Frida Karlsson thanked her competitors for following her after three miles and took a superior victory in history’s second 50 kilometer race for women. Astrid Øyre Slind was the best Norwegian runner in seventh place.
– This was great fun, and there is a sea of people out there. It is a shame that there is not five miles every year from now on, said Slind in the interview with TV 2 after the finish.
It is hotly debated whether the Kollen-femmila have the right to life on the women’s side. Heidi Weng is one of several runners who are very critical of going this far.
Next season there will be no five miles in Kollen. The reason is that it would have come so close after the five-mile during the WC in Granåsen. The question is whether it will be resurrected in 2026 and the years that follow.
The critics against the five thousand point to, among other things, a fear of low participation.
Knockout
At least Frida Karlsson won on Saturday in the Swedish cross-country prodigy’s very first meeting with the power test in Kollen. She did not participate when the women went five miles for the first time last season.
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– I would say that this is a technical knockout. She simply skis much better than the others, said TV 2 expert Petter Soleng Skinstad on the channel’s broadcast.
– What a race. She does things right and attacks at the right time. Simply raw, was the verdict from Petter Northug.
Ebba Andersson ensured a Swedish double victory, while German Katharina Hennig took third place. Astrid Øyre Slind was unable to keep up in the battle for the podium places and ended up in a disappointing seventh place.
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Extra gear
Frida Karlsson was part of the front group in the race until three miles had been completed. Then the 24-year-old from Sollefteå put in an extra gear and quickly got a solid gap on the other victory candidates.
After that, Karlsson almost seemed to have inexhaustible energy. She kept her style all the way in and was never close to letting her pursuers in on her.
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At the finish, the margin of victory was a formidable one minute and 19 seconds.
Thus, this year’s Kollen five-mile for women was a completely different affair to the historic edition a year ago. Then there was a sprint battle for the victory from a small group of runners. Ragnhild Haga eventually clinched the victory ahead of Astrid Øyre Slind.
Victory number ten
On Saturday, Slind was the only one of the Norwegian runners who stayed in the group behind the superb Karlsson for a long time. The other home hopefuls had a hard day at work.
Partly loose and difficult conditions made Saturday’s race a rare test of strength.
The victory was Karlsson’s tenth individual in the World Cup. The previous one came at the 20-kilometer classic style in Canmore, Canada, at the beginning of February.