Britta Johansson Norgren won Tjejvasan 2022

Six of the top eight from the Tartu Ski Marathon (63 km) that ran on Sunday the previous weekend were on the starting line when the time came for the 34th Tjejvasan (a race only for women) on Saturday morning. In Estonia, Britta Johansson Norgren won an overwhelming victory. Good skis were said to be the reason. The big question was whether she would take her fifth Tjejvasan victory?

Conditions at the start in Oxberg included bright sunlight, temperatures nine degrees below freezing and rock-hard ski tracks. High speeds were expected. Maybe even a new record time?

There were 45 skiers registered for the elite group. The Norwegian element consisted of Laila Kveli and Magni Smedås. Laila, who came fourth last year and won in 2015, started in Tjejvasan for the 11th time. This was Magni Smedås’ very first Tjejvasan; she also made her Visma Ski Classics debut this winter and in the Tartu Ski Marathon she sprinted ahead of Lina Korsgren when battling it out for the third place. Lina Korsgren, however, won a finish line photography victory over Britta Johansson Norgren in Tjejvasan 2021…

After five minutes of skiing, Lina Korsgren held the lead of a group of ten women. After a quarter of an hour, Lina’s high speed had pulled the group into a line that spread out further and further. The leading group soon consisted of just seven skiers and, just like last year, Lina Korsgren was the one to pick up the pace again and again.

At the Hökberg checkpoint, with 19 kilometres left, the high speed was a fact. Britta Johansson took the sprint prize four tenths ahead of Lina Korsgren and they were a full 53 seconds ahead of the record time from 2017 when Britta won. Thanks to the increase in speed up to the sprint price, the two women pulled four to five seconds ahead of Linn Sömskar, Ida Dahl and Magni Smedås.

After half the race, the duo of Britta and Lina held a lead of ten seconds. They shifted positions constantly but the question was: Would they keep company all the way to the finish or would one pull ahead?

The sprint prize in Eldris, with 9 kilometres left, was won by Lina ahead of Britta. The group chasing them was then 14 seconds behind.

With five kilometres left to the finish in Mora, the duo was 27 seconds ahead of the record time. Lina was in first position but with Britta calmly following close behind. Just before the Aukland bridge, Britta overtook the lead and set a higher speed, becoming the first to enter the final stretch by the Zorn museum.

Lina could not match the speed and last year’s runner-up Britta got her revenge, winning Tjejvasan 2022 with a two-second margin and a new record time of 1.15.39.

”The race was super fun,” Britta Johansson Norgren said immediately after the finish. ”Lina and I kept a good pace the whole way and of course you get a bit nervous approaching the final stretch. Lina is very fast and I felt that she had great speed when she pulled ahead. Lina had been driving for a long time so I thought when I overtook her, I better go hard. I was glad to get a few decimetres so I was first on the final stretch and then I just had to push and hope it would be enough.”

Britta said she had no real idea that it would be a record, so this became a bonus (a record bonus of 50,000 SEK) alongside the win:
”We held a high speed and it would have felt worse to go at that pace and then lose the sprint; you simply have to focus on making the most out of the race.”

”It feels great and it’s nice to know ahead of next weekend that I’m in okay shape,” said Britta, looking ahead to Vasaloppet.

Second-place Lina Korsgren did not seem too disappointed and was also looking forward to Vasaloppet:
”I really wanted to go fast today and I thought it felt good. I had no interest in a slow and cautious pace, I was like ‘let’s do this and show that we’re strong’. I didn’t win but we skied faster than the record time and we earned that; it shows how we’ve improved. Sadly I didn’t have the extra push for the finish, but I’m still taking today as a good result. It’s been a good season, not a perfect one. But I feel like I’m in it now. I’m really looking forward to next weekend, it will suit me even better.”

Magni Smedås took third place after a sprint where Ida Dahl came fourth and Linn Sömskar fifth. Smedås thereby got the best Norwegian placement in Tjejvasan since 2015. She was satisfied and thought Tjejvasan was a really fun race.

It’s worth noting that the top 5 women all skied faster than the previous record time of 1.16.44.

New for this year, there’s a special prize list for the junior class (ages 17–20) which had 69 registrants. 12 of these started in the elite group among the seniors. Fastest in the junior class was Alba Björnsdotter from Järpen who was awarded 10,000 SEK. She was 24th overall in the race.

Next Sunday’s Vasaloppet will give everyone another chance. Britta Johansson Norgren turns 39 years old later on in March, and may become the oldest Vasaloppet winner ever…

A total of 3,500 participants started in Tjejvasan 2022.

The photo above: Kransmas Edvin Nilsson and the winner  Britta Johansson Norgren.

Results Tjejvasan 2022, 30 km senior class
1 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor Idrottsförening, 1.15.39
2 Lina Korsgren, Korsnäs IF Skidklubb, 1.15.41
3 Magni Smedås, Norway, 1.16.18
4 Ida Dahl, IFK Mora Skidklubb, 1.16.20
5 Linn Sömskar, IFK Umeå, 1.16.24
6 Evelina Settlin, Hudiksvalls Idrottsförening, 1.17.29
7 Jenny Solin, Sollefteå Skidor Idrottsförening, 1.17.30
8 Maria Jonasson, Falun Borlänge Skidklubb, 1.19.34
9 Laila Kveli, Norway, 1.19.35
10 Frida Hallqvist, Åsarna Idrottsklubb, 1.19.35
11 Frida Erkers, IFK Mora Skidklubb, 1.19.36
12 Hedda Bångman, Offerdals Skidklubb, 1.19.36
13 Ida Palmberg, Högbo Gymnastik och Idrottsförening, 1.19.37
14 Ingrid Hallqvist, Åsarna Idrottsklubb, 1.19.37
15 Linnea Johansson, Linköpings SK, 1.19.59

Results Tjejvasan 2022, 30 km junior class (ages 17–20)
1 Alba Björnsdotter, Järpens Skidklubb, 1.23.35
2 Linda-Louise Köld, Rehns Bandyklubb, 1.24.43
3 Maja Heikki, Sälens IF, 1.24.43
4 Alva Ersson, IFK Mora Skidklubb, 1.24.44
5 Ebba Karlsson, Täby IS Skidklubb, 1.24.44
6 Alice Widholm, Lidköpings Vinter-Sportklubb, 1.25.15

For additional results, click ”Results” on Vasaloppet’s website vasaloppet.se.

Prizes
The first prize in Tjejvasan 2022 is SEK 50,000.
Veidekke’s sprint prize in Hökberg: Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor IF, 28.36.
DHL’s sprint prize in Eldris: Lina Korsgren, Korsnäs IF Ski Club, 53.56.
In total, individual prizes (in the form of training scholarships) are awarded in the senior and junior class of Tjejvasan 2022 to a total value of 169,000 SEK.
In addition, a record bonus of SEK 50,000: Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor IF, 1.15.39.2.

Watch SVT’s live broadcast after the fact on SVT Play >

Vasaloppet.TV, Vasaloppet’s streaming service, broadcasted all the finishes from Tjejvasan
vasaloppet.tv >

Start lists and result lists and can be found here >

All Tjejvasan victors through the ages
1988 Karin Värnlund, IFK Mora
1989 Marie Johansson, Dala-Järna IK
1990 Cancelled
1991 Anna Frithioff, Kvarnsvedens GoIF
1992 Anna Frithioff, Kvarnsvedens GoIF
1993 Carina Görlin, Hudiksvalls IF
1994 Marie Helene Östlund, Hudiksvalls IF
1995 Marie Helene Östlund, Hudiksvalls IF
1996 Kerrin Petty, IFK Moras SK
1997 Karin Öhman, Stockviks Skidförening
1998 Bente Martinsen, Norway
1999 Elin Ek, Bergeforsens SK
2000 Annika Evaldsson, IFK Mora SK
2001 Anita Moen, Norway
2002 Emelie Öhrstig, Stockviks Skidförening
2003 Ulrica Persson, SK Bore
2004 Hilde G Pedersen, Norway
2005 Sofia Bleckur, IK Jarl
2006 Elin Ek, IFK Mora SK
2007 Susanne Nyström, Piteå Elit SK
2008 Susanne Nyström, Piteå Elit SK
2009 Susanne Nyström, Piteå Elit SK
2010 Susanne Nyström, IFK Mora SK
2011 Jenny Hansson, Östersunds SK
2012 Susanne Nyström, Laisvalls SK
2013 Susanne Nyström, Laisvalls SK
2014 Sofia Bleckur, IFK Mora SK
2015 Laila Kveli, Norway
2016 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor IF
2017 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor IF
2018 Katerina Smutná, Czech Republic
2019 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor IF
2020 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor IF
2021 Lina Korsgren, Åre Längdskidklubb
2022 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sollefteå Skidor IF

Most Tjejvasan wins
Susanne Nyström (6 wins), Britta Johansson Norgren (5 wins), Anna Frithioff, Marie-Helene Östlund, Elin Ek and Sofia Bleckur (2 wins each).

Most top 3 placements in Tjejvasan
Britta Johansson Norgren (8 top three placements), Susanne Nyström (7 top three placements), Sofia Bleckur and Lina Korsgren (5 top three placements), Elin Ek and Emelie Öhrstig (4 top three placements), Anna Frithioff, Jenny Hansson, Emilia Lindstedt, Katerina Smutná (3 top three placements).

These years the Tjejvasan victor has also been fastest in Vasaloppet
Tjejvasan and Vasaloppet have had the same winner six times:
2003 Ulrica Persson
2010 Susanne Nyström
2011 Jenny Hansson
2017 & 2019 Britta Johansson Norgren
2021 Lina Korsgren
(Marie Johansson won Tjejvasan in 1989 and was the fastest woman in Vasaloppet that same year. But the Vasaloppet competition class for women wasn’t introduced until 1997.)

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