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Vasaloppet is one of the most important ski event
or the most important ski event in Sweden
and probably one of the most important sport event also
because
the whole year people are training for this
for the health and for all the stuff around
they do smaller races
to get in better start position in Vasaloppet
and the goal is to do a better time than before and so on
I think this is a really important race
I have so many friends they have done it once,
they come back they want to beat their time
that's incredible.
When you were younger
you were dreaming of winning this race.
My name is Håkan Westin from Sweden.
My first Vasaloppet was in 1985
and I was the winner twice - 1993 & 1996.
In my first Vasaloppet, 9th place,
and then I was number 2, 5 and 3
and then finally, 2003, I get a victory.
All these years I was fighting to win Vasaloppet,
that was my life, my dream.
And when I did it in 2003 and it was really amazing.
Then you can choose:
you can quit or you can go on and try to win one more time
and I chose to win one more time.
I remember I met Håkan Westin,
he is a friend of mine also skiing with Atomic
and he told me:
Yeah, congratulation Oskar, you have one victory.
Now you just have one more and then you are up to me.
and that was like a small thing
but for me it was quite big.
Then I think "Ok I go on with this"
and in 2005 I was the winner again and 2007 again.
I mean it's amazing, it's great.
Vasaloppet is maybe the main important thing
why I am still training and racing.
It's the best day of the year.
The starting line in Berga By in Sälen,
there are 12 000 people standing behind you
and everybody getting ready to race 90 km.
It's a really special atmosphere,
along the course a lot of people,
it's just a good time.
For all skiers, Vasaloppet means something special.
Maybe it's harder for many of those thousands skiers behind us
than it is for us elite skiers.
We have pretty good tracks and better conditions
than the people from position 5000 and behind.
My goal has always been to win.
I've done it twice
and that's my best two ski races in my life
so of course when I am standing on the starting line
I want to try to win the race
but still I know how hard it is...
The last two years I've had a lot of illness
and I had no chance to do my best
but I still live in a dream
and I am still fighting for taking a fourth victory.
That's why I am doing cross country skiing now.