“Incredible. I’m very proud”
Katharina Hennig races onto the podium at the ski marathon premiere
March 9, 2024, 3:34 p.m
Cross-country skiing Olympic champion Katharina Hennig crowns a fantastic race on Holmenkollen. Tenths of a second make the difference in the final sprint. Tens of thousands of fans cheer along the route and the 27-year-old is completely over the moon after the finish sprint.
Cross-country skiing Olympic champion Katharina Hennig reached the podium in the most difficult race of the season and, with third place in the “marathon” over 50 km on the legendary Holmenkollen, provided another highlight of the strong German season. In front of tens of thousands of fans in Oslo, the 27-year-old from Oberwiesenthal fought off the Austrian Theresa Stadlober in the finish sprint. Hennig reached the line 0.2 seconds ahead of her competitor.
“Simply unbelievable. I’m incredibly proud of myself. I’m very, very proud of myself for rocking it so much,” said Hennig on ARD after the feat. Victoria Carl came ninth, Katherine Sauerbrey came 17th. The Norwegians experienced a bitter defeat, as Astrid Öyre Slind, the best Norge runner, only came seventh. Hennig, Victoria Carl and the German cross-country skiing team are experiencing an outstanding winter with numerous podium finishes.
The confident winner after 2:20:20.3 hours in classic style was the Swede Frida Karlsson, who won at Holmenkollen for the second time after 2020. The former relay world champion was 1:19.3 minutes ahead of her compatriot Ebba Andersson at the finish, while Hennig was 1:25.3 behind on her third podium finish of the season.
The women’s 50 km race was held in the World Cup for the first time last year; previously, 30 km was the longest distance. For the first time ever, the race was held using classic technology. The women’s 50 will celebrate its World Cup debut in Trondheim in 2025 and will also be run at the Olympics in Milan and Cortina in 2026. The IOC has long been trying to align the men’s and women’s competition programs at the Summer and Winter Games. The men will compete in the traditional Holmenkollen race over 50 km on Sunday (10.30 a.m.).