PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Linn Svahn made a big impression during the Tour de Ski.
But she still had no chance in the overall standings.
Which arouses strong reactions in neighboring Norway.
No one could row Jessie Diggins in the Tour de Ski and the American took an impressive overall victory ahead Heidi Weng and Kerttu Niskanen. Surprisingly, none of the previously tipped Swedes managed to reach the podium there Frida Karlsson, Jonna Sundling and Lynn Svahn came fourth, fifth and sixth in the overall standings.
Svahn impressed
The one who convinced the most was Svahn who shone in the sprint and won as much as three out of seven stages during the mini-tour. But still, she had no chance of reaching the overall victory before the final climb up Alpe Cermis.
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The Swede is also proud when she sums up her efforts in the Tour de Ski, but there is also a clear element of disappointment.
– My goal was to do a better tour than the one I did three years ago – and I am doing that. I have three stage victories and a third place, she tells Expressen.
– Then I’m disappointed that I’m not higher in the total.
Norwegian giant fury
In the end, she finished sixth and was over two minutes behind the winner Diggins. The unfair treatment of Linn Svahn’s fine performances arouses strong anger in neighboring Norway, where the Norwegian TV2 expert Petter S. Skinstad vents his great irritation and thinks that the Swedes should be properly pissed off.
“If I had been the Swedish leader, I would have been a mixture of resigned and pissed off at Fis. Talk about a wretched payoff at the Tour de ski,” writes Skinstad in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
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The Norwegian ski profile believes that the Swedish national ski team has been robbed during the Tour de Ski.
– Sweden should have had two skaters on the podium in total, but Fis doesn’t want that. They want a united field before the final stage, but then I think you might as well just drive it, says Skinstad to the evening newspaper.
– Sweden has the best sprinters with all-round qualities. This applies to Linn Svahn, Jonna Sundling, Emma Ribom and Frida Karlsson. This year’s Tour de Ski is anti-Swedish.
READ MORE: National team manager Anders Byström’s big tribute after the Tour de Ski – names the best Swede and nods Frida Karlsson
According to the Norwegian, it is the hunting starts in Toblach and Davos that ruin the entire tour for the Swedish riders. Swedish national team manager Anders Byström agree that the chase starts based on the results in the sprints destroy the sprinters.
– Linn thus wins three stages but is still far, far, behind in the summary. It characterizes what the tour is like… and it feels a bit silly. Instead, this last stage will be so decisive. Just look at Heidi Weng. She probably hasn’t been on the podium in any stage before that. And still comes second overall, says Byström in a statement.
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