France snatch U23 Relay gold after 'laughing all the time' in Lillehammer

Milhan Laissus, Leonie Perry, Mathieu Blanc and Margot Tirloy finished the Lillehammer (NOR) 2026 FIS U23 World Ski Championships on top, claiming France’s first gold medal of the championships in its concluding event: the Mixed 4x5km Relay Classic/Free on Sunday.

The talented quartet won a thrilling battle for first place with Norway, beating the host nation by 1.7 seconds. Finland claimed bronze, 15.3 seconds behind the winners.

”It feels really great. If someone told me this morning (that France would win) I would never trust them. So I’m really happy,” Laissus, 21, said.

Perry had won France’s only medals at the Lillehammer 2026 Junior and U23 FIS World Ski Championships, finishing third in the 20km Mass Start Free as well as in the 10km Interval Start Classic.

After claiming her second bronze medal on Saturday, the 21-year-old said that ”I hope that the team are in good shape and I think we can do the best and take the first place.” On Sunday, France showed that they were not only in good shape, but in a good mood.

”All of the team has been in a very jokey spirit, so we’ve been laughing all the time, and that was key for a good race and a good place,” Perry said.

Norway, fielding a team of Casper Kvam Grindhagen, Eva Ingebrigtsen, Lars Michael Saab Bjertnaes and Oline Vestad, had led the race for most of the 20km. When Bjertnaes handed over to Vestad with 5km left to race, Finland were in second place, 7.9 seconds behind the leaders, with France in bronze-medal position, 14.8 seconds back. Then Tirloy came into the picture and turned the race around.

In less than five minutes of skiing, the 20-year-old had taken over second place from Finland’s Elsa Torvinen. With 1.1km left to race, she was right behind Vestad and minutes later she had taken the lead.

The home skier was not able to close the gap and Tirloy could celebrate the victory a few metres before her teammates greeted her at the finish line.

”It’s amazing. In the last turn, I was (almost falling over) but we have a good ski and a good team,” Tirloy said.

Blanc had struggled in the third leg as France went from leading the race at the 10km mark to being almost 15 seconds behind. He was pleased to watch Tirloy turn third place into gold.

”It’s a really great feeling,” Blanc said.

Grindhagen, who finished second in Saturday’s 10km Interval Start Classic, was not disappointed with a second consecutive silver medal. Norway had been in seventh place, 5.6 seconds behind leading Finland, after his first leg.

”I think we did a good relay and France had quite a good last leg so I think it (the gold medal) was deserved,” Grindhagen said.

For Ingebrigtsen, who had won her gold medal in Saturday’s 10km race, the silver medal was ”a bonus”.

”It’s really fun to ski together and I think that the relay is kind of a bonus at the end of the championships,” she said.

Finland, with Eero Rantala, Selene Rossi, Niko Anttola and Torvinen, were pleased to close their championship on the podium. Rantala had brought the Finns into first place after his leg, but was not disappointed about the colour of his medal.

”It feels really good. We are all really happy,” the 23-year-old said.

”We had incredible skis and we were able to fight for the top spots for the whole race, so we are really happy.”

Norway win close Junior Relay

In the Junior Mixed 4x5km Relay Classic/Free earlier on Sunday, Norway won a close battle with France.

The hosts, fielding four Trondheim 2026 medallists in Magnus Torjus Harbo, Ingrid Wollan Benum, Leopold Strand and Julie Sand-Hanssen, finished 0.3 seconds ahead of France to claim the gold medal. Italy won bronze, 16.1 seconds behind the winners.

”It’s amazing. It’s amazing to finally be able to compete together,” Harbo said.

The 20-year-old 10km Classic bronze medallist, who led Norway to third place on the first leg, was the only skier on his team who had not won a gold medal before Sunday’s final event.

Benum, who claimed the 10km Classic title on Friday, said topping the podium as a team is different.

”It’s so fantastic. It’s even better when you win with your teammates,” the 18-year-old said.

Men’s Junior 10km Classic world champion Strand skied the third leg but did not manage to shake off the opponents. He took over from Benum with a lead of 8.4 seconds over France. When he handed over to Sand-Hanssen, the gap to the rest of the pack had shrunk to 0.4 seconds.

”I just tried to give her as good of a lead as possible but I couldn’t hold the other guys back,” Strand said.

”So big thanks to the girls here because they carried the relay.”

Sand-Hanssen, who won the 20km Mass Start Free on Wednesday, made no mistake on the anchor leg and managed to keep France’s Agathe Margreither behind her.

”It was hard almost all the way. She was strong today,” Sand-Hanssen said.

Margreither, 19, had taken over from Mario Perrillat Collomb (FRA) in fourth place, 1.1 seconds behind Norway, and chased Sand-Hanssen all the way to the finish line despite suffering a fall.

”I’m very happy to be on the podium again, but a little sad,” Margreither said.
”But I had a good finish, so I’m happy (about that).”

She claimed her first medal of the championship together with Gaspard Cottaz, Annette Coupat and Collomb.

”(It was an) amazing day,” Cottaz said.
"We had great skis so a huge thanks to the whole team. What a day, that was crazy.”

Coupat, who brought France into second place on her leg, praised the team spirit.

Italy, with Marco Pinzani, Caterina Milani, Daniel Pedranzini and Vanessa Cagnati, stayed among the leading teams throughout the race and claimed bronze more than 12 seconds ahead of Switzerland.

”I’m very happy. Our skis were very good and a medal with the team is always very beautiful,” said Pedranzini, 18, who won silver in the 10km Classic.

Click here for full schedule and results from Lillehammer 2026, and here to follow FIS Cross-Country on Youtube.