Gangwon 2024: Italy's Federico Pozzi and Elsa Taenglander of Sweden claim gold in cross-country skiing sprint competitions
Five nationalities were represented on the podium in sprints at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Gangwon. Sweden took both gold and silver in the women's event.
Cross-Country Skiing
Federico Pozzi (Italy) and Elsa Taenglander (Sweden) triumphed in the cross-country skiing sprint freestyle races on Monday (29 January) Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
The Alpensia Biathlon Centre hosted the competitions, where skiers took on a 1.4km course.
Taenglander started the day by setting the fastest time in the women's qualification, and then won her quarter-final and semi-final.
In the final, Taenglander was again the strongest. Her compatriot Kajsa Johansson secured silver ahead of Finland's Nelli-Lotta Karppelin, who took bronze.
"It's really special to win gold," Taenglander told Olympics.com. "I didn't think that would happen when I woke up this morning. It was a tough race, the competition was hard. The track suited me very well, because there was an ascent in the beginning. It feels really good to be able to win."
For the men, Pozzi was the runner-up in the qualification, the quarter-final, and the semi-final, before crossing the finish line first in the final sprint of the day.
"From the quarter-finals I changed tactics," Pozzi said after his win. "I decided to stay behind and then go all-in on the sprint. And let's say it worked. Before the race I had no expectations. The main objective was just to go fast. My dad, who is a former cross-country skier himself, told me before the race: 'do well and give everything you have'."
Germany's Jakob Moch was second, while Tabor Greenberg of the United States claimed the last spot on the podium.
Cross-country skiing continues on Tuesday (30 January) with the men’s and women’s 7.5km classic style competitions.
How to watch cross-country skiing competition at Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games
The cross-country skiing action at Gangwon 2024 will be streamed live on Olympics.com with dedicated feeds, as well as on the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
You can also watch full replays on demand on Olympics.com and catch highlights across the official Olympics social media accounts.