FasterSkier’s coverage of this week’s FIS World Championships stands as a proud tribute to an icon of American Skiing, Marty Hall who has generously supported our coverage of international cross country ski events. To learn more about Marty and Kathy Hall’s A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, please contact info@fasterskier.com. We’ll miss you, Marty.
In 2021, in the prime of her career, Therese Johaug (NOR) won four races at the World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany—Skiathlon, 10 k Freestyle, Team Relay, and 30 k Classic. She had been the dominant skier in all Distance events for so many years, but she retired after a triple gold medal performance at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, spending the ensuing years raising a family and developing her businesses and brands. But the siren song of sport-immortality tempted Johaug to return. Thus, her comeback this season, focusing on her potential at these World Championships in Trondheim. If Johaug could win four events here in Trondheim, she would finish tied with Marit Bjoergen for most gold medals earned in World Championship competition. If anything, the format of events in Trondheim (longer distances and more opportunities to show off her Skating prowess) favored Johaug’s quest, but she has come away from these championships with only a fistful of silver instead of gold. Time and age—combined with the talents and efforts of Ebba Andersson (SWE) and Jonna Sundling (SWE)—have conspired against her, and Johaug’s comeback hasn’t worked out the way she had hoped.
Today’s 50 k Freestyle offered Johaug a chance at retribution, but she would face challenges more tangible than simply the weight of her own impressive legacy or the unsympathetic judgment of history. In Trondheim, Johaug would be racing against women who have shown the ability to counter her otherworldly tempo with super-powers of their own. Karlsson, Ebba Andersson (SWE), Heidi Weng (NOR), Astrid Oeyre Slind (NOR), Jessie Diggins (USA) and Sundling (among others) all seemed poised to contend in today’s marathon conclusion to these World Championship races. Johaug would love to go home from these championships with at least one gold medal. The 50 k Mass Start Freestyle was Johaug’s last chance. But Karlsson and her fast skis would have a major role to play in it all . . .
50 k Freestyle Mass Start
The women’s field has never before raced 50 kilometers at a World Championship. It makes sense, then, that this would be the marquee event, the final feature of the World Championships of Trondheim, 2025. The last day of these championships belonged to the Women.
Overnight temperatures never dropped below freezing, and the morning’s freshly fallen snow contributed further to the soft conditions. Skier traffic from the men’s 50 k race (yesterday) and the morning’s grooming had turned the 8.3 kilometer race course (over which skiers would race six laps) to a warm, snowy mush. The race was likely to be slow, not because of the racing strategies of the racers, but because conditions appeared likely to steal their speed.
“The key to this race, even before we knew about the conditions today, was gonna be about energy management,” said on-air commentator, Kikkan Randall. “The jump from 30 k to 50 k means you’re skiing about the same pace . . . Johaug is loving this. (She) has proven over her career that sh’e got one of the biggest aerobic engines . . . She likes to go out hard, try to break up the field, it’s going to be really interesting to see if she can go back to her wining ways . . . and just kind of play with heads of her competitors here.”
Johaug, Andersson, Slind, Stadlober, Weng, Sundling, and Karlsson led out of the stadium, the field quickly stringing out behind them. Diggins was immediately dropped from the lead group. By the end of the first kilometer, contenders like Diggins and Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) were already 30 seconds behind.
Soft course conditions were a challenge for everyone: while navigating through a feed zone, Sundling hooked a ski tip in the soft snow, toppling awkwardly into the slush. She recovered fairly quickly, but it would cost her a considerable amount of energy to re-establish her position within the lead group.
By the end of Lap 1, Johaug had taken charge of the pace, followed into the stadium by Weng, Karlsson, Andersson and Slind. It was a day for lightness and deftness, keeping the tempo high, minimizing the muscle load of each push, and maintaining a light glide between pushes. Advantage Johaug . . . she’s been skiing that way for years. The leading group skied on as though this were a far shorter race. It remained to be seen whether or not they could maintain this level of effort, or whether they might find themselves caught later by Slind (who had skied more races of this length than ony of the other contenders).
Conditions continued to play an outsized role: many skiers were seen double poling rather than skating through the sloppiest sections of the course. On the very worst sections—on a few of the steepest uphill sections—Slind resorted to a running herringbone in her efforts to catch the leaders. Ski glide was often reduced to nothing, and each stroke had to be lifted just a bit higher than the one before in attempts to lift ski tips above the mashed-potato-textured snow. And every downhill corner was a nail-biting adventure as skiers struggled to stay upright. What a mess.
The lead group came through the end of Lap 2 together, with Johaug, Andersson, and Karlsson all making probing forays to test of the other racers. Slind hovered some 44 seconds behind, not yet out of contention, though a fall near the end of Lap 2 cost her additional time.
A bit of gamesmanship at the end of Lap 3 . . . Karlsson (who had led for most of the lap, and whose skis appeared the fastest) pulled up to wait for her rivals just before the ski exchange area. It looked as though all would stop for a ski change, but when Karlsson pulled off behind the v-boards, Weng sprinted ahead on the course. It was a clever fake, but one that Karlsson caught just in time. Quickly reversing course, Karlsson dodged the barricades and set off in pursuit of Weng. All the contenders spent considerable energy in the maneuver . . . and it remained likely that Karlsson would still be skiing on the fastest skis as they headed into Lap 4.
The fast skis of Karlsson contined to confound Johaug, who began to show her frustration in accelerating on every uphill section. Norway had slow skis, and the Swedes were only too happy with their advantage on every successive downhill. Karlsson was also able to ski in a much more relaxed manner than her rivals, and it began to appear extremely likely that the Norwegians would change skis at the end of Lap 4. What remained to be seen was whether Karlsson would do the same, or if she would remain confident in the speed that her skis already shown. The odds were that Karlsson would change at the same time as her rivals . . . but the advantage she would gain by simply skiing on would be a terrible temptation.
Karlsson and Andersson appeared to be in conversation before entering the stadium at the end of Lap 4, presumably discussing possibilities for exchanging skis. As predicted, all went for new skis, all accomplished the exchange efficiently and quickly, all exited the stadium together. Johaug and Weng would hope that their new skis would help them pull even. Karlsson would hope that her new skis would deliver a similar advantage to the skis she’d used in the first four laps. As Lap 5 began, Karlsson continued to appear the most relaxed, maintaining her position as the pace maker at the front. Downhill sections began to suggest that Karlsson was continuing to enjoy the fastest skis in the lead group, forcing Johaug to reduce the gap on each successive uphill. It appeared that Team Sweden had found the solution to the day’s conditions, at least to the degree that they had a slight advantage over the Norwegians. Regardless, the advantage that Karlsson enjoyed seemed to be acknowledged by all the contenders, and Karlsson led every inch of Lap 5.
Johaug is unaccustomed to following anyone in Distance races. But with 15 kilometers still ahead of them, Johaug was relegated to the role of follower. She’d need to make a dramatic move in the final lap; would her skis and her fitness and her strength be sufficient to drop Karlsson? What Johaug would’ve known for sure is that she, herself, outsprints no one in a tight finish. Johaug would need to attack, and that attack would definitely come on a climb. One lap to go . . .
The course climbed steadily out of the stadium, and Johaug attempted to accelerate. Karlsson easily matched Johaug’s speed, occupying the best snow at the right side of the course, forcing Johaug wide into deeper snow. Johaug’s tempo increased; it looked like she was on the attack. But Karlsson—even maintaining her slow, relaxed tempo—covered the acceleration easily, never surrendering her position at the front. Karlsson had been leading the group for over 15 kilometers, and no one seemed able to come around her. It almost looked like Johaug and Karlsson were in different races—living in different dimensions: Johaug’s staccato tempo is so recognizable, so familiar, a technique that has dropped so many skiers over the years. Beside her, Karlsson continued to appear so slow and relaxed. How could this slow temp continue to work?
Five kilometers to go, and Johaug tried again. Again, Karlsson covered easily, still never surrendering the front position. Then, Johaug peeked behind . . . for one of the few times in her long and illustrious career, Johaug checked the rearview mirror, seeming interested to know if she at least had a medal solidly secured. Her surge had not managed to overhaul Karlsson. Had she at least succeeded in dropping Andersson and Weng? The answer was “no.”
Inside two kilometers to the finish line, the leading four remained together. Karlsson increased the pace, perhaps anticipating attacks that might come from behind. It appeared that no one (except possibly Weng who had followed in fourth position for the entire distance) was eager for a sprint finish. In a final attempt to gain control, Johaug was able to scramble past Andersson, and then past Karlsson, moving into the lead position for the first time in many kilometers. But as soon as the slope tilted downhill again, Karlsson and Andersson glided easily back to the front. Johaug rocked back on her heels and checked the rearview mirror once again. Then, suddenly, disaster for Sweden as Andersson skied up too close behind Karlsson, catching her own ski tip and dropping heavily to the snow. Karlsson was unaffected by the contact. Andersson regained her feet quickly, but the medals would be decided ahead of her.
Weng may have been setting herself up most of the day for a sprint in which she hoped—and intended—to outsprint Johaug for bronze. With Andersson now behind them, Weng’s strategy seemed likely to deliver even more.
But the race at the front was all about Frida Karlsson and her magnificent skis. Down the final hill, Karlsson glided easily away. With a last look over her shoulder, she navigated the final turn and skated calmly up the homestretch, raising her arms in victory as she crossed the line. Behind her, Weng sprinted past Johaug for the silver.
Johaug forced a smile in the finish area—sportsmanlike and generous in congratulating both her teammate and her Swedish rivals—but she did not linger, quickly collecting her skis and exiting the view of the cameras. Johaug had been fortunate in being able to claim a bronze medal today; it’s likely she would’ve been outsprinted for the medal had Andersson not fallen inside the last kilometer. Regardless, Johaug’s marvelous comeback had not turned out as she’d originally envisioned it.
Karlsson, though, was able to orchestrate the race of her dreams. Since her teenage arrival on the World Cup scene, Karlsson had often shown this sort of potential. Today, in Trondheim, she definitely lived up to her billing.
“It was the hardest conditions you can ever imagine,” said Karlsson. “I was very tired on the second lap, so I thought this will be a really tough day. But then I got some energy and I had so good skis! Like our wax team have this gold medal, I think!”
The Swedish Women’s Team exits these championships having claimed gold medals in every event: Sprint, Skiathlon, 10 k Classic, Team Relay, Team Sprint, and 50 k Freestyle. Two years from now, many of these same skiers will re-assemble for the 2027 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. As Team Norway’s efforts in Trondheim have shown, it’s supremely difficult to claim World Championship titles, even on home soil. Sweden hopes to maintain its dominance in Falun. Norway intends to seek retribution.
2025 World Championship 50 k Freestyle Mass 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.
