10 kilometres (Freestyle), Women

Sweden had won the first two women’s cross-country skiing events at Trentino, and Ebba Andersson and Frida Karlsson were considered the favorites. Karlsson had won the skiathlon at MiCo26 with Andersson second. At the 2025 World Championships, Andersson won gold, with Karlsson taking bronze behind now-retired Norwegian Therese Johaug. Also expected to challenge was American Jessie Diggins, the 2023 World Champion in the event who was better at freestyle, but who had injured ribs in the skiathlon and was an unknown quantity.

Karlsson dominated the event, taking an early lead and winning another gold by over 46 seconds ahead of silver medalist Andersson. Andersson was third at the second checkpoint behind Diggins, but Ebba pulled ahead to win silver as Diggins came home for the bronze medal. As Diggins finished she clutched her ribs in pain, and later noted, “I’ve been in a lot of pain.” It was Diggins fourth Olympic medal, winning gold in team sprint in 2018, and a silver and bronze in 2022.

Behind the medalists, Norway’s Astrid Slind, Heidi Weng, and Karoline Simpson-Larsen finished 4-5-6. Karlsson and Andersson continued the Swedish dominance of women’s cross-country skiing at Milano-Cortina 2026, as they would win five of the six women’s events, failing only in the relay when Andersson lost a ski early in her leg. Andersson would win four medals in Trentino, with gold in the 50 km, and silvers in this event, the skiathlon, and the relay, while Karlsson won the skiathlon and the 10 km, but had to withdraw from the 50 km, in which she was favored, after becoming sick and developing a fever on the day of the race.