Jonna Sundling was beaten by Kristine Stavå’s Skistad.
Then she was poked by the Norwegian.
– It would have been tough not to win, she says.
Illness meant that scores of stars were missing when the Dammen’s sprint was decided in Norway on Tuesday. However, Jonna Sundling was there, and many thought that it would go a long way, as she most recently comes from a WC which meant double gold.
Won against Sundling
But Sweden’s superb national sprint team has recently received serious competition from Norwegian Kristine Stavås Skistad, who had a giant breakthrough during the season. The young star has shown several times that she can hold her own against the Swedes, but was beaten in the sprint final of the WC.
In the Drammen sprint, the Norwegian once again had to stand at the top of the podium. She and Sundling were in the lead throughout the final, but at the end the Norwegian made a move, and Sundling could not respond. It was a demonstration of power by Skistad against the world’s best sprinters.
– I had strength left at the end, it was nice that I made it, she tells Nettavisen afterwards.
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The girl against Sweden
It was Skistad’s second victory this World Cup season – and she was clear afterwards that it was important to beat Sweden in particular, and she mentioned Jonna Sundling herself.
– It’s good, that’s it. Jonna is a good skier, so it’s nice to do this on home soil. It would have been a bit tough to be beaten by Sweden at home, she says.
Even in the Swedish camp, people were impressed by Skistad, and what she showed throughout Tuesday’s sprint.
– It was expected that she would do well here at home. You could see that early today, that she would be at the top. Very well deserved that she won, says Swedish national team manager Anders Byström.
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