Fantastic achievements from Vasaloppet's Winter Week 2026

Thanks to strong commitment, impressive endurance and the invaluable work of all the functionaries, more than 50,000 participants were able to glide across the classic finish line by the bell tower in Mora – some racing against the clock and their competitors, others battling themselves, just as tradition dictates. Smiles, relief and pure joy filled the finishing straight. Here we have compiled some of the most memorable performances and golden moments from Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2026.

First to finish: Nils Dahlsten, Östersunds SK, 1.14.35, and Emma Hållström, Uppsala, 1.37.17, were the first man and woman respectively to finish the year’s first race, Vasaloppet 30. Nils also finished third in the men’s class in Vasaloppet!

Paracupen: 14 paralympic cross-country skiers raced Vasaloppet 30, which for them was part of the Svenska Paracupen cross-country skiing cup. Rasmus Adervall, Myssjö-Ovikens IF, won the men’s I class, 1.37.18. Kristin Björfeldt, Sya SK, won the women’s I class, 2.06.29, and Louise Perottosdotter, Lima IF, the women’s LW9, 2.10.51. Arnt-Christian Furuberg, Sockertoppen IF, won the men’s LW12 and delivered a strong performance ahead of the Paralympics in Milano Cortina, 1.53.24. Samuel Brauckmann, Östersunds SK, won the men’s LW9, 1.59.23.

Skied all Vasaloppet 30 races for 30 years (1997–2026): Jonas Åhström, Råda IK, 1.40.43 and Bengt Jans, Karlskoga, 4.28.34

Best woman in Tjejvasan: Johanna Hagström, Ulricehamns IF, who made her debut in Ungdomsvasan at age 10 in 2009. Now Johanna won Tjejvasan 2026, 1.26.11. She came into the finishing straight in third place, but the sprint showed why she is third in the World Cup sprint standings.

Smallest photo-finish margin: Johanna Hagström won Tjejvasan by 16 thousandths of a second. Over 30 km of skiing that corresponds to 93 millimetres.

Best Norwegian in Tjejvasan: Julie Stöstad, 2nd, 1.26.11.

Tjejvasan 38 times (every race since 1988): Marianne Andersson, Oxbergs IF, 3.07.01; Ingegerd Karlsson, Berghem, 4.40.51; Margareta Löfqvist, Västerås, 3.19.05 and Margareta Östensson Lindblom, Falun, 2.47.09.

Tjejvasan for the first time: Ulla Halvarsson, 79 years old (D80), Ljusdal, 5.12.33. “Why didn’t I think of this long ago?”

Best in Försvarsmaktsvasan 2026: Sebastian Jansson Saadio, I 13, and Anna Lindgren, MR Norr, defended their victories from last year in Försvarsmaktsvasan for the Swedish Armed Forces, which was held in connection with Öppet Spår Sunday. Sebastian finished in 4.34.48 and Anna in 5.32.33. (In total 900 were registered.)

Best Gustav Vasa: No, he is not an avatar. The role of Gustav Vasa was played by Nils Nyström who, for the 51st time, skied back and forth along the finishing straight in Mora! Every day. “You could say I’m a bit of a living mascot…”

Skied all Vasaloppet 45 races for 30 years (1997–2026): Yngve Frost, Nusnäs, 4.46.01, and Jan Rova, Mora, 5.55.04.

Fastest in Stafettvasan 2026: Team Torsby Skidtunnel again this year, 4.18.31, with Oscar Persson, Bill Impola, Viktor Hansson, Martin Rosvall and Bob Impola in the team.

Most teams in Stafettvasan: Vasaloppet’s main sponsor Ahlsell had a total of 66 teams at the start in Stafettvasan.

Best Swede, best skier from Jämtland and best 34-year-old in Vasaloppet (and victor with the most attempts before their win): Oskar Kardin, 4.14.45. (Jörgen Aukland made ten starts in Vasaloppet before winning in 2008. Oskar Kardin skied twelve Vasaloppet before now winning in his 13th. He was also born on 13 January!)

Best team in Vasaloppet: Lager 157 Ski Team delivered the men’s winner in Vasaloppet for the fourth year in a row: Emil Persson 2023, Torleif Syrstad 2024, Alvar Myhlback 2025 and now Oskar Kardin 2026 – and also the top five places in the men’s race this year. Team manager Anton Järnberg called it: “The best day in the team’s history!”

Best Norwegian woman in the 30th Vasaloppet with a competition class for women, and now the Norwegian woman with the most Vasaloppet wins: Emilie Fleten, 4.24.26. Her results in Vasaloppet, which she has skied since 2020: 9, 6, 3, 1, 1, 4, 1.

Best Swedish woman in Vasaloppet: Hanna Lodin, 2nd, 4.26.03: “I’m super happy, being on the podium in Vasaloppet is completely crazy,” said the pride of Eskilstuna to Radiosporten.

Second-best Swede and best Dalarna woman in Vasaloppet: Stina Nilsson, 5th, 4.28.29. “No matter what, I love Vasaloppet,” Stina told SVT Sport.

Best Dalarna man, best junior (H17) and best Myhlback in Vasaloppet: Alvar Myhlback, Bjursås, 2nd, 4.14.49. On the podium for the third year in a row, though not yet 20 years old!

Best Norwegian man in Vasaloppet: Runar Skaug Mathisen, 4th, 4.14.50. For the second year in a row the men’s podium was 3 x Sweden.

Best debutant in Vasaloppet (women): Ane Appelkvist Stenseth, Norway, 13th, 4.38.47, in her first Vasaloppet.

Best Swedish debutant in Vasaloppet (women): Ella Olsson, Högbo, 22nd, 4.45.06, in her first Vasaloppet.

Best debutant in Vasaloppet (men): Malte Jutterdal, Falun-Borlänge, 50th, 4.20.42, in his first Vasaloppet.

Best Petter in Vasaloppet: Petter Stakston, Norway, 28th, 4.16.59.

Best 40-year-old and second-best junior in Vasaloppet (H40): Petter Northug Jr., Norway, 30th, 4.17.59.

Best Finnish finish in Vasaloppet: Kati Roivas, 8th in the women’s class, 4.30.04, and Ari Luusua, 8th in the men’s class, 4.14.54.

Best 50-plus in Vasaloppet, men (H50), and best Czech: Stanislav Rezác, 52 years old, Czech Republic, 57th, 4.20.48. (In his 27th Vasaloppet!! He has only been outside the top 100 once. That time he came 101st…)

Best 40-plus in Vasaloppet, women (D40): Karin Wallén, Korsnäs, 52nd, 5.18.20.

Best 50-plus in Vasaloppet, women (D50): Jenny Ramstedt, Nacka Värmdö, 85th, 5.17.51.

Time required to be top 100 in Vasaloppet: Men: 4.25.52. Women: 6.05.30.

Time required to be top 1000 in Vasaloppet: Men: 5.42.04. Women: 11.05.56.

Performance medal: 1,856 participants received the performance medal in Vasaloppet 2026. Those who ski within the winning time plus 50 percent receive the performance medal. The medal time in 2026 was 6.22.08 for men (finish no later than 14.22.08) and 6.36.39 for women (finish no later than 14.36.39).

Best non-Swede/non-Norwegian/non-Finn, and best Frenchman in Vasaloppet: Jeremy Royer, France, 16th, 4.15.05. (17 of the top 100 men came from a country other than Sweden or Norway.)

Best non-Swede/non-Norwegian/non-Finn, and best Czech woman in Vasaloppet: Tereza Hujerova, Czech Republic, 16th, 4.39.32. (16 of the top 100 women came from a country other than Sweden or Norway.)

Best monetary performance: 132,000 SEK. Emilie Fleten won Vasaloppet and five sprint prizes (including the Hill Prize in Evertsberg).

Second-best monetary performance: 112,000 SEK. Oskar Kardin won Vasaloppet and two sprint prizes.

Best skier finishing on one yellow ski from one brand and a red ski from another brand: Oskar Kardin, 1st.

Second-best Myhlback and best junior (D17): Vera Myhlback, Bjursås, 16 years old, 38th in her first Vasaloppet, 5.03.59.

Best Gustav Eriksson in Vasaloppet: Gustav Eriksson, Mora, 72nd, 4.22.37.

Best Olympic biathlon gold medallist in Vasaloppet: Peppe Femling, Sweden, 118th, 4.28.31.

Youngest finisher in Vasaloppet 2026, men: Josef Kovár, Cížová, Czech Republic (born 2009-12-21), 7.05.22. The youngest ever to complete Vasaloppet is still Sixten Österman, Örebro, (born 2008-12-29), who skied in 2025.

Youngest finisher in Vasaloppet 2026, women: Ebba Eriksson, Norrtälje, (born 2009-12-21), 10.24.09. Sixteen-year-old Ebba thereby became the youngest female participant ever to complete Vasaloppet.

Best veteran in Vasaloppet: Anders Sörensson, Munkedal, 186th, 4.38.50. One hundred places better than in 2025! (More about all the veteran performances will follow!)

Best Svahn in Vasaloppet and best 58-year-old (H55): Peo Svahn, Boxholm, 189th, 4.39.19. This 58-year-old became a veteran last year and now started in the elite start group for his 31st year!

Best placing by a Svensson in Vasaloppet: Andreas Svensson, Ulricehamn, 70th, 4.22.24.

Most sitski participations: Adventurer Aron Anderson skis in a sitski and finished Vasaloppet for the 12th time, 9.05.14.

More sitski skiers: Viktor Dykyi, Kyiv, Ukraine, lost both legs in the war and also skied Vasaloppet in a sitski, 10.23.42.

Sit-ski in Öppet Spår: Lina Åhnberg, Uppsala, skied Öppet Spår Sunday, 8.24.31.

Best official Vasaloppet coach in Vasaloppet: Erik Wickström, 62nd, 4.20.49.

Best Åland participant in Vasaloppet: Isac Holmström, 63rd, 4.20.49. (23 participants from Åland completed Vasaloppet 2026).

Best American and best Power in Vasaloppet: Nicholas Power, USA, 112th, 4.28.26.

Best cameraman in Vasaloppet: SVT’s skiing photographer Adam Karlsson. With only one pole and camera equipment weighing up to 10 kg! 12.47.22.

Best tandem skiers in Vasaloppet: Isak Hellberg and Anna Ohlson, Bjursås, 9.52.07. (Isak at the front of the tandem skis.)

Second-best tandem skiers in Vasaloppet: Nils Thorin and Arvid Nordblom, Hindås, 10.53.58. (Nils at the front of the tandem skis.)

Finish number 2,000,000: Veronica Olofsson, Ånge, 12.40.43, became the two-millionth participant to finish in Vasaloppet’s history, counting all races for skiing, cycling and running. The prize: free entry for the rest of her life to all Vasaloppet events. “It was damn well worth it,” she commented after finishing.

Longest distance by a woman this year: Harpa Oskarsdottir, Västerås, skied five Winter Week races, making a total of 405 km.

Longest distance by a man this year: Robert Svensson, Alstermo, skied seven Winter Week races, making a total of 445 km.

Ski wedding: 15 couples got married in Mora church’s ski-in wedding ceremony after finishing during the Winter Week – and one blessing was held. A total of 117 couples have now married after finishing!

Last to set off from the start: Oskar Pettersson, Jönköping, noticed after a while that he had lost his keys on the start field, so he turned back and skied three times back and forth, searching, before setting off again towards Mora, 12.44.57. (He ended up skiing closer to 100 km...)

Very last to finish in Vasaloppet: Eric Fohlman, Bromma, 13.22.58, and Svante Stenlund, Skellefteå, 13.22.58. “They controlled the entire field!”

As always: With reservation for possible changes. Welcome back this summer!


FOR MEDIA:
Which participants are from your county? Start lists, results, statistics and reports:
At media.vasaloppet.se you can access start lists and result lists from all races and follow skiers live on the course. Login required.
http://media.vasaloppet.se/2026/?lang=EN_CAP
Username: vasa
Password: media

FOR REGIONAL RESULTS
Choose ”Reports” at media.vasaloppet.se. Then select the race and file format. ”Resultatlista (inklusive föreningar och län)” is a complete results lists for the chosen race. You can use this to sort by county, for example.

Upcoming events in the Vasaloppet Arena:

Vasaloppet's Summer Week 2026 – biking and running
Friday, August 7, Cykelvasan 30, start Oxberg, 32 km
Friday, August 7, Cykelvasan Öppet Spår, start Sälen, 95 km
Friday, August 7, Cykelvasan 45, start Oxberg, 45 km
Saturday, August 8, Cykelvasan 90, start Sälen, 95 km
Friday, August 14, Funkisvasan, start Mora, 4 km
Friday, August 14, Trailvasan 10, start Mora, 10 km
Saturday, August 15, Ultravasan 90, start Sälen, 92 km
Saturday, August 15, Vasastafetten, running relay, ten legs, start Sälen, 92 km
Saturday, August 15, Ultravasan 45, start Oxberg, 45 km
Saturday, August 15, Trailvasan 30, start Oxberg, 30 km

Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2027 and the 103rd Vasaloppet – cross country skiing
Friday, February 26, Vasaloppet 30, start Oxberg, 30 km
Saturday, February 27, Tjejvasan, start Oxberg, 30 km
Sunday, February 28, Öppet Spår Sunday, start Sälen, 90 km
Sunday, February 28, Ungdomsvasan, start Eldris, 9 km, start Hökberg, 19 km
Monday, March 1, Öppet Spår Monday 90, freestyle, start Sälen, 90 km
Monday, March 1, Öppet Spår Monday 45, freestyle, start Oxberg, 45 km
Monday, March 1, Öppet Spår Monday 30, freestyle, start Oxberg, 30 km
Tuesday, March 2, Vasaloppet 45, start Oxberg, 45 km
Friday, March 5, Stafettvasan, ski relay, five sections, start Sälen, 90 km
Friday, March 5, Nattvasan 30, individually or two-person teams, freestyle, start Oxberg, 30 km
Friday, March 5, Nattvasan 45, individually or two-person teams, freestyle, start Oxberg, 45 km
Friday, March 5, Nattvasan 90, individually or two-person teams, freestyle, start Sälen, 90 km
Saturday, March 6, Vasaloppet 10, freestyle, start Eldris, 9 km
Sunday, March 7, The 103rd Vasaloppet, start Sälen, 90 km

Vasaloppstrippeln – ski, bike and run, all in one year
Vasaloppstrippeln is a challenge where you complete three races – skiing, cycling and running – during one and the same calendar year. Choose between 30, 45 or 90 kilometres.

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For more information
Camilla Sandy Swarén. Press Manager Vasaloppet
+46 (0)70-384 95 00
camilla.sandy@vasaloppet.se

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