Nadine Fähndrich second World Cup win

Switzerland’s Nadine Fähndrich claimed the second World Cup victory of her career as she won the Women’s Sprint Classic final in the Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup at Beitostølen, Norway, on Friday.

The 27-year-old had shown her strength in the double poling as she got the best time by almost two seconds in the qualification and continued unbeaten through the knockout races.

In the final in -13 degrees, a couple of slips in the last uphill climb did not stop Fähndrich from taking the lead coming into the last downhill part of the race. Unstoppable in the last stretch, Fähndrich won 0.93 second before Norway’s runner-up Lotta Udnes Weng as Johanna Matintalo from Finland finished third.

It was her first classic win, adding to her only previous individual World Cup first place in the Sprint Free final in Dresden, Germany, in December 2020.

”I’m very happy that I can show that I’ve improved in classic,” Fähndrich said.

Lotta´s turn

The home favourite and overall World Cup leader, Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng finished fourth in the final, 3.27 seconds after the Swiss winner. Instead it was her twin sister Lotta Udnes Weng who got to celebrate her first World Cup podium finish.

”That feels very good. I’ve been waiting for this moment for many years,” Lotta Udnes Weng said.

”I have been watching Tiril taking podium weekend after weekend so it is a relief to be on the podium myself.

”I like this course and with the home crowd and everything I had a very good feeling from the beginning of the day.”

Finnish podium

For Matintalo it was her second time on a World Cup podium, having finished third in the Sprint Classic final in Oberstdorf, Germany on New Year’s Day this year.

”It’s not so normal for me to be on the podium so I’m very happy and satisfied with my day,” Matintalo said.

The 25-year-old had qualified from her quarter- and semifinal as a lucky loser.

”It was quite tight that I made the final but in the final I felt stronger and maybe my tactic was better in the final and as a result I got (on) the podium.”

With sixth-placed Tereza Beranova from Czech Republic, four different nations were represented in the women’s final. Sweden, who had claimed two top-three positions in the two previous World Cup stops this season, were not one of them. Emma Ribom, who had won the two previous sprint finals this season, missed the competition due to an illness as Maja Dahlqvist and Johanna Hagström failed to qualify from their semifinal.

Click here for the result of the Women’s Sprint Classic final.