Cross-country: Frida Karlsson misses the podium and loses the lead

Astrid Øyre Slind claimed victory in the women’s race as Sweden’s leading hopes struggled to match expectations despite a blazing start from Frida Karlsson.

Karlsson opened at a furious pace and led by more than eight seconds over Øyre Slind after two kilometers, prompting expectations of a Swedish win. However, by halfway she had slipped to fourth and ultimately finished fifth, 35.7 seconds behind Øyre Slind. “I was a bit too eager — it felt like the old Frida. It wasn’t a perfect race,” Karlsson told SVT.

Øyre Slind admitted she was surprised to see Karlsson fade. “She usually doesn’t drop off, so I assume they didn’t have top skis today,” the Norwegian said.

Multiple Swedish athletes hinted at a waxing miss, particularly with insufficient grip. Moa Ilar, sixth at +41.5, said: “I had too little kick to ski relaxed. It was a fight early, so I’m not entirely satisfied.” She added that she may not have been thorough enough during pre‑race ski testing. Ebba Andersson also struggled and placed ninth at +52.9, noting that the grip she felt in testing didn’t match what she had in the race.

Swedish placings listed: 5) Frida Karlsson (+35.7), 6) Moa Ilar (+41.5), 9) Ebba Andersson (+52.9), 12) Emma Ribom (+55.7), 20) Maja Dahlqvist (+1:07.8), 31) Moa Lundgren (+1:35.9), 33) Johanna Hagström (+1:42.7), 40) Märta Rosenberg (+1:53.2), 44) Evelina Crüsell (+2:02.3), 67) Lisa Eriksson (+3:00.0).

The race is part of the Tour de Ski, and post‑race interviews and highlights were provided in SVT’s coverage.