Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country: Edvin Anger’s bounce-back – fifth in 10 km classic
December 29, 2025 / SVT Sport
After disappointment in the Tour de Ski sprint, Sweden’s Edvin Anger rebounded with fifth place in the men’s 10 km classic in Toblach. Norway’s Mattis Stenshagen won ahead of Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Emil Iversen, with Finland’s Iivo Niskanen fourth. Truls Gisselman was next-best Swede in 18th, while Alvar Myhlback struggled in 56th.
Cross-country: World Championship bronze medalist Truls Gisselman on tough autumn: “Higher expectations”
December 29, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sweden’s Truls Gisselman, part of the World Championship bronze relay team in Trondheim, has struggled this autumn and was not selected for any World Cup starts before Christmas. Despite the setback, he still aims for the 2026 Olympics, helped by Sweden receiving eight men’s quota spots and multiple chances during the Tour de Ski. He began the Tour with a 63rd-place sprint qualification but hopes to show stronger form in upcoming classic-distance stages.
Sweden’s wax disaster in Toblach as Astrid Øyre Slind wins Tour de Ski stage
December 29, 2025 / NRK Sport
Astrid Øyre Slind won the women’s 10 km classic in Toblach on Stage 3 of the Tour de Ski, outduelling Teresa Stadlober and holding off overall leader Jessie Diggins, who still took the Tour leader’s jersey. Several Swedish athletes, including Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson, struggled with poor kick and pacing, prompting TV expert Fredrik Aukland to question Sweden’s waxing choices. Heidi Weng finished strongly for eighth, while Kristine Stavås Skistad slipped to 62nd and lost the leader’s bib.
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Mattis Stenshagen crushes Klæbo and the field to win first World Cup in Tour de Ski Toblach 10 km classic
December 29, 2025 / Eurosport Norway
Norway’s Mattis Stenshagen claimed his first-ever World Cup victory on stage 2 of the Tour de Ski, dominating the 10 km classic interval start in Toblach. He finished 8.9 seconds ahead of Johannes Høsflot Klæbo with Emil Iversen third, strengthening his Olympic case 39 days before Milano Cortina 2026. Klæbo still leads the overall Tour, with stages to come in Toblach and Val di Fiemme.
Demand on Sweden’s women: “They must gain at least 30 seconds”
December 29, 2025 / Sveriges Radio (Radiosporten)
Ahead of Stage 2 of the Tour de Ski, Radiosporten expert Torgny Mogren says Sweden’s stars need to take at least half a minute out of overall leader Jessie Diggins to stay in the fight for the GC. The stage is a 10 km individual-start classic race—men at 11:45 and women at 14:45—broadcast on Sveriges Radio and in the SR app.
Cross-country: Russian response to Ukrainian skier’s remarks: “I can talk to anyone”
December 29, 2025 / SVT Sport
Ukrainian skier Andriy Dotsenko said he refuses to speak with Russian athletes now competing in the Cross-Country World Cup, calling them “terrorists.” Russian talent Savelii Korostelev, competing at the Tour de Ski, replied that he is happy to meet everyone on the World Cup and “can talk to anyone.” The exchange comes after a CAS decision enabled Russian and Belarusian athletes to rejoin World Cup events; Korostelev finished ninth in Monday’s 10 km classic stage of the Tour de Ski.
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Expert hands out two more Olympic spots: “Some are under more pressure than others”
December 29, 2025 / Eurosport Norge
Retired skier and HBO Max pundit Helene Marie Fossesholm says she would add Kristin Austgulen Fosnæs and Karoline Simpson‑Larsen to Norway’s women’s cross‑country team for Milano‑Cortina 2026, leaving three Olympic places still open. She argues World Cup results should weigh more than Norwegian Championships, highlights Ingrid Bergene Aabrekk as the leading sprint candidate after Kristine Stavås Skistad, and notes Tour de Ski performances—particularly the classic sprint in the Olympic course in Val di Fiemme—will be decisive. Mathilde Myhrvold’s shoulder injury complicates her candidacy, as Norway has only eight total women’s starts to allocate across sprint and distance.
Ristomatti Hakola withdraws from the Tour de Ski after the first stage
December 29, 2025 / Yle
Finland’s Ristomatti Hakola ended his Tour de Ski after the opening sprint, citing illness in an Instagram post. He had minor sickness following the Davos World Cup and a disrupted training camp, and finished 85th in the Toblach sprint qualifier, 13.08 seconds behind winner Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. The Tour continues in Toblach with a 10 km classic individual start.
Should Kerttu Niskanen consider withdrawing from the Tour de Ski? Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen says Monday will be decisive
December 29, 2025 / Yle
Finland’s tough start to the season continued as no Finns reached the sprint finals at the Tour de Ski opener in Toblach: Jasmi Joensuu exited in the semifinals, while Joni Mäki and Niilo Moilanen were out in the heats. Expert Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen believes Iivo Niskanen’s hard sprint effort was a positive sign for Monday’s 10 km classic, but says Kerttu Niskanen’s continuation in the Tour could hinge on that race amid recent health issues. Kristine Stavås Skistad and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the sprints; Mathilde Myhrvold suffered a heavy crash and withdrew from the Tour with a shoulder injury.
Good news: Sweden gets one more men’s cross-country Olympic quota spot
December 29, 2025 / Sveriges Radio (Radiosporten)
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has awarded Sweden an additional men’s cross-country skiing quota place for the 2026 Winter Olympics. This brings Sweden to a full men’s squad of eight skiers, matching the already-secured eight for the women (men had previously been guaranteed seven). William Poromaa, Edvin Anger, Alvar Myhlback, and Anton Grahn are already selected, meaning three of four sprint berths are filled while distance spots remain more open.
Klaebo beaten by Stenshagen in Tour de Ski stage 2; France’s Shely cracks top 15
December 29, 2025 / L'Équipe
Norway’s Mattis Stenshagen earned his first World Cup win in the 10 km classic individual start at Toblach, edging overall leader Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, with Emil Iversen third for a Norwegian sweep. France’s Théo Shely finished 13th after stepping up from the FESA Cup, while Hugo Lapalus and Jules Chappaz placed 16th and 20th respectively. In the women’s 10 km classic, Astrid Øyre Slind won ahead of Teresa Stadlober and Kerttu Niskanen, as Jessie Diggins took over the overall lead.
Cross-country: Alvar Myhlback and William Poromaa’s disappointment: “The worst there is”
December 29, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sweden’s Alvar Myhlback and William Poromaa struggled in the men’s 10 km classic at the Tour de Ski stop in Toblach. Myhlback finished 58th, nearly two minutes behind winner Mattis Stenshagen, while Poromaa placed 24th about one minute back; both expressed frustration but said quitting the Tour is not an option, and Poromaa admitted he feels Olympic pressure after a slow start to the season.