WM Drama Surrounds Gold Queen! "She Asks Herself: Why Me?"

Dramatic Ending for the Gold Queen

Therese Johaug misses out on the gold medal in her last race over 50 kilometers. At the forefront, a fall drama unfolds, costing the reigning world champion her medal.

Norway's cross-country queen Therese Johaug has missed her sought-after gold once again in the final race of the World Championships in Trondheim, with Swedish athletes dealing a painful blow to the host nation, even as they faced some bitter drama themselves.

In the thrilling premiere of the 50-km race in freestyle style, Frida Karlsson triumphed, while Johaug, at age 36, had to settle for third place. The dream of her 15th career world gold remains unfulfilled; in her farewell race, she couldn't even clinch silver, finishing behind her compatriot Heidi Weng in a sprint to the finish.

In the relentless rain of Trondheim's "Deep Snow Expedition," new world champion Karlsson triumphed after 2:24:55.3 hours in an intense finale, with Weng trailing by just 2.1 seconds and Johaug finishing 2.9 seconds back. The race concurrently set a record for the longest competition in World Championship history.

Drama Surrounding the Gold Queen

Meanwhile, Ebba Andersson from Sweden narrowly missed her fourth gold in Trondheim after suffering a fall shortly before the finish, landing her in fourth place.

After 49 kilometers, Andersson was still in second place behind Karlsson when she collided with her fellow countrywoman. "Fall, fall from Ebba Andersson. What drama. The three-time gold queen is out. What bad luck," lamented ARD commentator Jens-Jörg Rieck alongside the three-time world champion from Trondheim.

"It's incredibly bitter. It's just a normal racing accident. That kind of incident happens at least 15 times in a race, where you might run into someone. The fact that it leads to a fall is indescribable," analyzed ARD expert Janosch Brugger, himself an active German cross-country skier.

With an 18-second deficit to the front, the 27-year-old ultimately crossed the finish line, visibly frustrated. She spent minutes sitting on the ground after finishing, staring blankly into the distance. "She's asking herself a bit: Why me?" Rieck felt.

Nonetheless, the Swedish team celebrated their sixth gold medal. With this, they captured gold in all six women's cross-country decisions, handing it to them right in the face of their long-time rivals.

Johaug had aimed for a golden exit.

The traditional 50-km race for men was won on Saturday by Johaug's fellow countryman Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who made history with his sixth gold in his sixth race.

Kläbo surpassed the record set by Russian cross-country skier Yelena Välbe, who was the only one before him to have won gold five times at a world championship in Trondheim back in 1997.

After Olympia 2022, Johaug had announced her retirement but returned for the home world championships after giving birth to her first child. She previously secured three silvers in Trondheim, narrowly losing to Andersson in both the 10 km and skiathlon and finishing second in the relay behind their rivals.

Johaug’s explicit goal was to win gold in Trondheim over 50 km. "That's my dream," she had said. This was the first time women participated in 50 km at a world championship; until now, the longest distance was 30 km, but the race program for women was now equalized with the men’s.