The 29-year-old left the tent next to the finish area. Her smile was wide and her eyes were searching for her family, who were somewhere nearby.
After a moment, she met her family's gaze.
Then the tears came.
Sandra Näslund dove into the hugs that were being given out in the small ski resort in Italy. After celebrating with her family, including her father Patrik, the tears never stopped flowing down her cheeks.
“Tough road”
It's been a tough road to get here and I think having family close by was where it all broke down, she says.
I'm a person who shows my feelings. I also think that describes how much this means and what a tough journey it has been. It hasn't been obvious.
What were you thinking about when you hugged your family?
"It was just awesome to do it with them here on site. Four years ago they couldn't be there and to have them here as support and then be able to deliver," says Näslund, who won gold in Beijing 2022.
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I feel like I'm doing it a little for them too... All the work my dad put in.
Even though the light shone on Näslund at the finish, she comes from a different existence, where it was basically just dark. A nightmare of injuries where two difficult periods followed each other - the knee injury that ruined 2023-2024 and the fracture in the tibia that ruined 2024-2025.
“Not many glimmers of light”
The comeback, being able to continue competing and winning Olympic bronze in Italy, made Näslund almost feel like she was winning a medal of a completely different value.
It's tough to go through setbacks, then think you're back in good shape and then go through another injury. It takes a lot of mental strength to get through that and put in those hours.
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When was it the toughest?
It was probably at its worst when I hurt myself last time, last year in December. Then there weren't many glimmers of hope in the first few days.
Were you close to giving up?
There are a lot of thoughts going through your head, but I think you have to get into it, sort your thoughts, know what's what. Once I had done that, there was no question of me wanting to go back. But it's clear that it was a tough few weeks, a lot of rehab and a lot of headaches.
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How does it feel now?
"Better, absolutely," says Näslund, with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face.
Germany's Daniela Maier won gold and Switzerland's Fanny Smith took silver.
