Swedish medical team: Frida Karlsson is not fit to race the 30-kilometer skate race at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday.

Swedish cross-country star Frida Karlsson will not race the 30-kilometer skate race on Sunday, which is the final cross-country event at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. 

Coming into the Beijing Olympics as one of the favorites to the medals in the distance events, the 22-year-old has had a rough time in Zhangjiakou. 

Karlsson was fifth at the 15-kilometer skiathlon, but finished 42.5 seconds behind gold medal winner Therese Johaug. In the 10-kilometer classic event, she was 12th, nearly a minute and a half behind Johaug. 

Considering Karlsson’s performances at the Beijing Olympics, and her condition after those events, the Swedish medical team and coaching staff have not named her to the team for the 30-kilometer. 

“The medical assessment is that she needs more recovery. She could race the 30-kilometer, but our opinion is that it is better for her to sit out the event in a long-term perspective,” says Jan Wall, head physician in the Swedish national team. 

Conditions for the 30-kilometer skate race on Sunday are expected to be particularly brutal: frigid temperatures combined with high altitude and a grueling course make the 30-kilometer in Zhangjiakou one of the most demanding skate marathons ever. 

“The team selection is based on an overall assessment of the racer’s fitness and condition at this point, and recovery is a major part of the decision,” says Sweden’s national team director Anders Byström. 

This is Sweden’s team to the 30-kiometer skate event at the Beijing Olympics

The women’s 30-kilometer skate race is a mass start event, and takes place at 7:30 am on Sunday, February 20. Check out the start lists and race details. 

FACTS: 2022 OLYMPICS 
What: XXIV Olympic Winter Games (24th edition)
Beijing 2022 – All you need to know 
Where: Beijing, China
Biathlon, cross-country skiing and Nordic events will take place at the Zhangjiakou arena, situated at and above 1650 meters above sea level. 
When: February 4 to 20, 2022
What happens when: 
Complete schedule for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, all sports. 
Who: 53 cross-country teams compete at the 2022 Olympics, each fielding from 1 to 16 athletes. 
All the cross-country ski teams to the Beijing Winter Olympics 
How: Where to watch the Olympics – World Wide

Results, start lists and competition details for all events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics will be posted here

Beijing Olympics homepage