Absurd Finale at World Championships! "The Most Incredible Thing I've Ever Seen"

Norway's cross-country queen, Therese Johaug, narrowly missed gold yet again. Jonna Sundling capped off an exceptional Swedish comeback and was subsequently showered with praise.

When an athlete misses gold by a mere 2.1 seconds, it is bitter. However, when these 2.1 seconds represent the cumulative time lost over three races, it's almost unique. This is currently the experience of Therese Johaug, who at the Nordic Ski World Championships missed gold for the third time by a narrow margin.

It seemed that the gold medal was almost guaranteed for the cross-country superstar this time. With a 37-second lead, she handed off to the final runner, Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes, in third place in the Norwegian relay.

The race seemed decided; after all, there were only 7.5 kilometers remaining – and even though Fosnaes is not yet a big name in the cross-country world, the U23 world champion proved she could compete with the elite, having already shown her strength with a 10th place in the skiathlon.

Incredible Comeback by Sundling
There was only one problem: trailing behind her was Jonna Sundling, the fastest woman in the world over shorter distances, who had already won gold twice at the championship and was operating in a league of her own.

37 seconds seemed too much even for Sundling – but just 700 meters later, neither the coaches nor the athletes glued to the screen in the stadium could believe their eyes: the gap had shrunk to just 15 seconds after an unbelievable acceleration from Sundling.

She executed this move against her coach’s instructions. "At the first time checkpoint, I thought the time was wrong. We discussed beforehand that she should use the entire stretch, but this time she didn’t listen. And that was good," Sweden’s coach Stefan Thomson remarked.

Even more shocked were Sundling’s teammates. Frida Karlsson began to laugh incredulously as a bewildered double world champion Ebba Andersson almost choked while drinking, suffering a severe coughing fit.

"I was afraid I would have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on Ebba," Karlsson joked about Andersson, who was gasping for breath.

The Fastest 700 Meters in History
Swedish journalist Patrik Brenning wrote in Aftonbladet that those 700 meters had to be “the fastest in Swedish sports history – surpassing even F1 legend Ronnie Peterson. It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen.”

Everyone was still in disbelief when Sundling managed to catch up the almost 40-second lead after just two kilometers. "This is unbelievable. It shouldn’t be possible," exclaimed Sweden’s team manager Anders Byström, who didn’t want to compare it to anything.

To many’s surprise, Sundling didn’t wait behind Fosnaes but even went past her – without significantly increasing the pace, allowing the Norwegian to comfortably run alongside her. But Sundling wanted to dictate the pace, giving herself a moment to recover. After all, she still had one last ace up her sleeve: the final sprint. A segment in which the Swede has been virtually unbeatable recently.

Joy and Disappointment Sitting Side by Side
And so it was once more: Fosnaes showcased her talent and didn’t let herself get dropped until the last stretch – but Sweden’s sprint queen crowned her incredible run with her third gold medal at the championship. For Sweden, this was their fifth gold medal among women in just five races.

"That was tough," Fosnaes said later to Aftonbladet with tears in her eyes.

"This is the best and worst thing I have ever seen in my life," exclaimed Swedish ski icon Torgny Mogren in an interview with Radiosporten. Even Andersson celebrated her teammate Sundling: "What a superwoman she is."

The “superwoman” has now clinched gold seven times at the world championships, matching the Swedish record held by cross-country legend Gunde Svan.

Johaug still has a chance - The Swedes want to hold their ground
Journalist Brenning even suggested that the 700 meters below the royal palace in Stockholm should be named the Sundling passage, although he then jokingly called for a highway – preferably with Norwegian rest stops.

Johaug didn’t want her next silver medal to be seen as defeat, insisting it felt like gold to her. Norway’s cross-country icon Petter Northug disagreed: "I’m sure it doesn’t feel like gold. After a 37-second lead, it feels like a failure."

Johaug still has one last chance for a gold medal at these world championships – but Andersson, Karlsson, and Sundling would surely like to ensure that the Norwegian ends up with just silver again.