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World Cup Nordic racing is a funny thing: so many of the race venues provide large grandstands at the finish lines, though almost no fans fill those seats. It’s not because too few fans attend the races; especially in Scandinavian countries—where fans really do know their cross country skiing—the most energetic and vociferous cheering sections are found on the significant parts of the race course where cheering can have the greatest effect on the skiers those fans root for. That’s why Ebba Andersson (SWE) may have experienced a different race from what most other skiers experienced today in Falun. On her way to a masterful victory in the Classic 10 k Interval Start, Andersson would have ascended the daunting Mordarbacken climbs amid a gloriously deafening wave of Swedish exhortation. The Swedes love Nordic skiing, and Andersson delivered just the sort of victory those fans hoped for.
Andersson had not won a World Cup event since 2023 (in Trondheim). So when she stormed through the race’s intermediate checkpoints with leads that continued to grow ahead of Norway’s Heidi Weng (ultimately second on the day) and Germany’s Victoria Carl (the final podium finisher), the crowd knew that Andersson’s long winless drought was over. She seems to be rounding into form just in time for the world Championships, set to begin in ten days in Trondheim where this same event—10 k Classic Interval Start—is on the championship schedule.
Jessie Diggins (USA) raced into tight contention with the leaders at all intermediate checkpoints on the Falun course, holding her pace and her technique to the very end where her efforts earned her an impressive fourth place. Naturally, all eyes were on her now-infamous left foot where she has dealt with issues of plantar fasciitis. Falun’s Classic course—one designed to reward skiers who stride most efficiently (rather than just those who can crank the double pole)—would pose a serious test for Diggins, a test she passed with flying colors.
With the FIS World Championships just days away, most national teams are coming into clearer focus. Other American finishers in Falun included Sophia Laukli 26th, Julia Kern 30th, Alayna Sonnesyn 34th, Kate Oldham 43rd, and Sydney Palmer-Leger 48th. Canadians were led by Alison Mackie (straight off her double medal performance at the Junior World Championships) in 31st, and Amelia Wells 60th.
Even so, significant starters were absent from today’s race. Norway’s Astrid Oyre Slind (leader in the FIS Distance standings) was a late-announced non-starter. Therese Johaug (NOR) is presumably at home training in anticipation of World Championships, as must be her Swedish rival, Frida Karlsson. Those are other likely contenders for World Championship medals in Trondheim, though it would’ve taken a lot for either of them to unseat an excellent and inspired Ebba Andersson on this cold, windy day in Falun.
Falun 10 k Classic Interval Start
With overcast skies and cold temperatures (minus 6.4 Centigrade at race time), Falun dawned chilly and windy. The waxing would be fair, but the conditions would continue to challenge as the tracks began filling with steadily falling snow.
“(It’s) a complicated course: 3.75 kilometer red loop, followed by a 3.75 kilometer blue, and finally a 2.5 kilometer blue,” explained US Coach, Matt whitcomb. “You have the small Mordarbacken, then you have the big Mordarbacken, And you don’t want to do those hills any more, so you go to the 2.5, which is just the field, plus the Sprint loop, and finish.”
“It’s a wintry day; people are going to have to pace this really well,” Whitcomb explained. “There’s not a lot of time in a 10 k. Our plan is to take it out hot.”
Diggins would start 60th, well after all her closest rivals. She’d have all the information available to her as she made her way around a Falun’s winding course. Diggins was third at 2.5 kilometers, seven seconds behind a streaking Andersson, and just another three seconds behind Carl. After Diggins’ recent win in the Cogne 10 k Freestyle World Cup, she has shown that she can manage the challenges of this distance. And her ability to work hard and suffer during races is already well established. In Falun, Diggins did race with intensity (as she always does) but also with an impressive degree of control, maintaining even splits (in relation to her rivals) all the way to her fourth place finish.
Starting 48th, Weng was able to compare her on-course performance to that of Carl and Andersson. By the time Carl finished, she led by over 30 seconds . . . but Andersson and Weng were still on course, and storming through progressive checkpoints. Andersson, especially, seemed buoyed by the cheering of the Swedish crowd, a wave of support and enthusiasm that she rode all the way to the finish line. While Weng was able to overcome the early lead of Carl, Andersson was not to be caught on this day.
“It has really been a struggle for me to this victory again,” said Andersson. “It’s the first time I’m standing on top of the podium here in Falun, on home ground. So I’m really happy.”
I struggled with Covid last season, Andersson explained. “Now it feels great again to take this victory, and to do it in front of the home crowd.”
Complete Falun 10 k Classic Interval Start RESULTS
John Teaford
John Teaford—the Managing Editor of FasterSkier — has been the coach of Olympians, World Champions, and World Record Holders in six sports: Nordic skiing, speedskating, road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking, triathlon. In his long career as a writer/filmmaker, he spent many seasons as Director of Warren Miller’s annual feature film, and Producer of adventure documentary films for Discovery, ESPN, Disney, National Geographic, and NBC Sports.
