Gustaf Berglund delivered a strong finish to the Olympic Games, securing ninth place in the men’s 50km mass start race on Saturday. The result marked a bright spot for the Swedish men’s cross-country skiing team, which has endured a challenging Games in Italy.
“It feels really great to leave the Olympics with a good race, I’m very happy to finally have a good race here,” Berglund told SVT after the competition. He steadily climbed the ranks during the second half of the race, improving from fifteenth to ninth position.
“My feeling and the skis felt better and better during the race. I wouldn’t have minded if the race had been a little longer,” Berglund added with a smile.
Fellow Swedes Calle Halfvarsson and Johan Häggström finished 24th and 25th respectively. The race was dominated by Norway, with Johannes Hösflot Kläbo claiming his sixth gold medal of the Games and securing victory in the 50km event. Martin Löwström Nyenget took silver and Emil Iversen completed the Norwegian podium sweep.
Despite Berglund’s encouraging performance, the Swedish men’s team is facing a period of assessment. According to Anders Byström, the national team manager, “we must analyze what has gone wrong in this championship.” The team’s performance at the 2026 Olympics represents their worst-ever result in Olympic history.
The best individual result for the Swedish men prior to Berglund’s ninth place was Truls Gisselman’s seventh-place finish in the skiathlon. The struggles of key athletes Edvin Anger and William Poromaa, who both had disappointing championships, contributed to the overall lack of depth within the team, Byström noted.
The Swedish team included Alvar Myhlback, Anton Grahn, Calle Halfvarsson, Ebba Andersson, Edvin Anger, Emma Ribom, Frida Karlsson, Gustaf Berglund, Johan Häggström, Johanna Hagström, Jonna Sundling, Linn Svahn, Maja Dahlqvist, Moa Ilar, and Truls Gisselman.
