‘I can’t believe it’ – Andersson defends world title after dramatic Skiathlon in Trondheim

If the Men’s 20km Skiathlon in the cross-country skiing at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway on Saturday was dramatic, the women’s race on Sunday took excitement to a whole new level.

Crashes, stray skis and a photo finish to decide both the gold and the bronze medallists – this race had it all. And while most of the crowd went home disappointed as Therese Johaug (NOR) missed out on the fairytale return to the world championships on home snow, few could begrudge Ebba Andersson victory.

The Swede has experienced “more downs than ups” since she won skiathlon gold at the world championships in Planica, Slovenia two years ago, where she also won the 30km Mass Start. But she has timed her return to form to perfection, winning a 10km Classic at the most recent World Cup event, in Falun, Sweden in February, when she also claimed third in the 20km Mass Start Freestyle.

Having also won the 20km Skiathlon on this track at the World Cup event in December 2023, the omens were good for the 27-year-old.

Heavy overnight rain and mild temperatures in Trondheim meant the ski technicians as well as the athletes were set for a challenging day, after the event organisers needed to salt the track in order to firm up the snow enough for the race to go ahead.

Waxing would be crucial, particularly on the 3.3km classic loop, which featured three uphill sections where the skiers need grip.

Unlike in the men’s race on Saturday, the field was stretched early on with Johaug – who tends to win her races distance by leading from the front – looking particularly fast in the uphill sections, where her lighter frame put her at an advantage.

A leading group of six skiers – also featuring Swedes Andersson, Frida Karlsson and Jonna Sundling and Norwegians Heidi Weng and Astrid Oeyre Slind – was established by lap two with overall World Cup leader Jessie Diggins among the big names who couldn’t keep up.

A pattern was soon established, with the Norwegians pushing the pace on the uphill sections, and the Swedes seemingly enjoying the advantage in the downhills.

Karlsson was the first to drop back on lap three but the real drama began during the changeover of skis at the 10km mark. Slind, who lives in Trondheim and was rumoured to be so nervous before the race began that she couldn’t eat her breakfast, nudged one of her freestyle skis forward as she tried to step into it and it slid several metres away from her across the icy surface.

“My race was ruined,” Slind said later, having lost several seconds. “I tried to catch up on the first freestyle lap but I didn’t have a chance. I felt really strong on the classic part and I thought I could be in the fight for medals. It was such a tiny mistake but it feels really shitty.”

This left Johaug, Andersson, Weng and Sundling out in front. There was nothing to choose between the four of them as they came downhill into the stadium at the end of the penultimate lap. But as Sundling tried to take the inside line round the treacherous final bend, her right ski slipped from under her, taking out her left ski. As the Swede hit the snow, Weng was left with nowhere to go and fell too.

Indeed, Johaug and Andersson took advantage of the crash behind to open up a six-second lead. This was now a shootout between the two for the gold medal.

Johaug tried to break the Swede’s resistance on the penultimate climb, upping the pace as both gasped for air. But Andersson wasn’t going anywhere. The Norwegian had the inside line heading into the final corner, but the Swede had the slipstream, moving alongside Johaug into Trondheim’s short home straight.

It was Johaug who looked to have the edge until the very last metres, but her bent-knee lunge for the line was bettered by Andersson whose straight-leg stretch appeared to give her gold by millimetres. With both women given the same time, there was an agonising wait until the result flashed up on the screen in the stadium.

Finally, Andersson was declared the winner. She raised her arms in the air and jumped up and down with joy, before being mobbed by her teammates.

“I just tried to push all I could to the finish line but I wasn’t sure until the official result came up,” she said after winning her ninth world championship medal and fourth gold. “It’s an incredible feeling, I almost can’t believe it.

“It was emotional, especially when my teammates came and gave me a hug. It feels so unrealistic and just a dream come true.

“Therese kept up a good speed during the whole race. Sometimes I struggled on the classic part but I felt really strong in the freestyle technique so I just tried to keep up with Therese, then I had a plan for the last part of the race. It was so close but I’m so happy that it went my way and finished in the way it did.

“It has been both ups and downs since I won in 2023 but mostly downs. It’s really good to have one of those up days here in Trondheim on this day.”

Johaug, despite missing out on a 15^th world championship title by the smallest of margins, was happy with silver. “I feel like it was a really good race for me today,” the 36-year-old said. “It was tough conditions out there, really icy, but my body and my shape is good at the moment.

“I tried to go in front and I was really happy when we came into the last corner and I took Ebba. I felt I had more speed than her but I missed the last three or four metres before the finish line. It’s close, it's only 1cm or something behind the gold medal, but it’s part of the game.”

Meanwhile, the battle for the bronze medal was just as fierce. Weng lost ground after crashing with Sundling, but this allowed Karlsson to catch her and the two worked together to reel Sundling in. In a three-way race to the finish, though, there was only likely to be one winner and the Olympic sprint champion, who won her third world title over the short distance on Thursday, pipped her compatriot by 0.3 seconds, with Weng a further half a second back.

“I think I lost gold there,” Sundling said, ruing her crash with Weng. “That was frustrating but overall I had a very good race today. You never know what would have happened [with Johaug and Andersson] at the end, but I felt good.”

The cross-country skiing at FIS Nordic Ski World Championships continue on Tuesday with the Women’s and Men’s 10km Interval Start Classic races.

For the full results from Trondheim, click here.