Norway's Filip Skari won the men's sprint free gold at the FIS U23 World Ski Championships in Lillehammer after favorite Oskar Opstad Vike crashed in the final. Sweden's Elin Henriksson took the women's title ahead of two Norwegians, while France's Margot Tirloy and Léonie Perry finished just off the podium.
The FIS U23 World Ski Championships in Lillehammer, Norway, delivered dramatic finishes in the sprint free events on March 3, 2026. In the men's final, Oskar Opstad Vike, who earned bronze in the sprint classic at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, dominated early. The 22-year-old Norwegian set the fastest qualifying time and won his quarter-final and semi-final, opening a lead at the top of the course. However, he lost balance and fell at high speed on the final downhill descent to the Birkebeiner stadium, failing to finish.
Filip Skari, also from Norway, capitalized on the mishap to secure gold. The 21-year-old, who finished eighth in a World Cup sprint in Oberhof in January, expressed mixed emotions post-race. “I did a great race, but I’m not able to be happy today because I was not the best,” Skari said. “I feel really sad for Oskar, because he’s such a great guy and he was the best today.” Germany's Elias Keck earned silver, 1.11 seconds behind, after qualifying as a lucky loser. “I didn’t expect it, actually,” Keck noted. Switzerland's Roman Alder took bronze, 2.50 seconds off the pace, calling it “a crazy sprint.” Sweden's Erik Bergstroem placed fifth after his own crash on the descent.
In the women's final, Sweden's Elin Henriksson claimed gold, upgrading her bronze from last year's U23 championships. She overtook early leader Mina Sofie Kjaeraas Moland on the last climb to win by 0.20 seconds. “It’s lovely. I feel so happy,” Henriksson said. Moland took silver on home snow, where she has trained for six years, while teammate Helene Ekrheim Haugen secured bronze. France's Margot Tirloy finished fourth and Léonie Perry fifth, impacted by a near-crash on a climb. Liv Coupat was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
French men Quentin Viguier and Ivan Essonnier exited in qualifying, placing 42nd and 46th.
