Norway wins women’s cross-country skiing relay gold, Sweden rallies for silver after falls

TESERO, Italy — Stay upright.

That was the key to gold in the women’s cross-country skiing relay on Saturday, as wet, slushy conditions landed Sweden in second and Norway at the top of the podium for its second women’s cross-country skiing medal of these Olympics and first gold. Finland picked up its first cross-country skiing medal with bronze.

Sweden entered this race as the strong favorite, having won three golds, three silvers and one bronze in all three prior competitions. However, on the second leg, four-time Olympic medalist Ebba Andersson fell, dropping Sweden into third before working her way back up. She then fell again, breaking a ski and half-running, half-skiing to a coach who handed her a new one, before promptly falling himself in the slippery snow.

Frida Karlsson and Jonna Sundling later did the remarkable, bringing Sweden back onto the podium for its fourth Olympic silver in Italy, with Sundling crossing the line 50.9 seconds behind Norway’s Heidi Weng after the earlier efforts of Kristin Austgulen Fosnæs, Astrid Øyre Slind and Karoline Simpson-Larsen.

Germany, considered a potential medal contender in this event, crossed in fourth, while the U.S. placed fifth with Jessie Diggins closing it out on the fourth leg.

This story will be updated.