Cross-country skiing : first Olympic title for Linn Svahn
On Tuesday,the fastest female cross-country skiers in the world met up for the classic sprint of the Milan/Cortina Olympic Games. On the fearsome Tesero track (Italy), the show once again lived up to its billing.
After a double in the skiathlon on Saturday, the Swedes did even better. Linn Svahn, who had already won the qualifying round, claimed her first Olympic title.
After winning her quarter-final and finishing second in her semi-final behind her compatriot Jonna Sundling, the 26-year-old cross-country skier cruised into the final with ease.
In the decisive race, Linn Svahn and Jonna Sundling quickly broke away at the front and engaged in a head-to-head duel on the brutal climb of the course. In the final hectometres, Linn Svahn proved the strongest and sealed her first Olympic gold medal, the reward for a summer preparation that had been severely disrupted by a concussion suffered after a crash at the World Championships in Trondheim (Norway) in March 2025. Jonna Sundling took second place, ahead of fellow Swede Maja Dahlqvist, who completed the podium.
The Norwegians Julie Bjerig Drivenes and Kristine Stavaas Skistad finished fourth and fifth respectively, while American Julia Kern placed sixth.
For the French team, despite strong performances in the qualification round, the step proved too high in the quarterfinals for Mont-Blanc natives Mélissa Gal and Julie Pierrel. Both finished sixth in their respective quarterfinals.
Full results
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