Dahlqvist claims first World Cup victory since 2021 with 'win or die' Sprint

Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) won her first Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup victory in more than three years as she finished first in the Women's Sprint Classic in Cogne, Italy, on Saturday.

The 30-year-old, whose last individual World Cup triumph came in Dresden, Germany, in December 2021, ended the more than 1,100-day wait for a win as she beat runner-up Nadine Faehndrich (SUI) by 0.94 of a second. Germany's Laura Gimmler took the third place 1.25 second behind the winner.

"It was about time so it feels really good. It was a really good day for the waxers and for me," Dahlqvist said.

Before this season, the Swede had moved to Trondheim, Norway, to improve her skiing. Her training partner in the new hometown, Ane Appelkvist Stenseth (NOR), had been one of the strongest skiers on Saturday.

With the second fastest qualification time, Stenseth's explosive starts had brought her to victory in the second semifinal and in the final, her tactics were no difference. The Norwegian 29-year-old, chasing a career-first World Cup podium, took the lead as Dahlqvist, who had been skiing with her all summer, chased after her.  

The tactics worked. Stenseth had driven up the pace in the final but could not keep up with it in the second half of the race, having so settle for a career-best fifth place. Dahlqvist took the lead and made sure to keep a chasing Faehndrich behind her coming into the home straight where she knows that she is strong. In the last stretch of the race, Dahlqvist had energy left for a final push to claim the sixth World Cup triumph of her career.

The long-awaited victory could not come more timely as the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships starts in her new hometown Trondheim, where she knows every centimeter of the track, at the end of this month.

"It feels good, obviously, so I am looking forward to the world champs," said Dahlqvist, who had brought Sweden 1 to a second place in Friday's Team Sprint Classic with Johanna Hagstroem (SWE).

Behind her, Gimmler, celebrated as if she had won the race, screaming of joy before embracing teammate Coletta Rydzek (GER), who finishes in sixth place. On Friday, the duo had finished third in the Team Sprint Classic. Now, 31-year-old Gimmler had beat No.4 Lotta Udnes Weng (NOR) to land the first individual World Cup podium of her career.

Finland's Jasmi Joensuu, who had won the Team Sprint after teaming up with Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) for the first time, took back her lead in the World Cup sprint standings from absentee Jonna Sundling (SWE), but had to settle for an 11th place after finishing sixth in the semifinal, despite having had the best qualification time.

The World Cup action in Cogne concludes on Sunday with the Men's and Women's 10km Interval Start Free.

Click here for full results from the Womens' Sprint Classic and here to follow FIS Cross-Country on Youtube.