Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson pulled away from the competition field to capture gold in Sunday’s historic 50-kilometer classic race, marking the first time women have competed at this distance in Olympic history.
The dominant performance in Tesero, Italy, served as sweet redemption for Andersson, who had experienced multiple tumbles during a relay competition that potentially prevented her team from earning gold.
Throughout these Milano-Cortina Games, Andersson has collected three runner-up finishes, including silver medals in both the skiathlon and 10-kilometer freestyle events, plus another second-place result following a strong relay comeback.
“That’s the point with sports. Sometimes you lose and sometimes you win, it’s both ups and downs. You just need to be patient in everything and trust the process, and that’s what I’ve been doing the past week,” she said.
Norway’s Heidi Weng captured the silver medal, crossing the finish line two minutes and 15 seconds after Andersson but maintaining a comfortable four-and-a-half-minute lead over bronze medalist Nadja Kaelin of Switzerland.
During the early stages, Andersson maintained the lead with Weng trailing closely, while other competitors battled for third place. Despite experiencing a minor tumble during an equipment change, Andersson managed to separate herself from Weng, and both athletes maintained secure positions for the race’s final half.
Kaelin made her decisive move during the concluding uphill section, pulling ahead of heavily favored American Jessie Diggins, who entered the competition as the top-ranked athlete.
“I tried until the end not to think about the medal, but then on the last uphill I was thinking, ‘OK, now let’s go for the medal’,” said Kaelin, who also earned silver in the team sprint competition.
Diggins, competing in her final Olympic event, finished fifth after recovering from her own fall during a ski change and collapsed upon reaching the finish line. Kaelin completed the course six minutes and 41 seconds behind Andersson.
Two Swedish medal contenders, Jonna Sundling and Frida Karlsson, withdrew from the competition due to illness, while Norway’s Astrid Oeyre Slind exited early.
“At first, I tried to fight for it, but then I realised that I didn’t have a chance today. I’ve been in this situation before and tried to finish the race, and it just doesn’t (work),” she said.
This competition marked the inaugural time women have raced this distance at Olympic Games. While some athletes embraced the challenge, others questioned whether the distance was excessive, especially with World Cup competition resuming soon.
“It’s too long. But it was good to have family here to support me,” said silver medallist Weng.
