Steep Climbs to Olympic Dreams

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So, Norwegian Olympic selection continues to be a stressful and chaotic process for Team Norway. After eight exhausting days of Tour de Ski competition—and six grueling events—it seemed the only result that mattered to the committee selecting Norway’s Olympic Team was a win in the final stage atop the Alpe Cermis. Mattis Stenshagen won the hellacious climb, stuffing Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Harald Oestberg Amundsen firmly into the back seat, and storming onto the overall podium. Combined with his other podium performances this season, that seems finally to have made the difference. Stenshagen exits the Tour de Ski having finally qualified for his country’s Olympic Team. Like Stenshagen, Karoline Simpson-Larsen won the final stage of the Women’s Tour de Ski—the climb up Alpe Cermis—ahead of Jessie Diggins and Heidi Weng. At last, that performance has indicated to the committee selecting Norway’s Olympic Team that Simpson-Larsen is deserving of a spot.

For the remaining Norwegian contenders—both women and men—the Tour de Ski didn’t work out the way most had hoped it would. The Tour offered a chance for contenders like Eva Ingebritsen, Nora Saness, Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes, and Ingrid Bergene Aabrekk to show what they can do. Likewise, the men’s field was stacked with numerous World Cup winners and Olympic and World Championship medalists:  Emil Iversen, Andreas Fjorden Ree, Lars Heggen, Simen Hegstad Krueger. None of them stood out enough to be offered Olympic berths. Simpson-Larsen and Stenshagen delivered wins atop the Alpe Cermis in the final stage of the Tour, but for all the others the Olympic Games remain a huge question mark.

Team Norway

Apparently, anything less than a victory on Alpe Cermis is simply not enough to impress the committee picking this team. As an example, Julie Bjervig Drivenes skied right alongside Heidi Weng in Toblach’s 20 k Pursuit. Weng is already named to the Olympic Team, and Driveness may eventually join her . . . but no such designation was announced after the conclusion of the Tour de Ski. Emil Iversen was third in the climb up Alpe Cermis; no announcements were made regarding his status, either. Early on, Team Norway suggested that their remaining Olympic Team positions would be selected based on results at the Tour, but only Simpson-Larsen and Stenshagen—winners of the climb up Alpe Cermis—heard their names called. That is truly a steep standard . . .

So, here’s Team Norway so far:

Men: Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, Erik Valnes, Harald Oestberg Amundsen, Mattis Stenshagen, Einar Hedegart, Martin Lowestroem Nyenget. Two open spots remain, spots that will be filled by other Norwegians who are entirely capable of winning individual medals in Milano-Cortina. Klaebo could be defeated in the Classic Sprint . . . but no one with any sense would bet against him. Klaebo and Valnes seem likely to be gold medal favorites in the Team Sprint, and the Norwegians look like a solid favorite to win the Team Relay. Klaebo will be a favorite in all the other individual events, though his own teammates are likely to be his most serious rivals.

Women: Heidi Weng, Kristine Stavaas Skistad, Karoline Simpson-Larsen, Astrid Oeyre Slind. Five more spots remain open, and it looks like those will be decided at Norwegian National Championships next week where all remaining contenders will miss World Cup races in Oberhof in order to participate in those Norwegian Championships. One thing’s for sure, qualifying for Norway’s Olympic Team is one of the sporting world’s toughest needles to thread. And it’s not out of the question that Norway makes an Olympic selection that favors skiers who stayed home from the Tour (like Lotta Udnes Weng).

There are more notable Norwegian contenders to consider . . .

Mathilde Myhrvold crashed out of the Tour de Ski with a dislocated shoulder. She may be done for the season, and her Olympic aspirations crushed. Maybe she heals up by Milano-Cortina, maybe not. In the absence of Myhrvold, there are no other Norwegian Sprinters likely to contend in Olympic Sprint events. And there really isn’t a way to form a Norwegian relay team that’s likely to challenge Team Sweden, though strange things have been known to happen in Olympic Team Relays.

Emil Iversen has been reborn this season; he proved it yet again with his third place climb of the Alpe Cermis, and fourth place overall finish in the Tour. Unlike Stenshagen, Iversen’s Tour performance has been judged to be not good enough. Not yet, anyway.

US Nationals

The scheduling of the US Nationals makes it a logical qualifying competition for the Olympics. Oddly, this is a competition that doesn’t incorporate the same race formats as events in the upcoming Winter Games.

Even though she spent the autumn season playing for the Stanford University soccer team (which finished a heartbreaking runner up in the NCAA championship), Sammy Smith was the one skier at US Nationals to really make an impression in Lake Placid. Smith won both the Freestyle Sprint and the Classic Sprint (technically, a SuperTour event) in commanding fashion, winning the Classic qualifier by a mile, and leading for nearly every meter of her heats and finals. Julia Kern may already have the spot wrapped up to join Jessie Diggins in the Milano-Cortina’s Team Sprint, but Smith looks like a solid bet to join the team in the Classic Sprint event.

Other skiers delivered solid performances in both Sprint and Distance events, including Hailey Swirbul and Ava Thurston. If the selection committee is looking for future stars, those might be names we’ll continue hearing in the future.

Early season Olympic Team contenders proved less of their arguments in Lake Placid, but remain possible candidates for Olympic selection.

Alayna Sonnesyn went home early from the Tour de Ski (after a less-than-stellar showing in Stage 1) only to find herself earning only one podium placing at US Nationals—second behind Smith in the Freestyle Sprint—but that proved to be her high-water mark for the week of racing in Lake Placid. Sonnesyn would finish 10th in the 20 k, and 13th in the Classic Sprint.

Leader in SuperTour standings prior to Lake Placid, Lauren Jortberg declined her invitation to the Tour de Ski, opting to take her chances at US Nationals—stress minimized, far less money spent, far greater chance of success (making the Olympic team). She finished fifth in the Freestyle Sprint, 37th in the 10 k Classic Interval Start, DNS in the 20 k, and fourth in the Classic Sprint. It remains to be seen if those results will prove sufficient to claim a spot on the Olympic roster.

Luci Anderson had flirted with idea of qualifying for the cross-country events in Milano-Cortina, but she departed Italy after Stage 1 of the Tour de Ski and traveled to the venue where US Biathlon was holding time trials to consider Olympic Team candidates. Anderson’s performance in those time trials earned her a spot on the team, followed by a top 20 placing in a subsequent IBU cup race.

With spots already having been earned (or reserved) for Jessie Diggins, Julia Kern, and Rosie Brennan, Team USA still has the opportunity to select five more members of the women’s Olympic roster. Team coaches have suggested that little (if any) coaches’ discretion will be utilized in the process, though the question of Sophia Laukli’s status continues to linger.

Canada’s Olympic Selections

The only Canadian skier—man or woman—racing in World Cup Period 1 was Katharine Stewart-Jones who earned her Olympic Team nomination through multiple top-10 World Cup finishes during the 2024-25 season. She’s waged a great World Cup campaign thus far, and her confirmation on Canada’s Olympic Team comes as no surprise. The rest of her teammates raced it out at home, hoping to earn spots of their own. Just prior to the start of the Tour de Ski, it was announced that Canada’s Olympic Team had been named. The following is the roster of the Canadian Olympic Team: Antoine Cyr , Xavier McKeever, Rémi Drolet , Max Hollmann , Tom Stephen, Jasmine Drolet, Liliane Gagnon, Alison Mackie , Sonjaa Schmidt , Amelia Wells, and Katherine Stewart-Jones.

Sweden in the Catbird Seat

Team Sweden would seem to suffer no drama, nor intrigue, nor surprises in the selection of skiers to fill its Olympic roster, especially on the Women’s side: Jonna Sundling, Maia Dahlqvist, Frida Karlsson, Ebba Andersson, Moa Ilar, Moa Lundgren, Linn Svahn, Emma Ribom, Johanna Hagstroem. It wouldn’t be difficult to pick that team. Deciding who among them will populate the Team Relay could become another story, entirely. One way or another, Team Sweden will provide contenders for the top step of the Olympic podium in every Women’s Cross-Country event in Milano-Cortina. I, for one, can’t hum the tune of the Swedish national anthem. After Milano-Cortina, I expect it will be a far more familiar tune . . .

 

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