December 01, 2025
Well, winter showed up like a prankster with a garden hose and a cold heart. Ruka turned into a curling sheet with trees, and somehow we still learned a few things. Chief among them: Sweden and Norway keep hogging the cookie jar, Finland’s women are peering into it wistfully, and one Russian superstar tried to use another skier as a speed bump. So yes, a normal opening weekend.
First, the power balance: an uncomfortable analysis says the Olympic medals might again end up in a tidy Nor-Swe two‑for‑one. Ruka agreed. Norway’s Harald Østberg Amundsen won the mass start while Einar Hedegart introduced himself as Norway’s next household name you can’t spell on the first try. Sweden’s Edvin Anger lit the fuse with a bold move, grabbing third and a nation’s attention. Meanwhile, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, usually the one rewriting history, muttered that it was all “bloody irritating,” finishing 15th and headed home to think thoughts.
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On the women’s side, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling did what she does: sit quietly at the front, check her watch, and then disappear up the final climb like she left the stove on. Jessie Diggins grabbed second, smiling bravely on the world’s iciest luge run with poles. The course was so slick that “don’t die” became a tactic, and that’s not just gossip—several athletes actually said it was scary.
Finland took the weekend like stoics at the dentist. With Krista Pärmäkoski retired, Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen looked at the women’s roster and called the situation “a bit painful,” also lamenting FIS entry chaos and asking for more Olympic‑distance races—reasonable things, said in a voice that suggests someone’s already made the coffee and it’s strong. Catch her pointed notes here. Meanwhile, coach and experts tried to be optimistic about closing the gap after a bruising, icy mass start that saw DNFs and rattled nerves there.
Over in biathlon, Italy walked into Östersund whistling and left with two relay podiums, a fine way to say buongiorno to the season—momentum secured. Sweden got a bonus too: Elvira Öberg is back, which is sort of like finding your missing car key right before rush hour.
And then, in Russia, a lesson in what not to do with another human being: Alexander Bolshunov literally skied over a rival post‑heat and was disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior. That clip made the rounds faster than free fluor in a wax hut. The episode arrived the same day Russia pled its Olympic case to CAS, which is a kind of timing you couldn’t script without getting notes from the producer. Details here.
Finally, a word on the weather gods at Ruka’s ski jump: they blew the candles out themselves. Sunday’s event was canceled for wind, with a likely makeup in Lahti—because what’s ski jumping without a little meteorology homework?
Next stop: Trondheim, where the snow is friendlier, the climbs are honest, and the Norwegians keep multiplying. Bring edges, bring nerve, bring a sense of humor. You’ll need all three.
Weekend Headliners
- Amundsen wins Ruka mass start; Hedegart 2nd; Anger 3rd.
- Ruka ice terrifies and divides the field.
- Sundling sprints away for the W.
- Iversen wins twice in Gålå, punches Trondheim ticket.
Also starring: Italy’s biathletes on a podium bender and one very regrettable sprint in Kirovsk.