Slind beats Niskanen and Johaug to claim first World Cup win in Davos 20km

Just two months short of her 37^th birthday and more than 16 years since her FIS World Cup debut, Oeyre Astrid Slind (NOR) finally stepped on the top of the podium in Davos, Switzerland on Sunday.

But to say she won the Women’s 20km Pursuit Classic the hard way is an understatement. Slind had to overcome not only skiing at altitude and a tough Davos course featuring a gruelling new uphill section, but also two of cross-country skiing’s distance heavyweights, fellow 36-year-olds Therese Johaug (NOR) and Kerttu Niskanen (FIN).

This doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Slind spent eight seasons out of the Norway cross-country team, instead choosing to compete in marathon skiing, only returning to the World Cup circuit for the 2023-23 season, when she claimed her first two podiums.

Two more followed this season, and in the absence of distance specialists Ebba Andersson and Frida Karlsson (both SWE) and Heidi Weng (NOR), there was certainly the opportunity for another top-three finish in Davos.

That looked less likely after the first of three loops with Slind in fourth behind Johaug, Victoria Carl (GER) and Niskanen respectively.

But 20km races are all about pacing and Slind, who was the 19^th skier out of the gate, timed her run to perfection. From 12.6 seconds off the lead after lap one, she was 10.1 seconds back at the halfway mark, 8.1 seconds behind after lap two, and had cut Johaug’s lead to just 0.5 seconds with 3.1km to go.

By 19.6km, two kilometres from the finish, Slind was 7.2s faster than Niskanen with Johaug now another 0.7s back.

Crossing the line in a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes and 38.4 seconds, Slind was 10.1 seconds faster than Niskanen, who started just two minutes behind the Norwegian. Slind still had an anxious wait, though, with Johaug the last of the 45 competitors to start and still out on the course.

But even the cross-country legend couldn’t find the extra speed and stamina required for victory, and had to settle for third place, 13.1 seconds behind her compatriot.

“I can’t really believe it,” Slind said. “I never thought it would happen, at least not when Therese [Johaug] was racing. I thought I was fighting for second place all the time, then suddenly I realized I could win. I don’t know what to say.

Bigger days are likely to follow for Slind, too, as her early-season results have put her in a good position to be selected for the Norway team for the home world championships in Trondheim later in the season.

In the race for the Crystal Globe, Slind’s victory now puts her in fifth place in the overall standings, with Jessie Diggins (USA) still in the lead after finishing seventh in Davos on Sunday.

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup season returns for the Tour de Ski, which begins in Toblach, Italy on 28 December with the Women’s and Men’s Sprint Freestyle.

To watch all the action, click here

For the full results from Davos, click here