Kaelin (SUI) stole Skiathlon show with sixth-place success: 'A big surprise for me'

Behind the drama that unfolded in the Women's 20km Skiathlon at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, on Sunday, Nadja Kaelin (SUI) made the "best race" of her career to claim a sensational sixth place.

The 23-year-old, who has struggled with illness for much of this season, won a sprint battle with Finland veteran Krista Parmakoski to reach her best result in an international competition. 

Kaelin's last Skiathlon against the best in the world had come at the Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway, in December. Then she finished in 33rd place, four and a half minute after winner Therese Johaug (NOR), and few fans at the packed Granaasen stadium would have expected her in the top-10. Neither would Kaelin herself.

"It was a big surprise for me," she said.

She added: "We had great skis, I'm super happy about them."

A '12 out of 10' performance

Defending Skiathlon world champion Ebba Andersson (SWE) retained her title after a photo finish with Johaug, who has three world titles in the event. Behind them, Jonna Sundling (SWE) grabbed the bronze medal 0.3 seconds before teammate Frida Karlsson (SWE) as Heidi Weng (NOR), who had got tangled-in with Sundling in a fall in the last lap, had to settle for a fifth place, finishing half a second behind Karlsson.

Kaelin, in bib No.27, became the best skier outside of the Swedish-Norwegian battle for medals in the front. Crossing the finish line 1:16.1 behind Andersson, she kept the entire overall World Cup top-four – Jessie Diggins (USA), Victoria Carl (GER), Astrid Oeyre Slind (NOR) and Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) behind her, rating her own performance a "12 out of 10 maybe".

Her previously best result at the international stage had been her eighth place in the 20km Mass Start Free at the World Cup stage in Falun, Sweden, two weeks before – the last race before Trondheim 2025. Other than that, she had only been in an individual top-20 once this World Cup season, finishing 18th in the Les Rousses (FRA) 20km Mass Start Classic in January.

For the skier from St Moritz in Southeastern Switzerland, Sunday's effort was undoubtedly the highlight of her career so far.

"It is my best race, for sure," Kaelin said.

"It's hard to believe. I'm super happy."

How she could arrive at Trondheim 2025 in the best shape of her life was hard to explain for Kaelin, who has competed at six of this winter's nine World Cup stages.

"I don't really know. The season has not been really good," she said.

"In the beginning I was sick often, I had Covid twice, so after the Engadin (SUI) World Cup I took a break and tried to train at home and keep calm. Then I went to Falun and it was good. So I had a bit of a better feeling going to Trondheim and it worked out."

Kaelin made her World Cup debut in her new hometown Davos (SUI), in December 2021, finishing 69th in the 10km Interval Start Free. Her best season in the overall World Cup standings came last year, when she was No.47. With a Skiathlon sixth place, at the event that has been the focus for everyone on the circuit this season, Kaelin did not let herself get frustrated about what could have been had she stayed healthy all season.

In the first 10km, in Classic style, Kaelin had worked her way to the top-10 and came into the mid-race ski change in eighth place as she, Parmakoski, Carl and three other skiers made up a group of six, in position seven to 12. 

When the Finnish 34-year-old increased the pace, Kaelin and Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes (NOR) followed, and a couple of kilometers into the Freestyle skiing the trio had left the rest of their group behind them. Fosnaes however also fell behind and in the last three kilometres, Parmakoski and Kaelin caught up with and went past Slind, who had lost touch with the front group after a ski change misfortune.

"I was just super happy that I could ski in front," Kaelin said.

The last kilometers became a battle with Parmakoski, a Lahti 2017 World Championships Skiathlon silver medallist.

"She was really strong in the skating part and I tried to hang on for as long as I could. I know that I'm really good in the downhills and in the curves so I was trying to keep it up," Kaelin said.

"In the finish I was just like 'OK, if I do a good good curve, maybe I have a chance on the finish line'.

Help from Alpine skiing background

Growing up in the ski resort of St Moritz, Kaelin thinks that her background in the slopes could have helped her to the career-best result.

"I originally started with Alpine skiing, which is also pretty big in Engadin. Then my parents took me to Cross-Country and I was like 'I like this one better', so I started with Cross-Country skiing," she said.

Another factor contributing to the Trondheim success is Norwegian; Karoline Braaten Guidon (NOR), who took over as coach for the Swiss women's team last season together with husband Erik Braaten Guidon (NOR).

"We have a super tight group with my new coach, Karoline, and always train in Davos with my sister (Marina Kaelin, 21, who finished 33rd in the Skiathlon) and two other girls. We almost train together every day and it is super fun," Kaelin said.

"We push each other, she (Braaten Guidon) is super great and I'm really happy with that."

In a year, Kaelin and her team will try to repeat her feat at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in what will almost feel like home snow for the Swiss rising star.

"It is quite close to where I am from, so it will be great to go there and have quite a lot of Swiss fans there. I hope I can go and be in as good shape there as I am here," Kaelin said.

Asked what she needs to do to improve even more and break into the battle for medals, Kaelin said:

"Maybe train a bit more and not get sick. I'm super happy with where I am now and I will look at the other stuff at the end of the season."

After a well-needed rest day on Monday, the World Championships continue with the 10km Interval Start Classic on Tuesday. For Kaelin, Trondheim 2025 has however already been everything she could wish for.

"I feel like even if it doesn't go as well as today, I am super happy with my World Champs," she said.

"I just enjoyed it. Skiing with the fans here is amazing."