Sweden has completely dominated in sprints this winter.
Then came the slap in the mouth in Beitostölen.
Then Norway could hardly believe their eyes.
– It’s sensational, says NRK’s long-distance expert Torgeir Björn.
Sweden has the world’s best national sprint team and pretty much every rider can threaten to win the World Cup on a good day. Jonna Sundling and Linn Svahn have not even competed in the World Cup this year due to injuries, but it has gone decently anyway.
The Swedish shock
Emma Ribom has won double sprint events this season, and Sweden has also finished second on both occasions. During Friday’s competition in Beitostölen, Emma Ribom was unfortunately missing, but there was plenty of hope for Sweden to keep alive the matchless trend anyway. After all, skaters such as Frida Karlsson, Maja Dahlqvist and Johanna Hagström were included.
Sweden had an okay qualifier as the stars all advanced. However, Maja Dahlqvist was far behind at the finish line, but in the quarter-finals she showed that there was nothing wrong with her form, as both she and Johanna Hagström advanced to the semi-finals. Frida Karlsson went out, however, and was very unhappy afterwards. Once in the semifinals, Johanna Hagström and Maja Dahlqvist finished fourth and third, and the hope was then that the Swedes would advance in time.
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“It’s sensational”
But that didn’t work either. There was no Swede in the final, which is an almost sensational fiasco considering Sweden’s success in sprints in the past year. And even in Norway people were shocked. NRK expert Torgeir Björn could hardly believe his eyes when he commented on the competition.
– It is sensational, he says.
During the day, Therese Johaug was also an expert commentator, and she too was surprised.
– It is very surprising, she says.
In Viaplay’s commentary booth, expert Anna-Karin Strömstedt was disappointed.
– It is not the Maja Dahlqvist we are used to seeing and not Johanna Hagström either.
– Not having a Swede in the final is not good.
Johanna Hagström and Maja Dahlqvist were also self-critical afterwards, and gave themselves a failing grade for the effort.
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