When Frida Karlsson chose to stand over Saturday’s classic ten kilometer race, everything said that Ebba Andersson would be the fastest in the tracks in Gällivare.
And so it was.
Already at the first time control after a couple of kilometres, Andersson had gained a clear lead, which then continued to grow. The 26-year-old, a double world champion at the beginning of the year, could even cost herself careless on the lap where she went a little wrong before realizing her mistake.
Andersson won with a margin of 38.4 seconds down to Emma Ribom. Third place went to Linn Svahn, 46.8 seconds behind the winner.
The effort was a nice statement of form for Ebba Andersson ahead of the World Cup premiere in Finnish Ruka next week.
The national premiere weekend in Gällivare ends on Sunday with new races for both men and women, then in freestyle.