Olympic Sprint champion Svahn shines on home snow

Olympic Sprint champion Linn Svahn (SWE) continued to show golden form as she won the Sprint Free at the Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup on home snow in Falun, Sweden, on Saturday.

The 26-year-old, who won the Sprint Classic title at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, set the fastest qualifying time by 4.65 seconds and delivered strong performances to win her quarter-final, semi-final and final – all three times with Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad in second place.

In the final, Svahn took over the lead from Skistad half a minute into the race and never let go. After extending the gap to the Norwegian in the first minute, however, Skistad came closer in the end and Svahn had to dig deep on the home straight to maintain the gap.

She claimed her fourth Sprint victory in Falun, 0.29 seconds ahead of Skistad. Nadine Faehndrich (SUI) finished in third place, 3.73 seconds behind the winner, as the podium trio was the same as in last year’s Falun Sprint, but with Faehndrich and Skistad switching places.

Svahn’s previous Sprint victories at the site of next year’s FIS Nordic World Ski Championships had all come in Classic style. In her only previous Sprint Free start in Falun, Svahn finished 21st.

”(It was) a good day," Svahn said.

Having claimed victory at the World Cup stage in Goms, Switzerland, before the Games, Svahn has now won the third consecutive Sprint she has contested, doing so in front of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf.

The King had been present at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on 10 February, when Sweden produced a clean podium sweep in the Sprint Classic.

”It’s nice,” Svahn said about the royal presence.

Milano Cortina 2026 Team Sprint bronze medallist Coletta Rydzek (GER) finished fourth, 0.09 seconds behind Faehndrich. Sprint World Cup leader Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) and fellow home skier Johanna Hagstroem (SWE) finished fifth and sixth.

Overall World Cup No.1 Jessie Diggins (USA) made her 357th World Cup start, becoming the skier with the most starts in the competition.

The World Cup stage in Falun continues on Sunday with the Men’s and Women’s 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free.

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