18 kilometres, Men

The Swedes were highly favored in the cross-country skiing events in 1948. During the war Swedish skiers had developed new training methods to increase their stamina, and changed their technique, giving more importance to the diagonal style. They had also developed a new type of ski wax, the famous brand Swix. At the Holmenkollen competition in 1947, Nils Karlsson won the 18 km. race, followed by three countrymen and two Finns, with the best Norwegian placing seventh, almost four minutes behind the winner.

Karlsson was regarded as the favorite, but after a fast opening section he struggled with the thin air and finished in fifth place, last among the Swedes, save for the Nordic combined entrants. Martin Lundström, a 29-year old from Umeå, had his international breakthrough and won comfortably ahead of Nils Östensson and Gunnar Eriksson. The winner of the Nordic Combined, Heikki Hasu (FIN), was the only skier able to split the Swedish quartet, beating Karlsson by 11 seconds for fourth place. For the Norwegians, the event was a great disappointment. Their best skier, Olav Hagen, came in ninth, beaten by Lundström by over five minutes.

Before 1948, Lundström had been unable to win a Swedish Championship, but this was his great year. Later in the season he won the Holmenkollen 18 km. race followed by four more Swedes, and he would also claim three Swedish titles – 18 km., 30 km. and as a member of his club’s relay team.