Frida Karlsson outclassed everyone else in the first Olympic race

Frida Karlsson has won two World Championship silver medals in skiathlon, but the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing turned into a nightmare for the 26-year-old with a fifth place in the distance. Two days before Saturday’s race, she described how Beijing needed to arm itself and go to war.

Now she was looking forward to playing and defeating “the final boss.”

And when she got into the groove. She outclassed the competition when she immediately took over the baton at top speed.

She is so superior at the finish that she can take it upon herself to capture a Swedish flag as she runs across the finish line.

“When you see that, so much joy bursts into the air,” says SVT expert Charlotte Kalla, who has won three Olympic gold medals herself, in the studio after the race.

“Sweden, SwedenSweden!” The Swedish skiers have good spectator support before the start of the skiathlon race (10 kilometers in classic style, followed by 10 kilometers in freestyle).

And in the second round of the classic, Frida Karlsson picked up the pace. Together with Ebba Andersson she masters the field. Soon they are a loose quartet: Karlsson, Andersson, Jonna Sundling and the Norwegian Astri Øyre Slind.

A quintet with Moa Ilar chases after. In the second round they are ten seconds behind.

Frida Karlsson continues to ride hard and in the third classic round Jonna Sundling has to ease up and the gap to the close trio is 37 seconds when changing skis.

Karlsson continues his winning tactics and maintains a super high speed in the first freestyle round. And now even Slind can no longer keep up with the Swedes’ pace without losing. Karlsson’s solo show begins on the next tour, because then Ebba Andersson will also be releasing.

Five kilometers from the finish, the gap between the Swedes is over 20 seconds. A fall on the treacherous slopes is the only thing that can stop the “world’s best Karlsson” for the day.

At the finish, Ebba Andersson is in silver place, 51 seconds behind Karlsson. And Andersson also won his first individual Olympic medal, after previously winning two relay medals.

– It still feels a bit like a relief to finally have won an individual Olympic medal. Then of course I would have liked to have had the strength to challenge Frida even more, but she was really strong on the skates today, so I had nothing more to add, says SVT’s Andersson.

The bronze goes The Norwegian Heidi Weng, who prevailed and passed her national team colleague Slind, who completely lost speed in the freestyle part.

One of the main competitors for a Swedish medal success was Jessie Diggins, but the American fell on a descent on the first 3.3 kilometer lap and was unable to reduce the gap to the Swedes at the top.

Sundling finished eleventh and Ilar crossed the finish line in 14th.

The text is updated.