Norwegian cross-country skier Ragnhild Gloersen Haga won the first-ever women’s 50km mass start race at the Nordic World Cup after posting a time of 2:13:36.1 hours. The 32-year-old Ragnhild Gloersen Haga triumphed after a fierce sprint with her compatriot Astrid Oyre Slind and Jessie Diggins (USA).
This is also the first individual victory in the World Cup for Ragnhild Gloersen Haga, and until now she has only one podium.
“This is my best race since the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. I had so many tough moments”, said Ragnhild Gloersen Haga. “I planned this race, but I never thought or dreamed that I would do so well. This victory means a lot to me”, added she.
Astrid Oyre Slind, who was excellent at 30km last week, was now leading from the middle lane but was overtaken by Ragnhild Gloersen Haga at the last minute, while Jessie Diggins, aggressive and chasing bonus points throughout the race, finished third. Astrid Oyre Slind was only 0.3 sec behind, and third Jessie Diggins finished 0.5 sec behind the winner.
For today’s winner, who is the Olympic champion in 10km freestyle, it is also the first victory in the World Cup, both individually and team.
Fourth in today’s race was Teresa Stadlober (Austria), followed by three more Norwegians – Nora Sanness, Margrethe Bergane, and Tiril Udnes Weng. The Top 10 was completed by Kerttu Niskanen (Finland), Patricija Eiduka (Latvia) and Eveliina Piippo (Finland)
Tiril Udnes Weng (Norway) leads the World Cup standings with 1,635 points, ahead of Jessie Diggins (USA) with 1,548 points and Kerttu Niskanen (Finland) is third with 1,470 points.
