Weng wins Skiathlon thriller to claim first World Cup victory in four years

Norway’s Heidi Weng claimed her first individual Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup victory in more than four years as she won the Women’s 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free in Falun, Sweden, on Sunday.

The 34-year-old had stood on an individual World Cup podium 23 times since winning the 10km Mass Start Free, also known as the Tour de Ski’s Final Climb, in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on 4 January 2022.

After a close battle with Olympic Skiathlon champion Frida Karlsson (SWE) and Overall World Cup leader Jessie Diggins (USA), she was back on top, claiming her 11th World Cup win, more than 16 years after her debut on the circuit.

"I feel so good,” Weng said.

It was Weng’s first victory in Falun, having previously recorded seven second-place and seven third-place finishes at next year’s World Championships venue.

Weng had claimed bronze when Frida Karlsson won the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Skiathlon with a dominant display on 7 February.

With 1km left to race this time, she was right behind Karlsson, with Diggins a couple of seconds back.

Karlsson led the way into the final downhill section but did not manage to shake off her opponents. In the last right-hand turn into the home straight, Weng went past her and made one final push to claim victory.

Diggins also had more gas in the tank and almost came level with Weng on the home straight, claiming second place, 0.1 seconds behind the winner, as Karlsson had to settle for third.

”When I saw that it was only Frida and Jessie left, I felt that ’OK, that’s a podium today’. But then I feel like today is my day and it was quite good,” Weng said.

Her tactic had been to exhaust her opponents in Falun’s infamous steep climb, ”Mördarbacken” – ”the murder hill”.

”I tried to go fast in the murder hill the last time, to hope that everyone could get stiffer than me, so I feel that it was a good plan,” Weng said.

Karlsson, who claimed two individual gold medals and a relay silver at Milano Cortina 2026, was not too disappointed with her third place.

”It was much better than I thought, so I’m super happy,” the 26-year-old said.

She had missed the Olympic 50km Mass Start Classic last Sunday due to illness.

”Some days ago, I was really bad, so I had no clue how the body would answer today. But I feel like I’m very positively surprised,” said Karlsson, who claimed her second World Cup podium of the season.

Saturday’s Sprint winner Linn Svahn (SWE) won the battle for fourth place, finishing 11.3 seconds behind Karlsson. She had been part of the front group for the first half of the freestyle leg but did not manage to join the leading trio when they broke away, instead fighting for the first spot outside the podium with Dariya Nepryaeva (AIN), who finished fifth.

Leading a second chase group, Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes claimed sixth place, 38.1 seconds behind Karlsson, while Olympic 50km Mass Start bronze medallist Nadja Kaelin (SUI) finished seventh, beating World Cup No.2 Moa Ilar (SWE) by 0.7 seconds.

Kendall Kramer (USA), in ninth place, recorded the best World Cup result of her career. The 23-year-old had only finished inside the top 20 once before, placing 18th in the 10km Interval Start Free in Cogne, Italy, last year.

Karoline Simpson-Larsen (NOR) completed the top 10, one minute and 10 seconds behind the winner.

With seven races left in the season, Diggins increased her lead in the Overall World Cup standings.

The 34-year-old, who will retire from the sport after the final stage in Lake Placid, United States, has 1,619 points and is in pole position as she chases her fourth Crystal Globe. Ilar, in second place, has 1,400 points.

The World Cup continues next weekend with two days of competition in Lahti, Finland, featuring a Sprint Free and a 10km Interval Start Classic on 7 and 8 March.

Click here for full results from the Women’s 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free, here to see the Women’s Overall World Cup standings and here to follow FIS Cross-Country on Youtube.