For the first time in Olympic cross-country skiing history, the women will ski in the 50km race on Sunday at Milan Cortina 2026, after the distance was increased from 30km for gender parity.

While Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo has been dominating in the men’s events, Sweden has similarly provided Scandinavian power to the women’s cross-country events. With the best long-distance skiers, Norway and Sweden could ski to the top of the podium in the 50km mass start free event.

The athletes launching that final bid for Sweden are Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson. At these games, Karlsson won two individual gold medals, and Andersson won two individual silver medals. Between them, they have a 2025 World Championship and multiple World Cup podium finishes. On the Norwegian side, the favorite is Astrid Oeyre Slind. 

This will be the last Olympic appearance of Jessie Diggins, who will leave nothing on the table as she skis at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium. Diggins won silver in this event at the Beijing Games when it was raced with the freestyle technique and 30km. It was a storied moment for the American who was bedridden with food poisoning the day before. She has been working on her classic technique and could contend for a top-ten finish.

In the 50km classic, sometimes called the “ski marathon,” athletes ski six laps around an 8.3km (5.15-mile) course for a total distance of 31.1 miles. The event begins with a mass start with the highest-ranked athletes in the front positions. The first skier to cross the finish line is the winner.