Off the line, the women’s final in Davos was looking like a repeat of last year’s victory for Rosie Brennan (USA). But at the top of the steep hill, Brennan was brimming with lactic acid, tripped and added a shot of drama to the final heat. 

While the victory was lost, Brennan managed to fight her way to fourth place. 

But yet again, nobody could match Maja Dahlqvist. Hauling into her third World Cup sprint victory in a row this season, the 27-year-old Swede has made it clear that she is the queen of both classic and skate sprints. 

It might have looked easy, but Dahlqvist admitted that she had to dig deep to pull off the victory in Davos. 

“It was so tough. The course is harder than you think. I wanted to puke the whole way,” Dahlqvist said after the final. 

Home turf favorite Nadine Fänrich (SUI) was second, while Anamarija Lampic (SLO) snagged the last spot on the podium.  

Top 3 women, Sprint Free Davos
1. Maja Dahlqvist, Sweden, 2:43.89
2. Nadine Fähndrich, Switzerland, 2:44.23
3. Anamarija Lampic, Slovenia, 2:44.63

Complete results

Tomorrow, the World Cup in Davos continues with 10-kilomter skate for women.