FIS | Faehndrich finishes first in Tallinn as Joensuu secures Sprint title

Nadine Faehndrich (SUI) finished first in the Women's Sprint Free in Tallinn (EST) on Wednesday, bagging her second victory this Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup season.

In the evening races on the streets of the Estonian capital, the Swiss 29-year-old had the best qualifying time and went on to win her quarter- and semifinal confidently before beating Sweden's runner-up Maja Dahlqvist by 0.98 second in the final as Julia Kern (USA) finished third.

It was the fifth podium this winter for Faehndrich, who previously won the Tour de Ski Sprint Classic in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Having previously seen herself as a Classic specialist, Faehndrich said she saw the victory as a sign of getting back into shape in Freestyle events.

"I'm very happy," she said. "This year I felt better in Classic but I know I wouldn't completely lose in skating and I would come back (into good shape) if I do it more often, and I feel happy that I'm back."

Faehndrich took the lead in the final with a few seconds to spare and maintained her gap over Dahlqvist and Kern, who pushed hard in the finish.

Dahlqvist showed her prowess in the final stretch, having secured her position as a strong competitor, while Kern celebrated a noteworthy finish as well.

The skiers only have a couple of days to recover before they continue with the last stage of the World Cup season in Lahti, starting with the Sprint Free on Friday.