Frida Karlsson Wins Gold Medal for Cross-Country Olympics 2026 10km + 10km Skiathlon

Frida Karlsson won the first of what Sweden hopes to be many gold medals in women's cross-country skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Karlsson blew away the field in the women's skiathlon on Saturday morning to win her first-ever individual Olympic medal.

Karlsson emerged from a leading group of Swedes to take a commanding advantage over the final two laps of the six-lap event.

The 26-year-old beat out fellow Swede Ebba Andersson by just under a minute. Norway's Heidi Weng claimed bronze.

Women's Skiathlon Results

1. Frida Karlsson (Sweden) - 53:45.2
2. Ebba Andersson (Sweden) - 54:36.2
3. Heidi Weng (Norway) - 55:11.9
4. Nadja Kaelin (Switzerland) - 55:36.7
5. Kerttu Niskanen (Finland) - 55:39.2

Full results can be found here on Olympics.com.

A Swedish victory wasn't a huge surprise since the European country swept the women's cross-country gold medals at the World Championships last year.

Karlsson and a few of her teammates broke out into a leading pack during the first three laps, which required the classic discipline of cross-country skiing. Karlsson took more control of the race when it switched over to the final three laps of freestyle skiing.

Ebba Andersson claimed second for Sweden, who could produce a double-digit medal tally in women's cross-country skiing alone.

Heidi Weng's bronze continued Norway's strong history in the cross-country skiing events.

Norway will be the biggest challenger to Sweden in the remaining five women's cross-country skiing events.

American Jessie Diggins, a three-time Olympic medalist, finished in eighth place. Diggins is expected to challenge for medals in the individual sprint and 30-kilometer freestyle, the two events she medaled in at the 2022 Winter Olympics.