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The World Cup season returned to Finland this weekend, closing a circle that began more than three months ago in Ruka. In the time since Olympic teams were selected, dreams realized or deferred, experience forged, and farewells offered week after week as the long winter wears on. If the stakes in Lahti feel slightly lower than they did earlier in the season, they are tightening in another way — especially in the races for the Crystal Globes.
With only a handful of races remaining in the season, the women’s Freestyle Sprint offered more than just another podium. The fight for both the Sprint Crystal Globe and the Overall Crystal Globe continues to tighten.
In tricky conditions, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling emerged as the day’s winner, navigating the heats with authority before closing out the final to claim victory.
“I think all day it’s been difficult with the conditions because it seems so nice, but when you ski it’s like icing underneath,” Sundling said in a post-race interview with FIS on the broadcast. “There were some challenges with the skiing, but I’m glad that I could ski as I did today and go all the way.”
The victory marked a strong return for Sundling, who said she had recently been dealing with a cold and missed racing in Falun before arriving in Lahti.
A Tactical Sprint Course
The Lahti freestyle sprint course rewarded patience as much as power. After the individual qualification round, the top 30 athletes advanced into the head-to-head heats — five quarterfinals of six athletes each, with the top two finishers and the two fastest “lucky losers” advancing to the semifinals.
From there, the field narrowed again: two semifinal heats would determine the six skiers racing for the win.
While the course appeared straightforward on paper, athletes quickly discovered the conditions made positioning critical. The climb before the final hairpin offered one of the few reliable passing opportunities before the long run to the finish, which saw the race often gather back together around the final corner before the finishing stretch. And throughout the heats, several favorites discovered how narrow the margin for error could be.
Globe Leaders Falter
Two of the athletes who have dominated the sprint standings this season — Maja Dahlqvist (Sweden) and Nadine Fähndrich (Switzerland) — both saw their days end earlier than expected, failing to advance beyond the quarterfinals.
Their early exits added intrigue to the sprint globe race as the season heads toward its final stretch.
Meanwhile, Sundling continued to build momentum, advancing smoothly through her heats despite the difficult snow conditions.
“I’m super motivated,” Sundling said of the final weeks of the season in the broadcast interview. “It’s my favorite time of the year.”
Diggins Attacks, But Falls Short
For the United States, Jessie Diggins came closest to advancing deep into the rounds.
In her quarterfinal, Diggins launched a decisive move on the final climb, surging to the front of the group in an effort to create separation before the tight hairpin turn at the top of the hill. Over the crest, she continued the attack, aggressively no-pole skating the downhill in an attempt to open a gap.
For a moment, the tactic appeared to work.
But the chasing group quickly organized behind her, the draft pulling them back together on the descent into the stadium. Sweden’s Johanna Hagström surged in the final meters, lunging at the line to edge Diggins and end the American’s day in the quarterfinal.
Diggins said the Lahti crowd helped make the experience memorable.
“It was so cool to hear the crowd roaring. There were so many people out, really filling the stadium and along the course. It’s just a very cool environment. It was sunny and beautiful, which made it really fun.
“I was really happy with my energy today. I feel like I skied a pretty good race and did everything I could. But again this year, I feel like I just don’t quite have that ultimate power, especially in the finishing stretch.
“I’m excited for tomorrow and just excited to be finishing out my last stretch here in Europe. That feels really special. It’s kind of cool to take a moment to reflect on my many years spent on the road in Europe. That chapter is coming to a close now, which is really cool and really special. I’m just grateful thinking back on all the memories over all the different years.”
Brennan Knocked Out in Quarterfinal*
Veteran American Rosie Brennan also reached the quarterfinals but was unable to advance.
Jortberg Reflects on Qualification Miss
For Lauren Jortberg, the Lahti sprint was a reminder of how thin the margins can be in World Cup qualification.
Jortberg finished 37th in the qualification, just outside the top-30 cutoff needed to advance to the heats. After the race, she said the conditions on the Lahti course made it difficult to find the right balance between glide and stability.
“There was kind of an ice sheet underneath with some sugar on top,” Jortberg told FasterSkier after the race. “So it was hard to find skis that were running really well while also being able to push off and plant well. It made the skiing a little tricky, but that’s pretty typical for what we’ve seen in Lahti the last few years.”
Jortberg also felt she left something on the course in terms of pacing.
“I think I just didn’t pace it very well,” she said. “I probably paced it too much. I didn’t really finish feeling that tired, so that was a bit of a bummer.”
Part of that caution, she explained, stemmed from having dealt with illness in the days leading into the race.
“I had been sick the last week, so I think I held back a little bit,” Jortberg said. “That’s frustrating because I felt really good and I think I could have been competitive today.”
Even so, Jortberg said the past months of racing have helped build confidence as she continues gaining experience on the World Cup circuit.
“One of the big takeaways from these World Cup weekends is that when I can put down a really solid qualifier, I’m very much in the mix,” she said. “Even though today wasn’t a great qualifier, I wasn’t that far out of the heats, so I think that’s something I can take confidence from going into the next few weekends.”
Julia Kern Trying to Get Back to Form*
Julia Kern, returning to racing after illness following the Olympic Games, placed 44th in the qualification round.
Albrecht Gaining World Cup Experience
Emma Albrecht, competing in her fourth World Cup weekend, finished 48th in the qualification round in Lahti as she continues gaining experience at the highest level of the sport.
Albrecht said one of the biggest adjustments to racing on the World Cup has been the razor-thin margins in sprint qualification.
“The biggest adjustment to racing at this level is how tight the race margins are,” Albrecht told FasterSkier after the race via email. “The U.S. SuperTour field is obviously not as competitive, and it has been a shift — especially in sprinting — to have to have a fast qualifier. You are no longer guaranteed to make heats.”
The Lahti sprint course also served as a reminder of the confidence and technical skills required to compete in crowded sprint fields.
“Today’s qualification reminded me to take up space on the course and not be afraid of a little hop skate,” she said.
Even with the challenges, Albrecht said the experience is fueling motivation heading into the offseason.
“This weekend is making me very excited for summer training,” she said. “A field as deep as this really highlights weaknesses on course. I would love to become a more efficient jump skater and be more confident in my high-speed V2. I’m definitely walking away with a lot of motivation to improve.”
Canadian Results
Canada’s top performance came from Liliane Gagnon, who finished third in her quarterfinal — just short of advancing to the semifinals.
Teammates Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt and Katherine Weaver placed 43rd and 46th, respectively, in qualification.
The Season’s Final Push
With only a handful of races remaining on the World Cup calendar, the results in Lahti could prove important in shaping the final standings.
For Sundling, the victory served as both a return to form and a statement heading into the closing weeks of the season.
“I’m looking forward to the rest of the season,” she said.
For others — particularly those chasing the Crystal Globes — the margin for error continues to shrink.
And with more racing still ahead in Lahti this weekend, the battle for the season-long trophies is far from settled.
Lahti Women’s Freestyle Sprint QUALIFICATION RESULTS
Lahti Women’s Freestyle Sprint FINAL RESULTS
*We hope to add more quotes above from athletes if we hear back from them, but wanted to get this race report posted in a timely fashion.
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