Maja Dahlqvist wasn't even supposed to run the sprint relay. The competition within the Swedish cross-country team was so fierce that an Olympic bronze in the individual sprint wasn't enough to secure a place.
But then Linn Svahn, who won the Olympic sprint, fell ill. Suddenly Dahlqvist was thrown in alongside Jonna Sundling, silver medalist in the individual sprint.
It was a success for the blue and yellow team anyway, and now Dahlqvist is an Olympic gold medalist for the first time.
"This feels very good. I will sleep with it (the medal) on my pillow tonight," says Dahlqvist.
“Here I am!”
Sundling sent Dahlqvist out on the final stretch with a solid lead. Towards the end, Swiss Nadine Fähndrich closed in at an alarming rate, but Dahlqvist says she had a good eye on the situation and an extra gear if needed.
I was never really worried, even though she came very fast at the end. It's like when Jonna and I are racing together, they have to work to catch up, and if they do, I can shift up.
In Beijing 2022, Maja Dahlqvist won two silver and one bronze in her three starts. She thought it would be her first and last Olympic appearance.
Yes, I actually thought so. But "Here I am!" I'm very happy about that. It's been very, very fun to be at another Olympics.
Four years ago, Dahlqvist and Sundling took silver in the Olympic sprint relay despite being heavy favorites. This time, no one could stop the duo.
We know we are favorites on paper. But in China we were second, and it's not just about showing off our skis. The fact that we managed to win the gold today is a very big deal. We are very proud, happy and relieved.
Be ready to jump in
Being thrown in as a reserve for Linn Svahn was no shock. Dahlqvist was ready when the news came.
I had prepared myself in case something happened. So it was lucky. And considering that I didn't plan on competing at this championship anymore, it was no problem to motivate myself to be a reserve.
The final 50-kilometre race on Sunday doesn't interest her. So now Maja Dahlqvist's Olympic career can probably be considered over.
Yes, I think so. At least that's how it feels now. And it feels really good. I've won a medal in every race I've competed in at the Olympics, but never a gold until now. So it feels great.
Born: April 15, 1994 in Borlänge (31 years old).
Sport: cross-country skiing.
Club/association: Falun-Borlänge SK.
Achievements: Olympic gold in sprint relay 2026. Three World Championship golds in sprint relay (2019, 2021, 2025). Olympic silver in sprint and sprint relay 2022, Olympic bronze in relay 2022. World Championship bronze in sprint and relay 2023. Two overall victories in the Sprint Cup (2022, 2023).
