Sundling brings Sweden to fifth Trondheim title with last leg Relay recovery: 'I was set to hunting mode'

Sweden continued their Women's Cross-Country dominance at the Trondheim (NOR) 2025 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships on Friday, claiming the 4x7.5km Relay Classic/Free gold medal after another close battle with the host nation.

Sprint ace Jonna Sundling (SWE) was the big hero for the winning team as she caught up a deficit of more than 37 seconds to Norway in the anchor leg to bag Sweden's second Relay gold together with Emma Ribom, Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson.

In the first World Championship Women's Relay with legs of 7.5km rather than 5km, the host nation's team of Heidi Weng, Astrid Oeyre Slind, Therese Johaug and Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes, were denied a third consecutive Women's Relay World title by a margin of less than a second. Germany, with Pia Fink, Katharina Hennig, Helen Hoffman and Victoria Carl, claimed bronze.

Sweden had been dominating the women's events at Trondheim 2025, with four victories out of four, through Andersson's two nail-biter victories over Johaug in the 20km Skiathlon and 10km Interval Start Classic, and Sundling, who won the Sprint and Team Sprint, the latter together with Maja Dahlqvist (SWE).

In the Women's Relay, however, the Swedes had been struggling at past World Championships, having claimed their only previous gold medal at Seefeld (AUT) 2019, when Karlsson and Andersson won with Charlotte Kalla (SWE) and Stina Nilsson (SWE).

Despite being favourites to defend their title at Oberstdorf (GER) 2021, Sundling, Karlsson, Andersson and Kalla finished sixth, two minutes behind winners Norway. Two years later, Ribom, Karlsson, Andersson and Dahlqvist had to settle for a third place, again with Norway as the world champions.

In a third attempt to take back the Women's Relay crown, the Swedish coaching staff had placed their last pick Ribom in the first Classic leg, followed by Trondheim 2025 medalists Karlsson, Andersson and Sundling.

Norway placed 2021 Relay champion Weng against Ribom and endurance expert Slind against Karlsson, making the third leg another clash of superstars Johaug and Andersson, hoping for the home team to get an advantage ahead of the anchor leg. There, World Championships debutant Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes (NOR) faced three-time Sprint gold medallist Sundling, who had shown strength in the Skiathlon where she was a fall from battling with Johaug and Andersson for the victory.

Weng took the lead in the first leg, consisting of two laps in Classic style. Ribom struggled and was 35.9 seconds behind the Norwegian after 7.5km as Fink and Katerina Janatova (CZE) placed Germany and Czechia in places two and three, only seconds behind Norway. Still coming away with the gold medal, Ribom would later say "it has been the best and worst day of my life".

In the second leg of Classic skiing, Karlsson took up the chase and set off at a furious pace, passing Czechia's 19-year-old Anna Marie Jaklova in her first kilometer to take the third place, overtaking Hennig a couple of minutes later.

Boosted by the support from the fans in her hometown, however, Slind made sure Norway were in front halfway through the race. When Slind, the only skier from the team winning gold at Planica 2023, handed over to 2021 Relay champion Johaug for the first Freestyle leg, she had a gap of half a minute back to Andersson. And that is not something Johaug easily gives up, especially not with a 15th World title as stake.

Andersson, who had beaten Johaug by a minimal margin in the Skiathlon and 10km Classic, did not manage to get closer to the Norwegian comeback superstar and as Sundling set off for the last leg, she was more than 37 seconds behind Fosnaes.

One week ago, Fosnaes had never skied at a World Championships. After a 10th place in Sunday’s Skiathlon, she now had the Cross-Country superpower on her shoulders as she started the last leg with the best sprinter in the world chasing after her.

Sundling started at full speed and beat the Relay debutant by more than 22 seconds in the first kilometer, making Andersson cough up her recovery drink as she saw the first split time with Karlsson by the finish line.

"I counted on Jonna to start strongly but that she’d catch up more than half of the time in that short stretch, well, then you react that way," Andersson said.

After the first lap of two, Sundling had caught up with the Norwegian and the duo went side by side into another dramatic finish.

"I’m pleased with the way I execute the race and I was set to hunting mode. I could race the way I wanted and could dispose my energy in a good way," Sundling said.

The Swedish six-time World champion took over the first place a couple of minutes later and slowed down the pace as Fosnaes followed right after.

"I took it a little calmer and stayed behind for a bit. Then I went past her because I didn’t want the others to catch up. But then that seemed to be fine so I relaxed a bit more," Sundling said.

In the last uphill stretch, Fosnaes made a push but that only seemed to ignite Sundling's engine as the Olympic champion pushed the gas pedal down, setting off downhill and into the stadium at a pace the Norwegian could not match.

Completing the impressive comeback, Sundling crossed the line 0.7s before Fosnaes to collect her third gold medal at Trondheim 2025, and her seventh in total.

Norway have finished in second place behind Sweden in four of five women's events at their home World Championships but according to Slind, the home team were not bitter about Friday's result.

"Actually, it feels like we won the silver today," the 37-year-old said.

Heidi Weng agreed.

"I feel like we had the perfect team set-up, so I'm happy," the four-time Relay World champion said.

"Kristin was so good in the last meters. Jonna (Sundling) has not lost a Sprint race this year in racing so that was amazing."

The teammates helped comforting Fosnaes, who was in tears after the race.

"Kristin is a tough girl and I’m so impressed with her," said Johaug, who also has four Relay World titles to her name.

"She followed Jonna Sundling, the best sprinter at the time, and she had the same speed as her for a time.

Behind the two Scandinavian rivals, Finland and Germany came into the second leg next to each other as Victoria Carl (GER), No.2 in the overall FIS Coop Cross-Country World Cup standings, and Sprint standings leader Jasmi Joensuu (FIN), were to battle it out for the bronze medal. Carl took charge and Joensuu stayed behind her.

Similar to in the battle for gold, Carl came into the final stretch with Joensuu right after. And also here, the first skier into the home straight would cross the line first as Carl bagged Germany’s first medal at these championships. Finland, half a second behind, have yet to step onto a women’s podium at Trondheim 2025, having been fourth in the Team Sprint and Relay.

"It was really hard," Carl said.

"I hoped that Jasmi would go a little bit more in the front but she didn't do that. But then in the last uphill she made a little sprint so I thought, 'oh, I can also push very hard'. Then I could make another sprint before we went downhill because we had really good skis.

Hennig, who had been seventh in the 10km Classic and sixth with in the Team Sprint with Laura Gimmler, was happy to win her second World Championship medal, having won silver in the event at Planica 2023.

"It means a lot for me but also for the whole team. We pushed hard together today, all the girls. We are very proud," the 28-year-old said.

Kicking off the final weekend of the World Championships, Saturday features the grand finale of the men's competition; the 50km Mass Start Free, where Trondheim son Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) has the chance to make it six gold medals in six events.

On Sunday, the women's competition wraps up with the 50km Mass Start Free where favourite Johaug will make a final attempt at a 15th World Championships gold medal, having had to settle for three silvers in Trondheim.

Click here for full results from the Women's 4x7.5km Relay and here for schedule and results from Trondheim 2025.