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Karlsson goes for first women’s Olympic 50km title and third Games gold

Feb 22, 2026·Cross-Country
Frida Karlsson will attempt to win her third gold at Milano Cortina in the 50km Mass Start Classic @FIS/Julia Piatkowska
Frida Karlsson will attempt to win her third gold at Milano Cortina in the 50km Mass Start Classic @FIS/Julia Piatkowska

Double Olympic champion Frida Karlsson (SWE) will be aiming to win the first ever Olympic Women’s 50km Mass Start Classic title and claim her third gold at Milano Cortina 2026 at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium on Sunday.

For the first time in history, men and women will race over the same distances in Cross-Country skiing at the Olympics, with women having contested the last distance event over 30km at Beijing 2022.

Karlsson will be up against team-mate and five-time Olympic medalist Ebba Andersson, who is still chasing her first gold after two bad falls in the Women’s 4 x 7.5km Relay left her and Sweden disappointed with silver.

“It’s crazy how fast Frida goes right now,” said Andersson after the Interval Start Free race where she started a minute before Karlsson, who overtook her to take the gold.

“She almost flew down the tracks. You can’t be anything but impressed.”

They [opponents] have a big respect for her [Karlsson] after these competitions we’ve had, because she’s pretty much been in a class of her own.Ebba Andersson

Despite Karlsson’s dominance, having also won the 50km Freestyle event at the World Cup in Trondheim last season and the 50km Classic in Oslo at the 2024 World Cup, Andersson still believes she has a chance at beating her team-mate in the 50km.

“If I didn’t believe in it, it wouldn’t make sense to even start,” said Andersson. “I know Frida is in such a shape now, and I don’t think she’s gone as fast as she does now in her life, so it is an incredible task. 

“But with a new race there are new circumstances. There is a chance, but it will be a challenge.”

Having won silver behind Karlsson in both the 7.5km + 7.5km Skiathlon and Interval Start Free, Andersson added: “I’m perhaps not as frightening after these two races.”

(Clockwise from top left) Heidi Weng, Karoline Simpson-Larsen, Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes and Astrid Oeyre Slind celebrate on the podium
Norway's women's relay gold medalists will line up against each other in the 50km @FIS/Julia Piatkowska

While a sprint specialist, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling could also be in contention, showing good form at Milano Cortina with gold in the Team Sprint and two silvers in the Sprint Classic and relay.

While Norway’s women are unlikely to dominate as their male counterparts did with their 50km clean sweep on Saturday, they will still have some strong athletes to take on the Swedish contingent. Particularly since Heidi Weng, Karoline Simpson-Larsen, Astrid Oeyre Slind and Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes formed the team in the women’s relay that won gold ahead of Sweden at Milano Cortina. Both Weng and Slind also have podium places in the distance at last season’s World Cup.

Interval Start Free bronze medalist Jessie Diggins (USA) won silver in the 30km Freestyle at Beijing 2022 behind Norway’s Therese Johaug, while Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen won bronze in the event and will also be in the line-up.

For the Women’s Mass Start Classic start list click here.

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