- - Sweden's Frida Karlsson wins gold at Milan Cortina in skiathlon. Diggins falls early in race

DEREK GATOPOULOSFebruary 7, 2026 at 10:14 AM

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1 / 3Milan Cortina Olympics Cross CountryFrida Karlsson of Sweden, right, and Ebba Andersson also of Sweden, compete in the cross country skiing women's 10km + 10km skiathlon at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

TESERO, Italy (AP) — Frida Karlsson of Sweden won gold at 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics in the 20-kilometer women’s skiathlon Saturday at the start of cross-country skiing on energy-draining wet snow.

Top-ranked Jessie Diggins of the United States fell in the early stages of the race and struggled throughout to fight her way forward as the Swedes held onto an early advantage. Karlsson clocked 53 minutes, 45.2 seconds, ahead of fellow Swede Ebba Andersson by 51 seconds and Heidi Weng of Norway who pushed hard before the finish, ending 1 minute and 26.7 seconds behind. The 26-year-old Swedish winner appeared unfazed by the snow conditions and performed a flawless ski exchange in the twin-style race, losing chasers early and lapping many at the back.

At Milan Cortina, both men and women are competing over an equalized 20 kilometer distance for the first time at the Olympics. Competitors cover half the distance in classic technique before a gear switch mid‑race to finish in freestyle. The cloud-covered race on a Dolomite mountain course familiar to World Cup competitors was on soft snow conditions in a relatively warm 5 Celsius (41 Fahrenheit). Jessie Diggins fell on a bend in the classic stage of the race, and finished in 8th place after a late surge.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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Source: “AOL Sports”