Sundling edges Myhrvold in close Sprint finish

Sweden’s Jonna Sundling won the Women’s Sprint Free at the Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday, after a dramatic finish against Norway’s Mathilde Myhrvold.

The 30-year-old world and Olympic champion moved into the lead in the Sprint standings as she won the close race by a margin of 0.08 seconds. Home skier Nadine Faehndrich from Switzerland completed the podium.

"This was a really good day for me," Sundling said.

She made it back-to-back Sprint wins in Davos, having beaten runner-up Myhrvold by 2.33 seconds in the same event one year ago. And just like last year, the victory came the day after finishing first in the Davos Team Sprint.

This year, however, the margin was a lot tighter. Sundling had the best qualifying time, Myhrvold in second place, and both had won their quarter- and semifinals coming into the deciding race.

Sundling went into the final with a ”make or break” approach, aiming to ”think prologue speed” and go as fast as she could throughout the whole race, hoping to shake the opponents off early.

She was quickest out of the start and set off at a pace that no other skier could match, apart from Myhrvold. And the Norwegian, who alongside Astrid Oeyre Slind (NOR) had been in second place behind Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) in Friday’s Team Sprint, refused to let Sundling go this time.

Coming into the final’s home straight, Myhrvold started catching up and was just centimeters from victory as the Swede won her first individual Sprint this season.

Behind the top duo, Dahlqvist had been in third place until the last uphill section, where Faehndrich changed gears and left her and her teammate Linn Svahn behind, sealing her first podium spot this winter to the joy of the home fans.

”It’s amazing to be third at home, I really enjoyed it,” said Faehndrich, 30, who finished 2.60 seconds behind the winner. 

”I was really nervous before the prologue but in the heats I could manage.

Dahlqvist finished in fourth place, 0.32 seconds behind Faehndrich, as Svahn was fifth and Laura Gimmler of Germany had to settle for sixth and last in the final.

Norway's Sprint star Kristine Stavaas Skistad missed out on the final, disqualified for obstruction after an incident with Faehndrich in the last turn of their semifinal.

The Davos World Cup action concludes on Sunday with the Men’s and Women’s 10km Interval Start Free.

Click here for full results from the Women’s Sprint Free and here to follow FIS Cross-Country on Youtube.