Cross-country skier Moa Lundgren not selected for World Cup opener in Ruka: 'I would have loved to compete'

Cross-country skier Moa Lundgren has communicated her dissatisfaction with not being selected for the World Cup season opener in Ruka, Finland. Despite securing impressive results at the season's first competition in Bruksvallarna, where she finished third in the 10km race and sixth in the sprint finals, she did not make the cut for the World Cup team.

Lundgren, who is not part of the national team, expressed her disappointment by stating, "I was absolutely a bit surprised." She noted that while she understands the prioritization of established team members, it's still disheartening. Lundgren looks forward to competing in Lillehammer from December 6-8, and if not selected, she plans to compete in the Swedish Cup event in Idre, expressing her eagerness to get back to competition after extensive training.

The selection decision has been explained by the women's coach Stefan Thomson, who emphasized the strength of the current sprint team, particularly highlighting Frida Karlsson's capabilities in classic sprint racing. He remarked, "Moa had a tremendous performance in Bruksvallarna."

Overall, fewer women have been selected for the World Cup event as they have more distances to compete in than their male counterparts.