Andreas Nygaard and Astrid Öyre Slind won Vasaloppet 2022

Sunshine, 13 degrees below freezing and perfect, easy-to-ski tracks – these were the conditions when the 98th Vasaloppet started in Berga by at 08:00, 100 years after the first start in 1922. It was a beautiful day, practically designed as propaganda for skiing.

Men’s class
The pace was furious from the start as the biggest favourites set off at high speeds. First up to the climb prize pass, the highest point of the course after three kilometres of skiing, 528 metres above sea level, was Herman Paus with last year’s winner Tord Asle Gjerdalen only two tenth of a second behind.

The hunt was on! But after Smågan, the pace settled down a bit. The leading group at Mångsbodarna after 24 kilometres consisted of 50 men and sprint specialist Stian Berg took the sprint prize.

In Risberg, the group had thinned out further but they were still a big bunch. Emil Persson took the sprint prize in Mångsbodarna and up to Evertsberg the group stretched out from the increasingly high speed. The classic mountain prize in Evertsberg, which has been awarded since 1970, was won by Max Novak.

When the race entered the Lundbäcksbackarna slopes there were 30 skiers in the leading group. It’s noteworthy that Vasaloppet legends Stanislav Rezak (48 years old) and Anders Aukland (49 years old) were part of this group. But the person leading the way and pushing ahead was 38-year-old Tord Asle Gjerdalen.

In Oxberg, there were 23 skiers within 15 seconds, with Mikael Gunnulfsen taking the sprint prize. Leading up to the penultimate checkpoint, Hökberg, the pace slowed a bit and last year’s ninth place Karstein Johaug snatched the sprint prize.

First across the bridge in Läde, where all Vasaloppet have crossed since 1922, was Anders Aukland, team captain for Team Ragde Charge. When arriving at Eldris, Ragde was the biggest team, making up six skiers of the total 17 skiers. Last year’s winner Gjerdalen was not one of them as he’d had to fall behind. Emil Persson from Lager 157 Ski Team took home the last sprint prize in Eldris.

One of the 17 people in the cluster – and they really were a cluster, skiing abreast in the four tracks – would win, but who? There were five Swedes, with Team Ramudden’s Max Novak making a few attempts. Emil Persson was also there, but as the sole member of his team. With one kilometre left, three Ragde skiers held the lead. The sprint on the 320 metre final stretch would decide everything.

Andreas Nygaard was first to turn at the Zorn Museum, with Emil Persson and Mora skier Axel Jutterström right behind. Emil overtook Andreas but Andreas ski poled his way past again and won Vasaloppet 2022 by one second.

Andreas, 31, who also won in 2018:
”I am so happy, I am so very happy,” said an emotional Andreas who had a hard time putting his feelings into words immediately after the finish. ”It has been a lot of hard work, and skiing life isn’t always so easy. There are a lot of emotions… I think this will be hard to beat. With these conditions and fantastic skis, Joar Thele gave me his ski pole when mine broke during the race, and I managed to deliver, it’s so crazy and nice.”

”I was surprised that there were so many of us towards the finish, at times it felt like we were moving very fast. In the end there were lots of Ragde skiers and we had fantastic skis. I got a little stressed at the end, thinking I might get trapped. It was a bit tight on the final stretch but I felt like I had lots of strength left.”

”It was a ten-year anniversary for me and a 100-year anniversary for Vasaloppet, so it couldn’t get much better,” said a very happy Andreas Nygaard.

Once again, the best Swede in Vasaloppet came second. This year it was Emil Persson, who couldn’t quite take on Andreas Nygaard:
”He is superior, I had to close a lot of gaps but I still had a relatively high amount of energy. I wanted to be first or second on the last turn and hoped to have a good day that might take me all the way but Andreas had a better day. But I’m still happy with my second place considering how they (Ragde) played it for the last 20 km. They were seven against one, me and Max Novak had to close gap after gap…”

”I’m here to win and in that sense I’m very disappointed with the second place right now, but in a few days I can be happy,” said Emil Persson.

Women’s class
An incident at the start caused Vasaloppet debutant Ida Palmberg, leading Visma Ski Classics youth cup and skiing in a pink vest, to break one of the skis. Finding the right positions among the men would be crucial for the women at the start. Astrid Öyre Slind took home the climb prize at the highest point of the race after three kilometres. Britta Johansson Norgren was second.

In Smågan, four women skied together: Britta Johansson Norgren and the three Norwegians Astrid Öyre Slind, Thea Krokan Murud and Emelie Fleten. Three-time Vasaloppet winner Lina Korsgren was half a minute behind, in fifth place, and Marit Björgen was an additional minute behind.

At Mångsbodarna, the first four ladies were barely three minutes behind the leading men. Thea Krokan Murud took home the sprint prize and the quartet extended their lead. Ida Dahl, leading Visma Ski Classics and skiing in a yellow leader vest, was already four minutes behind the leading women.

When the first ladies came to Evertsberg, Britta Johansson Norgren and Astrid Öyre Slind were first on the track. But they were in a group of men and keeping good pace. Never before had the women arrived in Evertsberg so quickly: Britta took the sprint prize with a time of 2.02 and the leading duo was here more than three minutes ahead of the 2021 record time. Up until Oxberg they skied together without any men, setting their own pace.

Astrid Öyre Slind took the sprint prize in Oxberg by a narrow margin and a little later Britta had to fall behind. Astrid skied on as a lone woman up to Mora, becoming the third Norwegian woman through the ages to win Vasaloppet (after Vibeke Skofterud 2012 and Laila Kveli 2013 and 2014). Not only that, Astrid also broke the track record by two minutes and took home a bonus of 50,000 SEK for the new record. The new record time is 3.50.06.

It was 34-year-old Astrid Öyre Slind’s fifth start in Vasaloppet and at her previous best result was coming second both in 2017 and 2018. This is what the victor said after the finish:
”Finally, it means so much to succeed in the biggest competition. I have won many small competitions and I know that I have a high level, but this is the day that matters. And managing it all today, it was wonderful. I thought it was tough up until Mångsbodarna but gradually it got better and better. In the end I had good control and it’s nice to feel that way. When Britta fell behind I tried to push hard but at the very end I could just enjoy it.”

”On the final stretch, I was so happy I almost started shaking, I had shivers running up my back and almost cried, because this is one of those days you work towards and it worked out perfectly. The 100th anniversary and perfect conditions, getting to have a day like this, it means everything to a skier,” said the Norwegian.

Britta Johansson Norgren, who won in 2017 and 2019, finished second for the fifth time. She’s been in the top 10 for ten years in a row, and finished 2 minutes and 47 seconds behind Astrid.
”Of course I wanted to win today,” said Britta, ”and I really went for it. It feels like I pushed with everything I had all race. I can’t be unhappy with my performance but Astrid was super strong and skied an amazing race. I tried to keep up but couldn’t hack it.”

RESULTS Vasaloppet 2022, men
1 Andreas Nygaard, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 3.32.18
2 Emil Persson, (SWE) Lager 157 Ski Team, 3.32.19
3 Axel Jutterström, (SWE) Team Eksjöhus, 3.32.20
4 Kasper Stadaas, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 3.32.21
5 Joar Andreas Thele, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 3.32.21
6 Herman Paus, (NOR) Team Ramudden, 3.32.21
7 Johan Hoel, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 3.32.22
8 Erik Rosjö, (SWE) Team Eksjöhus, 3.32.22
9 Anders Aukland, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 3.32.23
10 Karstein Johaug, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 3.32.23

RESULTS Vasaloppet 2022, women
1 Astrid Öyre Slind, (NOR) Team Koteng Eidissen, 3.50.06
2 Britta Johansson Norgren, (SWE) Lager 157 Ski Team, 3.52.53
3 Emilie Fleten, (NOR) Team XPND FUEL, 3.54.28
4 Thea Krokan Murud, (NOR) Lager 157 Ski Team, 3.55.16
5 Lina Korsgren, (SWE) Team Ramudden, 3.57.53 +
6 Marit Björgen, (NOR) Team Ragde Charge, 3.59.34
7 Ida Dahl, (SWE) Team Ramudden, 4.04.30
8 Laila Kveli, (NOR) Team Engcon, 4.04.45
9 Evelina Settlin, (SWE) Team Engcon, 4.04.56
10 Heli Heiskanen, (FIN) Slavia Pojistovna Sport Team, 4.07.11

Sprint prize winners 2022, men
Smågan 11 km: Kasper Stadaas, (NOR), 28.13
Mångsbodarna 24 km: Stian Berg, (NOR), 59.52
Risberg 35 km: Emil Persson, (SWE), 1.24.08
Evertsberg 47 km (Hill Prize): Max Novak, (SWE), 1.54.34
Oxberg 62 km: Mikael Gunnulfsen, (NOR), 2.25.37
Hökberg 71 km: Karstein Johaug, (NOR), 2.48.05
Eldris 81 km: Emil Persson, (SWE), 3.11.57

Visma Ski Classics Climb (after 3 km and 528 metres above sea level): Herman Paus (NOR), 11.05,1

Sprint prize winners 2022, women
Smågan 11 km: Britta Johansson Norgren, (SWE), 30.35
Mångsbodarna 24 km: Thea Krokan Murud, (NOR), 1.02.44
Risberg 35 km: Britta Johansson Norgren, (SWE), 1.28.43
Evertsberg 47 km (Hill prize): Britta Johansson Norgren, (SWE), 2.02.09
Oxberg 62 km: Astrid Öyre Slind, (NOR), 2.37.11
Hökberg 71 km: Astrid Öyre Slind, (NOR), 3.01.32
Eldris 81 km: Astrid Öyre Slind, (NOR), 3.27.40

Visma Ski Classics Climb (after 3 km and 528 metres above sea level): Astrid Öyre Slind (NOR), 12.36,5

Past 10 years of Vasaloppet victors, men
2013 Jörgen Aukland, Norway
2014 John Kristian Dahl, Norway
2015 Petter Eliassen, Norway
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

Past 10 years of Vasaloppet victors, women
2013 Laila Kveli, Norway
2014 Laila Kveli, Norway
2015 Justyna Kowalczyk, Poland
2016 Katerina Smutná, Sweden
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

Record times in women’s and men’s class:
Damer: 3.56.06, Astrid Öyre Slind, 2022
Herrar: 3.28.18, Tord Asle Gjerdalen, 2021

Swedish Television
Watch the whole Sveriges Televisions live broadcast after the fact.
VASALOPPET 2022 ON SVT PLAY >

Swedish Television reports and interviews
SVT SPORTS VASALOPPET PAGE >

Vasaloppet.TV with all broadcasts and finishes from Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2022:
VASALOPPET.TV >

The Summer Week 2022
Vasaloppet doesn’t just have a Winter Week. Since 2009 there’s also a Vasaloppet Summer Week with twelve mountain bike and running races, such as Cykelvasan 90 and Ultravasan 90. See the complete list of races below.

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 bikes the same distance in Vasaloppet’s Summer Week in August. The distances are 90, 45 or 30 kilometres.

Results
Start lists and results lists can be found here:
results.vasaloppet.se/2022/?lang=EN_CAP >

Registering for Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2023 – train all year
Registration for Vasaloppet 2023 and the other Vasaloppet Winter Week 2023 races opens on Sunday, March 27 at 09:00 on vasaloppet.se.

More facts about Vasaloppet can be found in the 148-page Vasaloppet Facts Guide 2022, which can also be read online (Swedish only):
FACTS GUIDE >