Womens 50km Mass Start: Ebba Andersson powers to historic Olympic gold
The womens 50km mass start ended with Ebba Andersson claiming the first Olympic 50km gold, a decisive victory that closed out the new longest women's race at the Games.
Womens 50km Mass Start: Andersson pulls clear after Weng fall
Andersson broke away when Norway's Heidi Weng fell after a ski change with almost 29km completed, then skied to gold by 2 minutes 15. 3 seconds. The race in Tesero marked the debut of the Olympic women's 50km, and Andersson became the first Swedish woman to win the event.
Podium, absences and race moments
Swiss skier Nadia Kaelin sprinted for bronze in a five-skier duel on the final uphill, finishing 6: 41. 5 minutes behind Andersson to take her second medal at the Games after a team sprint silver. Two-time Olympic medallist and 50km world champion Frida Karlsson and Jonna Sundling did not start because of illness; both had previously not raced beyond 30km at the Games.
Disqualification shocks results
Neutral athlete Dariya Nepryaeva was disqualified after the race for taking the wrong skis in the change zone — she had initially been placed 11th before the DQ. The skis involved belonged to German Katarina Hennig Dotzler; the German team prepared a new set and Hennig Dotzler went on to finish ninth. Hennig Dotzler said she realized there was a wrong pair at the exchange and used a third- or fourth-choice set, adding she felt it made no sense to dwell on it and needed to stay focused.
Andersson described the victory as a long-held dream and reflected on patience and trusting the process after a run of podiums at the Games: she had silver medals in the 10km, the skiathlon and the relay earlier in the meet. She has also collected relay silver and bronze from the 2018 and 2022 world championships.
The womens 50km mass start will be recorded as the first Olympic running of the event, with Andersson's gold completing an otherwise dominant Swedish showing in the women's cross-country program. Weng, who called the 50km "too long, " said she was pleased to complete a medal set after relay gold and skiathlon bronze but lost power after changing skis in the second half.
Race officials completed a post-race disqualification of Nepryaeva for the equipment mix-up, and final standings were adjusted to reflect that decision. The Games' cross-country schedule continued with other events and medal ceremonies following the 50km finish in Tesero.
