A tactical race with one allowed ski change<\/p>\n
For the first time in Olympic history, women competed over the full 50km distance. The rehearsal took place last year at the World Championships in Trondheim, where rain and warm conditions turned the race into an unforgettable endurance test.<\/p>\n
Those memories lingered, and many athletes approached this ultimate challenge with great respect. The so\u2011called \u201cqueen\u2019s discipline\u201d was shaped by tactics and patience: each athlete was allowed to change their skis once during the race, making timing crucial as snow conditions shifted between hard and soft sections.<\/p>\n
Early on, Ebba\u202fAndersson (Sweden) and Heidi\u202fWeng (Norway) broke away from the field and finished first and second. Behind them, Theresa\u202fStadlober from Austria courageously held third place for several kilometers, skiing solo. In the chase group with Kristin\u202fFosnaes (Norway), Jessie\u202fDiggins (USA), and Kerttu\u202fNiskanen (Finland), Switzerland\u2019s Nadja\u202fK\u00e4lin stayed patient, skied mostly in the back, and conserved energy for the crucial final round.<\/p>\n
By the start of the seventh and final lap, the chase group was composed of Fosnaes, Diggins, Niskanen, Rucka\u2011Michalek, and the two DACH athletes, K\u00e4lin and Stadlober, all locked in the fight for bronze.<\/p>\n
Swiss bronze highlights a brilliant season<\/p>\n
K\u00e4lin ultimately pulled away from her rivals on the last uphill, delivering a perfectly paced, technically flawless performance to secure third place (2:23:09.7).<\/p>\n
Her final\u2011lap push was among the strongest of the day, enough to hold off Norway\u2019s Kristin\u202fFosnaes by just a few seconds. The result gave Switzerland its second cross\u2011country medal of these Olympic Games and confirmed what has been an exceptional season for K\u00e4lin and her team.<\/p>\n
Read More: Olympics 2026: All medalists in cross-country skiing and biathlon<\/a><\/p>\n Stadlober went all-in for a medal \u2013 Place 6 in the end<\/p>\n Austria\u2019s Theresa\u202fStadlober showcased once again why she is regarded as one of the most consistent distance skiers on the circuit. After skiing solo in third position for a long time, she was caught by the chasing group but stayed in the leading group until the final climb.<\/p>\n Speaking the day before the race with ORF, she made her ambition clear: \u201cMy goal is a medal.\u201d<\/p>\n And after the favorites, including Sweden\u2019s Frida\u202fKarlsson and teammate Jonna\u202fSundling, dropped out because of health issues, that dream suddenly seemed within reach even more. After she crossed the line in sixth place (2:23:23.9), Stadlober showed herself disappointed and said in an interview with ORF: \u201cI\u2019ll need some time to process this. When I\u2019m through this here, for sure there will be some tears. You always hope it\u2019s your day \u2014 today it just wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the disappointment, Stadlober finishes this year\u2018s Olympics with three Top\u201110 results, a strong r\u00e9sum\u00e9 for the Austrian leader.<\/p>\n Solid finish for Germany \u2013 Hennig\u2011Dotzler places ninth<\/p>\n Also, Germany was represented by just one athlete after Katherine\u202fSauerbrey withdrew due to illness. Katharina\u202fHennig\u2011Dotzler delivered a determined performance, taking ninth place (2:25:16.4) and securing a positive close to Germany\u2019s Olympic campaign.<\/p>\n She maintained her Top\u201110 position throughout the final stages but couldn\u2019t make further ground, in part due to an unexpected incident during the ski exchange. The neutral athlete\u202fDariya\u202fNepryaeva mistakenly entered the wrong pit box and accidentally grabbed Hennig\u2011Dotzler\u2019s skis, continuing the race on the German pair before officials intervened. The mix\u2011up caused confusion both on the course and among the German staff watching anxiously from the sidelines.<\/p>\n Hennig\u2011Dotzler received replacement skis in time to continue, while Nepryaeva was later disqualified for the infringement. Though it didn\u2019t impact the final standings, the moment became one of the day\u2019s talking points.<\/p>\n Strong showing for all DACH nations<\/p>\n With Switzerland (3rd), Austria (6th), and Germany (9th) all finishing inside the Top\u202f10, the DACH countries once again demonstrated their strength and consistency in international cross\u2011country skiing. Their performances in the toughest event of the Games underlined the growing depth and resilience of German\u2011speaking ski nations.<\/p>\n Are you interested in cross-country skiing and biathlon? Click\u00a0HERE<\/a> and read more about it.<\/p>\n As a member of ProXCskiing.com, you get full access to all content on the site. Also, live streaming of Ski Classics events with English commentaries is available.<\/p>\n When you become part of one of the World\u2019s leading XC ski communities, you will receive many exclusive offers all year round.<\/p>\n
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