10:17. The cross-country skiing world championships in Trondheim (Norway) kicked off on Thursday with the qualifying round of the women’s sprint skate held mid-morning. In this event, which has been eagerly awaited for several months now, a female cross-country skier has already made her mark.
Already very comfortable in the prologue for many seasons, Jonna Sundling confirmed that she is not the reigning world sprint champion for nothing. The Swede won by a substantial margin of more than 6 seconds over her nearest rival, Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland. Kristine Stavaas Skistad rounded off the top 3 in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Also worthy of note was the superb performance of Andorra’s Gina Del Rio, who finished an excellent sixth at the age of 21.
On the other hand, the results were more mixed for the French team. While Mélissa Gal managed to secure her ticket for the quarter-finals by finishing twenty-eighth, her compatriot Léna Quintin was unable to crack the day’s top 30. The Bornand native was eliminated by less than two tenths after taking thirty-second place in the final.
Read also
- 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”.
- “I want to go lightly”: Léna Quintin talks to Nordic Magazine ahead of the Trondheim Worlds
- The full programme for the 2025 World Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships in Trondheim
