Photo: Bildbyrån
The reigning world champion Jonna Sundling defends her World Cup gold in sprint.
After a riveting fight against home rider Kristine Stavås Skistad, it was clear that the Swede is winning her fourth straight championship gold
Stavås Skistad came second and Nadine Fähndrich third.
Sweden woke up on Thursday to the nightmare message that Linn Svahn25, suffered a concussion and that she was forced to leave the World Cup before it even started. All of a sudden it was entirely up to Jonna Sundling30, in the Swedish-Norwegian duel towards the home run Kristine Stavås Skistad26.
Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist in the final
Jonna Sundling began the prologue in a brilliant way and was completely superior to all the other female riders. She went in finish six seconds before the second Nadine Fähndrich. Even in the quarterfinal heat, what expected. Sundling won before Stavås Skistad, which went on to the seminar. So did the Swedes Maja DahlqvistThe Johanna Hagström and Märta Rosenberg (Linn Svahn’s replacement).
– She looked completely untouched as she crossed the finish line. It was a good quarterfinals for Jonna. She didn’t have to waste too much energy there, says Viaplay expert Anna-Karin Strömstedt in the broadcast.
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Sundling won his semi -finals and brought Stavås Skistad. Maja Dahlqvist also went to the final. There Jonna was again strongest – with a margin. She won convincingly with Norwegian Kristine Stavås Skistad behind her second. Dahlqvist finished in fourth place.
The tribute from Anders Byström
It was Jonna’s sixth championship gold. She already has four straight World Cup golds in sprint and team sprint as well as an Olympic gold in sprint. It was her third World Cup sprint gold in a row, after the success of Oberstdorf 2021 and Planica 2023.
– It’s totally sick! I am so happy for Jonna’s sake to win here, says the national team manager Anders Byström in Viaplay.
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He continued to pay tribute to Jonna after the finish. At the same time, he revealed that he knew she would win as soon as she passed the last curve, the one who dropped many other riders earlier.
– Just that she took the turn without falling, then I knew it was clear, he says and continues:
– Four straight championships for Jonna Sundling. She is the biggest skier in Sweden right now … or through the ages I think. Winning four straight sprints is so hard to do. Great!
Jonna Sundling’s Victory Word after the World Cup gold
Jonna Sundling was obviously very happy after the victory.
– It feels absolutely wonderful! This is what I have trained for and now I have the shape and skis. It was wonderful to go as I do today. I have been preparing well and competed in the World Cup and trained here for a couple of days. It feels good to take it in Norway, she says.
– It sounds good, it feels good. It was tough out in the track, as always, and I was just trying to do mine and as best I could and use what I had. It’s so fun when it’s enough for it all the way. Joy, relief, quite a lot of fatigue. It is an incredibly large withdrawal. It is a competition at a competition. Not just a race but if you go all the way there will be many restarts. It is tough with sprint, but it is also very fun, she says in Viaplay.
Kristine Stavås Skistad laid her back on her and waited the Swedish. It was a tactic that the Swede expected.
– I knew she would do that, but I didn’t let myself be stopped. I decided before: “Stress doesn’t help me anywhere”. I have to find calm, as my dad usually says, and go at my own pace and take the spell I want. So I focused on my own skiing. Then it will be with this framing and know: “Where is everyone?”. At another World Cup where there are not so many people you can hear them, but here it is impossible, she says.
Big congratulations, Jonna Sundling! You are absolutely amazing! Incredibly wonderful performance in the World Cup sprint.
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