2026 Olympics | Cross-country skiing: Edvin Anger’s downfall
In the men’s cross-country skiathlon at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, spectators were expecting a duel between the Norwegians and the Swedes. And yet, the Scandinavians’ white suits were missing. Leader Edvin Anger had a lot of hope on his shoulders, but he made a mistake in the first lap that wiped out any chance of an Olympic title, as did Jessie Diggins in the women’s race.
“I have a very aggressive grip wax, it grips, grips, grips. As a result, I get tense and I can’t ski relaxed downhill. I end up falling,”the Swedish star explained to Sportbladet.
But the Swedish team was able to count on 24-year-old Truls Gisselman, who came seventh, his best result of the winter at the highest level. Speaking toExpressen, the cross-country skier couldn’t believe his luck. “I don’t understand it myself. It’s completely crazy. I had the impression that nothing was going wrong during this race. Everything just flowed naturally. It was an incredible feeling.
It was a successful race in every way: “We had good skis. And tactically, it was perfect. I stayed calm at the start. I kept my strength up until the moment I needed it most. And on top of that, I had a bit of success with Amundsen, I was able to get into his skis. It was wonderful.
Further back, it was William Poromaa who took twelfth place by winning the sprint of a group of four. Beyond the thirtieth position, Edvin Anger finally shows his nose with a thirty-seventh position, followed by Gustaf Berglund, thirty-ninth.
