PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Jonna Sundling took the first distance victory of her career.
But after the finish, she did the illegal thing to Jessie Diggins.
– I had no idea about that, says the Swede to Expressen.
10 kilometer freestyle in Minneapolis ended in a big bang after a huge drama at the finish line. Jessie Diggins managed to sprint to third place with just seconds to spare Lynn Svahn and Frida Karlsson won second place.
Sundling won
But the winner was a very unexpected name. When Jonna Sundling surprised everyone by winning the very first distance victory of his career at the World Cup on Sunday evening.
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In the finish area, American Diggins collapsed as usual after exhausting himself on the ski tracks in front of the home crowd.
– It was a hell of a fight out there. It was hot, the tracks got muddy and I just gave it my all at the end. I had no feeling left in my legs for the last two kilometers, says the overall World Cup leader to Expressen.
– But to be honest, the podium wasn’t the important thing for me today. I had the best day ever out there. Nobody had more fun than I did today.
Diggins’ collapse
As Diggins lay on the snow catching her breath, no American teammate came to her. Because they know very well what applies and the skiing star has made that very clear.
“When I’m lying in the snow for the first 20 seconds after a race, I’m about to pass out and I’m in terrible pain. Most of the time, people want to come up to one and pat one to say ‘congratulations’ or ‘good job’, which is very nice. But I used to freak out when I felt a hand on me in a situation like that. So it became like a weird rule in our team that you never touch my torso until 30 seconds after the finish line at the earliest,” Diggins wrote in an attention-grabbing blog post back in 2018.
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And it’s a rule that still applies.
– Yes, when I find it very difficult to get air, it is best to just leave me alone, says Diggins to the evening newspaper.
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But the shock winner Jonna Sundling had no idea about the unwritten rule and did the “forbidden” thing when she ran up to her rival, to check that everything was okay.
– I had no idea about that. I just thought she needed to take off her skis so I helped her with that, says an unknowing Sundling to the newspaper.
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