Cross-country skiing · International
Sweden wins women's relay world title by seven tenths
Emma Ribom, Frida Karlsson, Ebba Andersson and Jonna Sundling secured Sweden's second women's relay world title ahead of Norway and Germany.
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Sweden takes a narrow team victory
Sweden won the women's 4x7.5 km relay at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships on 7 March, finishing just 0.7 seconds ahead of host nation Norway. Emma Ribom, Frida Karlsson, Ebba Andersson and Jonna Sundling recorded a winning time of 1 hour 15 minutes 41.5 seconds at Granåsen. Germany took bronze, 1 minute 13.4 seconds behind the Swedish quartet.
The result gave Sweden its second women's relay world title, following its 2019 victory in Seefeld. Norway had won the 2021 and 2023 editions and entered Trondheim as the defending champion. Sundling's anchor-leg recovery decided a contest in which the eventual winners had started the final leg more than 37 seconds behind.
A longer relay with both techniques
The four athletes each covered 7.5 km, giving the relay a total distance of 30 km. The first two legs used the classic technique and the final two the free technique. This was the first World Championships women's relay with 7.5 km legs, increasing each skier's distance from the previous 5 km format.
Norway's team comprised Heidi Weng, Astrid Øyre Slind, Therese Johaug and Kristin Austgulen Fosnæs. Germany fielded Pia Fink, Katharina Hennig, Helen Hoffmann and Victoria Carl. Sweden's line-up placed Ribom on the opening classic leg, Karlsson on the second classic leg, Andersson on the first free leg and Sundling on the final free leg. Each quartet completed the same combination of techniques and distances.
Sundling recovers the final-leg deficit
FIS reported that Sundling began the anchor leg more than 37 seconds behind Fosnæs. She reduced the deficit by more than 22 seconds in the first kilometre and reached the Norwegian after the first of the leg's two laps. Sweden then finished seven tenths of a second ahead. These checkpoints show the change from a Norwegian lead at the final exchange to a Swedish victory over the last 7.5 km.
The bronze-medal contest was also close. Germany's final deficit of 1:13.4 was only 0.5 seconds smaller than Finland's 1:13.9 in fourth place. Finland raced with Johanna Matintalo, Kerttu Niskanen, Krista Pärmäkoski and Jasmi Joensuu. Switzerland and the United States finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the official classification.
A fifth Swedish title and a Seefeld connection
FIS identified the relay as Sweden's fifth victory from the first five women's cross-country medal events in Trondheim. Sundling had won the individual sprint and the team sprint with Maja Dahlqvist. Andersson had won the 20 km skiathlon and the 10 km classic interval start.
Karlsson and Andersson had also belonged to Sweden's gold-medal team in Seefeld in 2019, alongside Charlotte Kalla and Stina Nilsson. The official result for that 4x5 km race records Sweden first in 55:21.0 and Norway second, 3.1 seconds behind. Six years later, two members of that quartet returned to the top of the podium in a longer relay, again with Norway taking silver after a close finish.
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