Oskar Svard takes the Crown in the 83rd Annual Vasaloppet
13,367 competitors lined up at the start of this year’s Vasalappet, but for the third time in the last five years, Oskar Svard was the man that mattered at the finish line.
The 90 plus kilometer race is the biggest, and probably most prestigious cross country ski race in the world. The Vasaloppet’s popularity has led the race to be duplicated the world over, actually lending the name to similar races in the US, China and Japan.
The ‘07 version had a large group of about one hundred competitors travelling in the lead as a group through the first eighty kilometers before anyone broke loose in an attempt to separate themselves from the crowd.
Within the pack Oskar Svard asked last years second place finisher Jerry Ahrlin if he’d like to share the victory, Ahrlin denied and broke away on his own. Svard was able to capture victory in the sprint making him the master of the odd years, finishing first in ‘03, ‘05, and now ‘07. For Ahrlin it was the second consecutive year that he lost the Vasaloppet in the final sprint for the finish.
Norwegian skier Jorgen Aukland surpassed the bulk of the huge crowd on his way into third place and was happy with his performance, he commented that he felt confident he would be back among the top finishers in the race again next year. This was Aukland’s fifth consecutive race in which he ended up on the winner’s podium.
skiing, Vasaloppet, cross country race
Leave a Reply