Norway Wins Women’s 4×7.5km Cross-Country Relay as Sweden’s Ebba Andersson Loses Ski
Norway has claimed gold in the women’s 4×7.5km cross-country relay, while Sweden earned silver in a dramatic race marked by Ebba Andersson skiing part of her leg on only one ski. The second leg chaos turned what was expected to be a close contest into a test of resilience and determination.
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Andersson fell three times early in her leg. On the third fall, her ski broke. She continued skiing and running on one ski for more than 30 seconds until a technician brought a replacement. Despite the mishap, she finished her leg just one minute and 18 seconds behind Norway, keeping Sweden in medal contention before teammates Frida Karlsson and Jonna Sundling skied strongly to secure silver.
Norway’s team of Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes, Astrid Oeyre Slind, Karoline Simpson-Larsen, and Heidi Weng finished in 1 hour 15 minutes 44.8 seconds, 50.9 seconds ahead of Sweden. The win gave Weng her first Olympic gold at her third Games, while her three teammates made their Olympic debuts. Finland completed the podium in third place.
A Team-Defining Race
What the race highlighted was Sweden’s resilience and Norway’s ability to stay consistent while under pressure. The Norwegians held a steady pace while maintaining their lead, and Sweden didn’t allow their early setback to hurt their medal hopes.
Karlsson and Sundling performed at their peak over the final legs, allowing their team to claw back over a minute and claim 2nd place on the podium. It serves to highlight just how unpredictable cross-country skiing can be.
The result reinforced Norway’s dominance in women’s cross-country skiing at Milano Cortina, with Sweden showing their tenacity in overcoming adversity. Andersson coming over the finish line on just one ski is likely to be remembered for years to come.
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