Norwegian sprint star Skistad given another sanction — Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen questions the showboating

Yle reports from the Tour de Skin that Norway’s sprint star Kristine Stavås Skistad — a leading favourite for Olympic sprint gold — has again been sanctioned by the International Ski Federation (FIS) after her unusual behaviour in a 20 km pursuit stage.

Skistad, who has won World Cup sprints this season in Ruka and the Tour opener in Toblach, intentionally skied very slowly to the finish in Thursday’s pursuit. She finished the pursuit over 14 minutes behind winner Jessie Diggins (USA) and was the slowest skier in the chase.

NRK expert Fredrik Aukland described her performance as a strategic decision — “Sunday skiing” — suggesting Skistad was conserving effort for the sprint events that matter most to her. Skistad herself called the experience awful and said she felt like an untalented skier on the course.

Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen, Yle Sport’s expert, criticised Skistad’s blatant lack of effort in the final straight: “I wondered, she was so slow on the finish straight — wouldn’t she get cold? She could at least have put in a bit more speed instead of showing she doesn’t care.” Saarinen acknowledged Skistad’s focus on sprint events but said the visible protest looked bad.

Norway’s national coach Sjur Ole Svarstad explained the tactic: with no time limit in the pursuit and only the stipulation not to be lapped, Skistad and teammate Ingrid Bergene Aabrekk prioritized staying safe for the Olympic sprint in Val di Fiemme.

However Skistad’s “show” carried a price. She was issued a yellow card by FIS — her latest warning. Earlier in the season she had received a yellow card at Beitostølen and another during Davos which led to a team disqualification in a mixed sprint; two yellows would trigger a red card. Davos’s disqualification reset her warning count, but now she is again one yellow away from disqualification.

The immediate reason for the yellow this time was not the slow finish but that Skistad used a prohibited technique on a specific part of the course: she employed double‑poling (classic double push) in a designated diagonal-stride section (a zone where single‑pole or diagonal technique is required), which the jury judged a rules violation. Skistad protested the yellow card, telling NRK she was not surprised and asking for clearer rule instruction. She also told VG she sees the sanction as a learning experience and that she feels FIS has been particularly attentive to her.

FIS race director Michal Lamplot rejected suggestions Skistad was being singled out: "We monitor races and react when we see an infraction. She wasn’t the only athlete penalised yesterday," he said, adding that sprint specialists attract dramatic situations and frequent borderline incidents during pack racing.

Teammate Ingrid Bergene Aabrekk said the jury is clearly watching Skistad more closely and noted Skistad’s own slow tactics in the chase contributed to the scrutiny.

Photo captions: Kristine Stavås Skistad arriving cautiously in the Tour de Skin pursuit; Skistad on Norway’s service trailer at Salpausselkä 2025.

The story raises questions about sportsmanship, tactical priorities and technical rules enforcement when athletes prioritize specific events in multi‑stage competitions.