The blue and yellow riders completely dominated in Norway.
It all ended with a Swedish double victory – and at the top of the podium stood a form-conscious Ebba Andersson. The victory was her first of the season.
After coming third in Saturday's skiathlon and thus securing his first podium finish of the winter, Andersson now emerged as the obvious protagonist of the race.
“Oh God”
In the 10 km freestyle, she set the tone right away – and halfway into the competition it was clear that no one would be able to threaten her.
I knew that the first part of the track suited me well. Then I heard that Moa (Ilar) was in good shape. Then I felt: Oh my god, I really have to push as hard as I can, Andersson tells Viaplay and continues:
I've had a solid start to the season but maybe I haven't really felt that that last bit has been there, especially the recovery. But I feel like it's now going in the direction I wanted. That makes you satisfied as an athlete.
“Treat her”
Moa Ilar continued her impressive start to the season and finished strong, crossing the finish line just two seconds behind Andersson to secure second place.
"It was a bit surprising. I was very slow in the warm-up. My legs didn't really jump," says Ilar.
A certain disappointment shone through in Ilar, despite the good placement.
Nice that it was enough for the podium but stumbling close to victory.
She describes what it was like to follow Ebba Andersson's riots.
It oscillated between hope and despair. She was strong at the end. I give her credit for that.
Close to Swedish triple
For a while, it even looked like it could become a Swedish triple.
Jonna Sundling was in third place for a long time, just over 19 seconds behind Andersson. But American Jessie Diggins came on strong at the end and snuck up on the Swede for the podium.
Sundling had to settle for fifth place. Frida Karlsson came in eighth. Emma Ribom came in 13th place and Maja Dahlqvist in 16th place.
"I felt like I didn't really have any energy in the race. I felt empty from the start," says a disappointed Frida Karlsson after the race.
Karlsson now has a chance to recharge his batteries. The star is looking forward to the next World Cup competition in Davos, Switzerland, next weekend. So is Ebba Andersson.
