Cross-country skiing: Jonna Sundling unrivalled in Trondheim
This Thursday, in sunny Trondheim (Norway), the sprint skate of the world cross-country skiing championships was the first event in which medals were awarded at the end of the day. In wet snow, Jonna Sundling had the perfect day.
Already alone in the world in qualifying, where she won by a margin of over 6 seconds, the Swede then left nothing but crumbs for her rivals. At 100% on every lap, the Scandinavian never showed the slightest sign of weakness.
Neck-and-neck with Kristine Stavaas Skistad at the start of the final, the new world champion was simply too strong for the Norwegian , who was nonetheless pushed on by a furious crowd along the track and in the stands. With this victory, the 30-year-old cross-country skier clinched her third title at this event, after Obertsdorf (Germany) in 2021 and Planica (Slovenia) in 2023.
Kristine Stavaas Skistad, the leader’s main rival, finally had to settle for a respectable silver medal, her first at a World Championships. And the native of Konnerud (Norway) did her utmost to resist Nadine Faehndrich’s comeback.
Runner-up in the 2021 world sprint team with Laurien Van Der Graaff, the Swiss athlete won her first ever individual medal at a world championships. On the line, the experienced athlete beat Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist, American Julia Kern and Norway’s Lotta Udnes Weng.
First-round exit for Mélissa Gal
The only Frenchwoman to reach the quarter-finals afterLéna Quintin’s early elimination, Mélissa Gal was unable to do anything at this stage of the competition. Placed in the same pool as Jonna Sundling and Kristine Stavaas Skistad, the Frenchwoman finished sixth.
“I was frustrated not to have been able to play up front. I felt physically limited and that’s what was most disappointing. It’s the way I did it that’s more disappointing than the result today,” she explained to the FFS. I gave it everything I had, so I have no regrets, but I’m not satisfied. It’s just a question of fine-tuning, which bodes well for the future.
The full rankings
Read also
- Trondheim: Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo leads the way on home soil in the skateboard sprint qualifier, while France’s four teams progress to the quarter-finals
- Trondheim: Jonna Sundling strikes a huge blow in the sprint skateboard qualifier, Mélissa Gal the only Frenchwoman in the quarter-finals
- Trondheim: Linn Svahn withdraws from the World Championships with concussion
- Mélissa Gal talks to Nordic Magazine on the eve of the start of the Trondheim Worlds: “I’m expecting a crazy atmosphere”.
- The full programme for the 2025 World Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships in Trondheim
