Karlsson wins Sprint Classic at Lahti despite stumble

Sweden’s Frida Karlsson overcame a stumble to win the Women’s Interval Start 10km Classic ahead of compatriot Linn Svahn at the FIS Cross-Country World Cup at Lahti on Sunday.

The double Olympic champion slipped up on a corner around the halfway mark as she chased down Svahn’s lead, but still proved her superiority in this event to finish in 25 minutes 57.6 seconds, 4.1 seconds ahead of her rival.

A smooth run by Svahn put her in front before Karlsson entered the mix while Jessie Diggins (USA), who began the race well ahead in the World Cup standings, was just a second off Svahn’s pace at 5km and held on to finish third.

She pushed Norway’s Heidi Weng into fourth, while Sweden’s Jonna Sundling, who won the World Cup Sprint final on the previous day, lost time on the second lap to finish in fifth.

Sweden’s women have now placed at least two athletes on the podium in 10 of the 22 individual World Cup races so far, and this was without another of their Olympic champions competing with Ebba Andersson not starting the race.

It was an emotional day for Finland’s 35-year-old Krista Parmakoski, who completed the last race of her career in front of a home crowd, placing 28th.

More to follow …

For results of the Women’s Interval Start 10km Classic at Lahti click here.