did not meet the expected standard for World Championship competition. Instead, the team’s focus was on the four distance specialists – Calle Halfvarsson, Jens Burman, Edvin Anger, and William Poromaa.

While the decision is a significant setback for Berglund, he noted that there is still an open reserve spot. The final call on who will fill that position will be made after the upcoming World Cup races in Falun next weekend.