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Charlotte Kalla is the only Swedish skier in history to win the Tour de Ski. But now the question is whether the Swedish ski star will even be able to start in the winter edition of the stage competition.
Charlotte Kalla has recovered from her covid infection, is training full time, but is still affected by the disease.
– A covid infection like this affects the body much more than a common cold, of course, says Kalla’s personal trainer, Magnus Ingesson.
According to Ingesson, the demands should be quite low for Charlotte Kalla in Saturday’s mass outing in Östersund.
The message: don’t expect too much
– I don’t think we should have too high expectations, says Magnus Ingesson.
National team coach Stefan Thomson also paints a similar picture of Charlotte Kalla’s situation.
– You cannot expect any superior results at this time. She is in intense training and not in good shape, says Thomson.
At the same time, he emphasizes that Kalla is on the right track:
– Charlotte was at camp with us in Saxnäs last week and has trained well, and the good thing is that her body responds to training in the right way.
Earlier this week, the director of the national team, Anders Byström, told SportExpressen that “There is no skier given” in the roster for the Tour de ski. Not even Charlotte Kalla.
Charlotte Kalla: I want to go on the Ski Tour
At the same time, Kalla has openly stated that she would like to participate in the Ski Tour.
Stefan Thomson believes that there are several different things that go into deciding whether or not Charlotte Kalla can participate in the Ski Tour.
– We will see. There are many parameters to consider. Partly the result on Saturday, partly how his body reacts to compete again, and then we have to consider what is best in the long run.
– The World Cup is still the main objective.
Sweden has also decided to send a small team to the Ski Tour. You will not use all the places that you actually have available to start.
On the women’s side, there will now be around eight skiers who will be officially eliminated on Monday. But female coaches Ingesson & Thomson have already nailed much of the team.
– It’s probably not that much of a headache. But at least some places are still open, Ingesson says.
READ MORE: Is it possible to prod Charlotte Kalla?
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