Swedish Women’s Sprint Relay Team Dominates Davos Final, While Second Team Faces Disappointment

At the Davos sprint relay event, the Swedish women's teams showed contrasting fortunes with the first team securing a commanding victory, while the second team finished fifth amidst disappointment.

In the final, the team comprising Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist dominated the race, winning by a clear margin of 3.3 seconds. Dahlqvist's strong performance in the final leg established a significant lead that Sundling confidently expanded. Sundling expressed her satisfaction, saying, “It was a perfect gap. I just needed to go fast. I am happy.” Expert Teodor Peterson from Viaplay praised the duo, highlighting Dahlqvist’s key role in creating the gap for Sundling’s win.

Earlier in the qualifiers, all Swedish teams, including two women’s teams, advanced successfully to the final. The pair of Sundling and Dahlqvist recorded the fastest women’s qualifying time, edging out the second Swedish female duo—Linn Svahn and Emma Ribom—by 0.4 seconds.

However, the second Swedish women’s team did not find the same success in the final. Emma Ribom openly expressed her frustration after their fifth-place finish, nearly six seconds behind the winners. She admitted struggling during the last curve and feeling emotionally drained, stating, “I lay in the snow and was emotional for quite a while. I would have liked to stay there.” Despite the setback, Ribom indicated her body felt good and remained competitive, acknowledging the challenge of the Davos altitude. Her teammate Linn Svahn, affected by brain fatigue, minimized media interactions but shared the team’s disappointment over what she described as a “a bit choppy” race.

Looking ahead, both Ribom and Svahn view the upcoming individual sprint competition as an opportunity to bounce back and improve after their relay experience at Davos.