Bad luck in a nail-biting finish
Bitter! Stadlober’s bronze hunt remains unrewarded
On Sunday, Teresa Stadlober was just seconds away from a medal in the 50-kilometer race. After fighting for a medal in the chasing group until the very end, the Salzburg native ultimately finished sixth. The gold medal went to Sweden's Ebba Anderson, with Heidi Weng from Norway taking second place. The podium was completed by Switzerland's Nadja Kälin.
The Swiss athlete led a group in the battle for bronze, which also included Stadlober. "I don't think I had the day to do it on my own," said the only Austrian in the race on ORF. "I fought hard and gave it my all, I can't blame myself for anything." She was happy for Kälin: "It's really cool to see someone else on the podium for a change." She herself still has to come to terms with missing out on the podium. "There will definitely be a few tears. You hope that today will be the day. It wasn't."
Field fragmented early on
After the withdrawal of Swedish favorite Frida Karlsson and her compatriot Jonna Sundling, Stadlberger's chances had increased. She had won the first ÖOC medal at the 2022 Beijing Games with a bronze in the skiathlon, and now she was going for the last one in Milan/Cortina. And already at kilometer four, the 33-year-old broke away with Andersson, Weng, and American Jessie Diggins. However, at the start of the third of seven laps, Andersson and Weng broke away from this small leading group, and Diggins fell behind. From then on, Stadlober ran alone in third place.
She managed to do so until the end of lap four, when the ÖOC athlete, who had started the race with a slight cold and apparently not quite optimal skis, briefly stumbled on the most difficult climb. From kilometer 28 onwards, Stadlober found herself in a group of five, which included the original chasing duo of Kerttu Niskanen from Finland and Kristin Fosnaes from Norway, as well as Kälin and Diggins, who had moved up again in her last Olympic competition. Veteran Astrid Slind from Norway had already dropped out in the second lap.
Ski change as a tactical element
Diggins had changed skis early on, and Andersson, Weng, and Fosnaes did the same on the fourth lap. Stadlober decided not to change, probably so as not to lose touch with the group. Andersson fell immediately after changing skis, but quickly caught up with Weng again and launched her decisive attack for gold shortly afterwards. This is the 28-year-old's first Olympic victory after four silver medals and one bronze. At these Games alone, she finished second three times – in the skiathlon, the 10 km skating event, and the relay after a fall.
In the battle for bronze, Stadlober, Kälin, and Niskanen changed skis after the fifth lap, allowing Diggins, who had fallen behind again, to pass the trio. However, she and Fosnaes were soon caught up again, and the group of five was back together. Weng may have missed out on her first Olympic individual gold medal, but for the 34-year-old, this is her third medal at these Games after the relay victory and skiathlon silver. The Swedes are the dominant team, however, with titles in all races except the cross-country relay.
ÖOC finishes with 18 medals
In sunny and perfect weather, Andersson celebrated her triumph 2:15.3 minutes ahead of Weng. In the battle for third place, Stadlober was 14.2 seconds behind. In the penultimate lap, she tried to break away from the group, which was soon joined by Poland's Eliza Rucka-Michalek, but the pursuers of the top two remained together almost until the end. Kälin pulled away shortly before the finish and unexpectedly won bronze with a time of 6:41.5 minutes. She had already won silver in the team sprint.
Stadlober finishes her fourth Games with four top ten places in four events. She finished seventh and ninth in the 10 km skating and skiathlon, respectively, and tenth in the relay. "They were definitely good races. But when you've been on the podium so often, you hope for a podium finish. I've also been in the top ten so many times at the Olympic Games." She left open whether she will still be competing in France in 2030. "Four more years is tough. I'll definitely do the World Championships for another year. Otherwise, I can look back on my Olympic career with satisfaction."
The ÖOC team thus finishes these Games with 18 medals, as it did in Beijing in 2022, exactly meeting the target set by ÖOC President Horst Nussbaumer. There were five gold and five bronze medals, as well as eight silver medals. This result was already certain on Thursday, with no further podium places added on the last three days of competition. Austria leaves these Games with a total of 99 Olympic gold medals from the Summer and Winter Games combined, and now has the chance to win its 100th at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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