Swedish skier Frida Karlsson, the favorite for the women's 50km mass start race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, has withdrawn due to illness. The 26-year-old, who won gold in the 20km skiathlon and 10km freestyle earlier in the Games, missed Friday's training with cold symptoms. Her absence opens the field for teammates and rivals like Jessie Diggins of the United States.
Frida Karlsson's withdrawal came on Saturday evening, just before Sunday morning's women's mass start 50km race, marking the first time women will compete over this distance in Olympic history. A spokesperson for the Swedish team confirmed to The Athletic that Karlsson was suffering from "cold and fever" and would not participate. The skier, aged 26, later shared a photo on Instagram captioned "fever," accompanied by two broken heart emojis and a white flag.
Karlsson had dominated the opening week, securing gold medals in the 20km skiathlon and the 10km interval start freestyle event. However, she skipped Friday's final training session after developing cold symptoms. Respiratory illnesses pose significant challenges in cross-country skiing, given the sport's intense aerobic and anaerobic requirements.
The news disrupts Sweden's strong performance in the women's events, where the team has won all but one race so far. Gold medals in women's cross-country have been shared exclusively between Sweden and Norway up to this point. Karlsson's teammate Ebba Andersson, who experienced a crash in last week's 4x7.5km relay that likely cost Sweden a gold, now emerges as a top contender.
American Jessie Diggins, competing in her final Olympic race, stands to benefit. She earned silver in the 30km event at the 2022 Beijing Games and leads the current World Cup standings. Although the 50km will use the classical style rather than Diggins' preferred skate technique, the extended distance may suit her strengths.
Illness has also impacted the men's 50km race on Saturday, won by Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo for his sixth gold and a historic sweep of the men's events. Withdrawals included the United States' Ben Ogden, a two-time silver medalist here, and Italy's Federico Pellegrino in his last Games; Finland's Iivo Niskanen quit after the second lap.
