Oskar Kardin and Emilie Fleten won Vasaloppet 2026

Oskar Kardin, Lager 157 Ski Team, won Vasaloppet after a dominant performance from his team, who claimed the top five positions. Alvar Myhlback finished second and Nils Dahlsten third. In the women’s race, Emilie Fleten of Team Ramudden secured her third victory. The top Swedish woman was Hanna Lodin in second place, followed by Anikken Gjerde Alnæs in third.

Heavy snowfall and −1°C greeted the 14,500 registered participants at the 08:00 start in Berga by, Sälen, on this first Sunday of March 2026. In total, 63,000 participants signed up for the different Vasaloppet Winter Week races. Around 15 cm of snow had fallen overnight ahead of this 102nd edition of Vasaloppet.

Men's class
French skier Simon Vuillet led from the start toward the highest point of the course at 3 km. But he fell when the sprint launched and Einar Kalland-Olsen instead reached the highest point first, two and a half minutes behind last year’s time.

Gabriel Strid claimed the first sprint prize in Smågan (also the first Ski Classics sprint). Halfway to Mångsbodarna, a seven-man lead group had formed, including Oskar Kardin.

Oskar Kardin won the sprint prize in Mångsbodarna, with eleven skiers now in the lead group. The main pack trailed 45 seconds behind. The pace eased, and the race became a procession of 80–90 men and four women skiing together. Hjalmar Oscarsson took the sprint prize in Risberg.

Just like last year, Vebjörn Moen won the the traditional Hill Prize in Evertsberg, which is also a Ski Classics sprint. This year, however, the time was 30 minutes slower. The tempo then increased somewhat as the race entered its decisive phase.

The climb at Lundbäcksbackarna marks the beginning of the final third, and things started to pick up. (As four-time winner Arthur Häggblad said in the 1930s: “We ski and chat for 60 kilometres, then we race for 30.”) Magnus Vesterheim and others pushed hard uphill.

Nils Dahlsten reached the Oxberg checkpoint first, leading a group of 37 skiers which thinned out more and more with repeated surges and breakaways.

Approaching Hökberg, 19 km from the finish, more skiers dropped behind and Magnus Vesterheim won the penultimate sprint prize just ahead of five skiers, four of whom were from Lager 157 Ski Team, including defending champion Alvar Myhlback. A group of 17 followed shortly behind.

Runar Skaug Mathisen of Lager 157 Ski Team, who came ninth in 2025, went on the attack with 15 km to go. Amund Riege of Team Aker Daehlie responded, followed by Alvar Myhlback. Team tactics came into play, as is often the case, but things settled once again into a group of 28, including many of the favourites.

Heading toward Eldris, Oskar Kardin of Lager 157 Ski Team took the front and secured his second sprint prize of the day, then accelerated, forcing other teams to chase. With 3 km remaining, his breakaway held a 17-second gap. He maintained it all the way to Mora, entering the finishing straight alone. As he received the winner’s wreath from the Kranskulla, he tiredly turned to see four teammates just behind him. Oskar Kardin’s winning time was 4:14:45, a margin of four seconds – and Lager 157 Ski Team swept the top five spots in Vasaloppet 2026! Alvar Myhlback came second and Nils Dahlsten third. (Alvar Myhlback’s Vasaloppet results now read 8th, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, and he has not yet turned 20 years old.)

Oskar Kardin told SVT:
“It feels unreal. I’ve trained for this for a long time, so it’s emotional. It’s a team effort. Over the final ten kilometres I just tried to ski evenly and hard. When I looked back, I almost always saw a teammate in front. If someone else led the chase, we were second or third. Then you know it’s tough for them behind, so you just give what you have. But I was tired at the end.”

Notably, no previous Vasaloppet winner has competed so many times before achieving their first victory. Oskar Kardin had already raced Vasaloppet twelve times, his best result being seventh in 2023. In his 13th start, Oskar Kardin finally won! Remarkably, he was skiing on skis from two different brands, after breaking one between Risberg and Evertsberg and having to replace it.

Women's class
Silje Öyre Slind reached the highest point first, with Hedda Bångman close behind. At Smågan, after 11 km, Julie Stöstad claimed the sprint prize. Six women formed the lead group, while defending champion Stina Nilsson was already 30 seconds behind, and she lost more time on the way to Mångsbodarna.

Anikken Gjerde Alnaes led into Mångsbodarna. In the tough, snowy conditions, the women were just about a minute behind the leading men. Alnaes led ahead of Hanna Lodin and three Norwegians: Silje Öyre Slind, Emilie Fleten, and Julie Stöstad. Hedda Bångman had dropped back, while Stina Nilsson trailed by a minute and a half. Astrid Öyre Slind was even further behind, and later withdrew from the race.

Emilie Fleten won Vasaloppet in 2023 and 2024, but a ski-preparation setback left her fourth in 2025. This morning at the start she predicted that she would thrive in the demanding conditions – heavy snow suits Fleten who won Marcialonga this year under similar circumstances.

In Risberg, the top four women were skiing within the large men’s pack. Emilie Fleten won the sprint prize there, just 18 seconds behind the first male skier.

She also claimed the Hill Prize in Evertsberg, now 25 seconds behind leading man Vebjörn Moen. When the men increased the pace, she matched them. In Oxberg she led by 21 seconds over Anikken Gjerde Alnaes and Julie Stöstad. By Hökberg the gap was one minute; by Eldris, two.

Emilie Fleten skied alone to the finish, waving to the crowd on the straight. Her winning time was 4:24:26. Hanna Lodin finished second, 1 minute 37 seconds behind. Anikken Gjerde Alnaes placed third, Julie Stöstad fourth, and Stina Nilsson fifth.

Emilie Fleten now has three Vasaloppet victories, matching her Team Ramudden manager Lina Korsgren.

“It was tough from start to finish,” Emilie Fleten told SVT. “There were no tracks at the start, so I was a bit behind and had to fight. Then the men’s field became like a cork blocking the way. I wanted to go fast and was close to tears because on the climbs everything just stood still where I wanted to attack. We aimed to have the best skis at the start, and I felt I couldn’t use that advantage. But fortunately they were good enough all the way. When the seconds started to grow, I felt quite confident.”

Footnote: The smallest time gap between the men’s and women’s winners is from 2007, when Elin Ek finished 4 minutes 49 seconds behind Oskar Svärd’s winning time of 4:43:40 – a record that still stands today.

Results Vasaloppet 2026, men
1. Oskar Kardin, (SWE) Lager 157 Ski Team, 4.14.45.5
2. Alvar Myhlback, (SWE) Lager 157 Ski Team, 4.14.49.5
3. Nils Dahlsten, (SWE) Lager 157 Ski Team, 4.14.49.8
4. Runar Mathisen, (NOR) Lager 157 Ski Team, 4.14.50.1
5. Einar Kalland-Olsen, (NOR) Lager 157 Ski Team, 4.14.51.0
6. Haavard Solaas Taugboel, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 4.14.51.8
7. Ole Jørgen Bruvoll, (NOR) Team Engcon, 4.14.53.1
8. Ari Luusua, (FIN) Rovaniemi, 4.14.54.2
9. Andreas Nygaard, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 4.14.54.5
10. Johannes Eklöf, (SWE) Ski Team Göhlins IF, 4.14.54.7

Results Vasaloppet 2026, women
1. Emilie Fleten, (NOR) Team Ramudden, 4.24.26.3
2. Hanna Lodin, (SWE) Team Engcon, 4.26.03.9
3. Anikken Alnaes, (NOR) Team Engcon, 4.26.33.4
4. Julie Stoestad, (NOR) Team Ramudden, 4.27.10.6
5. Stina Nilsson, (SWE) Team Ragde Charge, 4.28.29.2
6. Magni Smedås, (NOR) Team Eksjöhus, 4.30.04.6
7. Silje Öyre Slind, (NOR) Team Aker Daehlie, 4.30.04.7
8. Kati Roivas, (FIN) Team Eksjöhus, 4.30.04.8
9. Karolina Hedenström, (SWE) Lager 157 Ski Team, 4.31.04.8
10. Hedda Bångman, (SWE) Team Burger King Northug, 4.33.10.0

Sprint prize winners 2026, men
Ski Classics Climb, after 3 km and 528 metres above sea level: Einar Kalland-Olsen (NOR), 13.29
Smågan 11 km: Gabriel Strid (SWE), 37.00
Mångsbodarna 24 km: Oskar Kardin (SWE), 1.15.24
Risberg 35 km: Hjalmar Oscarsson (SWE), 1.44.38
Evertsberg 47 km (Bergspriset): Vebjörn Moen (NOR), 2.24.18
Oxberg 62 km: Nils Dahlsten (SWE), 3.00.14
Hökberg 71 km: Magnus Vesterheim (NOR), 3.25.26
Eldris 81 km: Oskar Kardin (SWE), 3.52.42

Sprint prize winners 2026, women
Ski Classics Climb, after 3 km and 528 metres above sea level: Silje Öyre Slind (NOR), 14.49
Smågan 11 km: Julie Stöstad (NOR), 38.22
Mångsbodarna 24 km: Anikken Gjerde Alnaes (NOR), 1.16.32
Risberg 35 km: Emilie Fleten (NOR), 1.44.56
Evertsberg 47 km (Bergspriset): Emilie Fleten (NOR), 2.24.43
Oxberg 62 km: Emilie Fleten (NOR), 3.02.03
Hökberg 71 km: Emilie Fleten (NOR), 3.30.04
Eldris 81 km: Emilie Fleten (NOR), 3.59.02

Record times
Men: 3.28.18,4 (Tord Asle Gjerdalen, 2021)
Women: 3.50.06,4 (Astrid Öyre Slind, 2022)

The last ten Vasaloppet winners, men
2016 John Kristian Dahl, Norway
2017 John Kristian Dahl, Norway
2018 Andreas Nygaard, Norway
2019 Tore Björset Berdal, Norway
2020 Petter Eliassen, Norway
2021 Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Norway
2022 Andreas Nygaard, Norway
2023 Emil Persson, Sweden
2024 Torleif Syrstad, Norway
2025 Alvar Myhlback, Sweden

The last ten Vasaloppet winners, women

2016 Katerina Smutná, Austria
2017 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sweden
2018 Lina Korsgren, Sweden
2019 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sweden
2020 Lina Korsgren, Sweden
2021 Lina Korsgren, Sweden
2022 Astrid Öyre Slind, Norway
2023 Emilie Fleten, Norway
2024 Emilie Fleten, Norway
2025 Stina Nilsson, Sweden

Kranskulla and Kransmas
Maja Stefansson from IFK Mora Gymnastikklubb and snowboarder William Mathisen from Sälens IF Alpina.

Watch reruns of Vasaloppet 2026 and all the finishes
Sveriges Television
https://www.svtplay.se/vasaloppet
https://www.svtplay.se/video/j16Gr2A/vasaloppet/son-1-mar-07-30
https://www.svtplay.se/video/ep3XQ6Z/vasaloppet-kampen-mot-repen-med-julia-och-mattias
https://www.svtplay.se/video/jQ7Eb43/vasaloppet-extrakameror/folj-vasaloppet-med-fler-kameror

SVT's Vasaloppet page
www.svt.se/sport/vasaloppet

Vasaloppet.TV
https://vasaloppet.tv
https://vasaloppet.tv/video/1115908/vlprod2026
https://vasaloppet.tv/tv-tabla-eng

Follow Vasaloppet, so you don't miss out
Here we offer news, pictures, stories, inspiration and training tips. See you!
Vasaloppet on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/vasaloppet

Vasaloppet on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/vasaloppetofficial

Vasaloppet's Summer Week 2026
Vasaloppet doesn't just have a Winter Week. Since 2009 there's also a Vasaloppet Summer Week with eleven mountain bike and running races, such as Cykelvasan 90 and Ultravasan 90. See the complete list of races below. More than 13,000 are already registered.

NOW: Register for Vasaloppet 2027 – train all year
Vasaloppet 2027 runs on March 7 and registration has already opened at vasaloppet.se. Welcome!

Vasaloppstrippeln x3
Vasaloppstrippeln means completing three different types of Vasaloppet during one and the same calendar year. The participant skis in Vasaloppet's Winter Week and runs and cycles the same distance in Vasaloppet's Summer Week in August. The distances are 90, 45 or 30 kilometres.

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 Winter Week 2026 and the 102nd Vasaloppet – cross country skiing
Friday, February 20, Vasaloppet 30, start Oxberg, 30 km
Saturday, February 21, Tjejvasan, start Oxberg, 30 km
Sunday, February 22, Öppet Spår Sunday, FULLY BOOKED, start Sälen, 90 km
Sunday, February 22, Ungdomsvasan, start Eldris, 9 km, start Hökberg, 19 km
Monday, February 23, Öppet Spår Monday 90, freestyle, start Sälen, 90 km
Monday, February 23, Öppet Spår Monday 45, freestyle, start Oxberg, 45 km
Monday, February 23, Öppet Spår Monday 30, freestyle, start Oxberg, 30 km
Tuesday, February 24, Vasaloppet 45, start Oxberg, 45 km
Friday, February 27, Stafettvasan, ski relay, five sections, start Sälen, 90 km
Friday, February 27, Nattvasan 30, individually or two-person teams, freestyle, start Oxberg, 30 km
Friday, February 27, Nattvasan 45, individually or two-person teams, freestyle, start Oxberg, 45 km
Friday, February 27, Nattvasan 90, individually or two-person teams, freestyle, start Sälen, 90 km
Saturday, February 28, Vasaloppet 10, freestyle, start Eldris, 9 km
Sunday, March 1, The 102nd Vasaloppet, start Sälen, 90 km

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.

Like Vasaloppet on Facebook and follow Vasaloppet on Instagram!

High-resolution photos from Vasaloppet
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/vasaloppet/latest_media

Text and photos may be freely published.

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

More on Vasaloppet
www.vasaloppet.se
Press room: mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/vasaloppet
Facebook: facebook.com/vasaloppetofficial
Instagram: @vasaloppet