Expert hands out two more Olympic spots: “Some are under more pressure than others”

Former national team skier Helene Marie Fossesholm, now an HBO Max cross‑country expert for Milano‑Cortina 2026, says she would immediately add two athletes to Norway’s women’s Olympic roster: Kristin Austgulen Fosnæs and Karoline Simpson‑Larsen. Norway has already named Heidi Weng, Astrid Øyre Slind and Kristine Stavås Skistad, leaving five women’s places to fill; Fossesholm would keep three of those still open to competition.

Fossesholm underlines that World Cup results must carry the greatest weight in selection, with the Norwegian Championships (NM, 14–18 January) used only to separate borderline cases. She stresses that the pressure of the Olympics is not comparable to domestic races and that the team must be built on recent high‑level performances. With only eight women’s Olympic start slots to divide between sprint and distance, she believes being an all‑rounder is an advantage.

On the sprint side, she points to Ingrid Bergene Aabrekk as the closest to securing an Olympic berth behind Skistad, noting Aabrekk’s fifth place in the classic sprint final at Granåsen—the only Norwegian woman besides Skistad to make a classic sprint final in this World Cup season. Other contenders mentioned include Mathilde Myhrvold, Julie Bjervig Drivenes and Nora Sanness. Myhrvold, however, dislocated her shoulder in the Tour de Ski opening sprint in Toblach and has acknowledged her Olympic chances may be jeopardized.

Fossesholm views the Tour de Ski as especially important for selection, particularly the classic sprint in Val di Fiemme, which uses the same course as the Olympics. After the Tour concludes on Sunday, the World Cup resumes in Oberhof on 17–18 January. Norway’s next Olympic selection announcement is expected on 20 January.

Tour de Ski remaining program: - 29 Dec: 10 km interval start classic (Toblach) - 31 Dec: 5 km heat mass start (Toblach) - 1 Jan: 20 km classic pursuit (Toblach) - 3 Jan: Classic sprint (Val di Fiemme) - 4 Jan: 10 km freestyle mass start (Val di Fiemme)