Ragne Wiklund, Norway’s first female World Allround Champion in 88 years, maintains a varied and physically demanding training schedule after a season marked by significant achievements in speed skating.
ISU.org, the official website of the International Skating Union based in Switzerland, reports on Wiklund’s off-season training and activities.
After an impressive season that included a World title, Olympic medals, and a World Cup Trophy, Wiklund returned to Norway and continued her competitive momentum by winning the Norwegian national allround title. Despite achieving these milestones, she did not take an extended break and shifted her focus towards maintaining her condition and exploring other physical challenges.
Wiklund’s summer training activities are diverse, encompassing running with her dog, skiing in the Norwegian mountains, and revisiting short track speed skating after a long hiatus. She considers short track useful for improving technical aspects of her long track skating, especially refining her body rotation during corners. However, her preparation was temporarily disrupted due to appendix surgery in May, which affected her readiness for the Sky Race mountain marathon in Lofoten.
Following the Sky Race, Wiklund plans to join the Norwegian long track team in Inzell, Germany, for training at the Max Aicher Arena. She notes that this season she has enjoyed more autonomy in her training choices, focusing on activities she finds enjoyable, including orienteering—a sport she has practiced since childhood and will participate in at the national level more for enjoyment than competition.
Wiklund views engaging in multiple disciplines as essential to sustaining her motivation and aims to improve her skating speed by experimenting with new training approaches. She describes her current phase as a fresh start on the ice after recovering from surgery, emphasizing her commitment to progressing in the sport.
