The team sprint has been part of the Olympic program since the 2006 Turin Games. Four years ago in Beijing,

"[Swedish competitor] Jonna [Sundling] set a hard pace right from the start. It was a real challenge. It's a proper course, my legs were full of lactic acid," said Pulles after the final. "The finish went quite nicely, but it could have been a bit longer, because then we could have caught two competitors," Kaasiku added.

In this event, both members of each team ski individually, with the qualifiers decided based on combined times.

26 pairs lined up at the start of qualification, with Estonia represented by Mariel Merlii Pulles and Keidy Kaasiku (bib 12).

Eventual winners Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist were quickest for Sweden with a time of 6:29.94, 31.44 seconds ahead of the Estonian pair.

Kaasiku told ERR after qualifying that the goal was to try and beat the 12th place set at the last world championships.

Pulles and Kaasiku looked like they might attain that, as they hovered around the top 10 over the nine-kilometer course, but ultimately finished in 12th place (1:04.96 behind the winning pair).

Sweden did not falter in the final, going on to win after leading for almost the entire distance. Swiss pair Nadja Kälin and Nadine Fähndrich, who won silver, were 1.40 seconds behind, while bronze went to Germany's Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek.

Men's team fail to qualify

Meanwhile in the men's qualification, 27 pairs started, with Karl Sebastian Dremljuga and Martin Himma racing for Estonia (wearing bib 16).

Sadly, the pair failed to reach the top 15, as their combined time of 6:05.36 put them in 18th place, about eight seconds short of advancing to the final.

"I tried to ski my own race. Without knowing the result, it felt okay, I distributed my energy better than in the sprint. The course was fast and that suited me. There was a slight stiffness at the top of the climb, but it was okay," Himma said after qualifying. "Today the track conditions were relatively fast, so if you're technically sloppy it punishes you quickly. Overall, the Olympics were still a disappointment for me," Dremljuga added.

Norway's human medal minter Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and his compatriot Einar Hedegart won, over Germany, with local competitors Italy adding another medal, this time bronze, to the collection.

This was Klæbo's fifth gold medal at the Milano Cortina Games alone, and the tenth Olympic gold of his career.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!