​Two-time Olympian Rosie Fordham now has the two highest individual World Cup finishes ever by an Australian cross‑country skier, following a 16th‑place result in the 20km mass start free event at the World Cup Final in Lake Placid, USA.
 
Fordham had already set the record for the best ever individual result by an Australian in December, when she finished 13th in the 10km free World Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
 
In Lake Placid, Fordham crossed the line 25.2 seconds behind event winner Jonna Sundling of Sweden to secure 16th place. She was also the leading Australian in the 10km interval start classic, finishing 44th and was 57th in the women’s sprint.
 
In the men’s sprint event, Lars Young Vik finished in 44th, with Olympic teammate Hugo Hinckfuss 52nd.
 
Result summary from Lake Placid
           
Women's 10km Interval Start Classic           
Rosie Fordham – 44th
Phoebe Cridland – 52nd
Maddie Hooker – DNF
           
Men's 10km Interval Start Classic    
Seve De Campo – 57th
Hugo Hinckfuss – 74th
 
Women's Sprint Qualification                      
Rosie Fordham – 57th
Phebe Cridland – 59th
           
Men's Sprint Qualification    
Lars Young Vik – 44th
Hugo Hinckfuss – 52nd
Seve De Campo 74th
 
Women's 20km Mass Start Free      
Rodie Fordham – 16th
Phoebe Cridland – 55th
 
Men's 20km Mass Start Free
Lars Young Vik – 74th
Hugo Hinckfuss – 75th
Seve De Campo – 77th

Australia has celebrated a historic milestone in cross-country skiing, with Lars Young Vik and Hugo Hinckfuss qualifying ninth overall to become the nation’s first-ever Olympic Team Sprint finalists.  

On the demanding course in Val di Fiemme at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Australian duo delivered composed and powerful performances to finish well inside the top 15 nations required to progress to the final.  

Article courtesy olympics.com.au ​

In the final, the duo finished 14th after three fast-paced laps of the course each. It marks a significant breakthrough for Australian cross-country skiing on the Olympic stage. 

The Australian women’s team of Rosie Fordham and Phoebe Cridland placed 18th in the qualification rankings. The pair showed strong form throughout, however Cridland was unfortunate to fall in the finishing straight.  

Lars Young Vik admitted afterwards that while it may not have felt like the race of his life physically, the result speaks for itself. 

“Result-wise, probably yes. I was so nervous. In the first part I was thinking, ‘Am I fast enough?’ But I knew I had a lot of energy in the tank, and I could really push over those two hills. That was really cool.” 

He reflected that some of his World Cup races last season, where he hovered around 30th, may have felt stronger physically. 

“I’ve been feeling a bit off the past month, and it’s starting to get better now. But result-wise, this is definitely the best.” 

Hugo Hinckfuss was full of praise for his teammate. 

“That was incredible. Lars did everything. Seeing him on that first leg, he really set the standard for us as a country. Mentally, the job was done, and I just had to do what I could. I’m so impressed and so happy with how he skied today.” 

For Hinckfuss, the result was about more than just one race. 

“We’ve been waiting for this day for four years. The Olympics haven’t gone how we hoped, and our motto was, ‘Save the season.’ Today we’re saving the season. We’re trying to make everyone proud at home. I’m just so proud of Lars.” 

Sweden’s Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist claimed victory in the women’s Team Sprint, ahead of Switzerland’s Nadja Kälin and Nadine Fähndrich in second, and Germany’s Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek in third.  

In the men’s event, Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Einar Hedegart took the win, marking Klæbo’s fifth Olympic gold medal of the Games, with the United States pairing of Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher finishing second, and Italy’s Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino rounding out the podium in third.

​​Ellen Søhol Lie, Maddie Hooker, Hugo Hinckfuss and Lars Vik Young took on the 2026 Milano Cortina classic sprint overnight. ​

In cross-country sprint racing, the fastest 30 athletes from the men’s and women’s qualification rounds advance to the knockout stages, progressing through the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. 

Article courtesy olympics.com.au

The Olympic course features two short, sharp climbs followed by a long, decisive uphill. From there, athletes navigated a fast right-hand sweeper before charging back into the stadium for the final sprint to the finish line. 

 In rapidly warming conditions, the 1.6km track initially firm after an overnight freeze gradually slowed throughout the morning. 

The Aussie quartet delivered historic results, with Hugo Hinckfuss placing 42nd, the best-ever Olympic sprint result in Australian history. Lars Vik Young recorded an equal second-best Australian Olympic sprint result, finishing 51st out of 95 athletes. Ellen Søhol Lie finished 50th, an equal second-best-ever result by an Australian woman in a sprint, while Maddie Hooker skied a strong race to 67th place out of 89 athletes. 

After illness earlier in the season, Lars Vik Young said: “The skis are really good. It's the best I've felt physically in a really long time, so that's good.” Looking ahead, he added: “The team skate sprint is my favourite, so the shape's coming.” 

Ellen Søhol Lie said: “I actually enjoyed the race. We had good skis and good grip, that was fantastic, and the crowd was good.” Looking ahead to the 10km skate on the 12th, she added: “There's a lot of uphill, so I'm looking forward to the downhills. I'm looking forward to a good race where I hopefully can use my power wisely.” 

In the women’s event, Sweden dominated the final, with Linn Svahn taking gold, followed by Jonna Sundling, while Maja Dahlqvist rounded out the podium. 

Norwegian great, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo claimed his second gold medal of the Games, followed by American, Ben Ogden, with Norwegian, Oskar Opstad Vike completing the podium. 

The Australian Cross Country Ski Team has wrapped up its final pre‑Olympic World Cup event of the season, taking to the trails of Goms, Switzerland.
 
Rosie Fordham and Ellen Soehol delivered a standout performance in the women’s team sprint, finishing 17th, marking the pair’s best result in the team sprint event on the World Cup circuit.
 
Australian Results – Goms World Cup
Women’s Team Sprint
• 17th – Rosie Fordham & Ellen Soehol Lie
Men’s Team Sprint
• 24th – Hugo Hinckfuss & Lars Young Vik
Women’s Individual Sprint
• 62nd – Ellen Soehol Lie
• 66th – Maddie Hooker
• 69th – Tuva Bygrave
Men’s Individual Sprint
• 53rd – Hugo Hinckfuss
• 57th – Lars Young Vik
Women’s 20km Mass Start Classic
• 43rd – Rosie Fordham
• 48th – Maddie Hooker
Men’s 20km Mass Start Classic
• 62nd – Hugo Hinckfuss
• 64th – Seve de Campo

Lars Young Vik has finished 31st in the sprint event at the final World Cup of the season in Lahti, Finland, just missing the 30-man final by two hundredths of a second.
 
The result is a personal best for Young Vik on World Cup and Australia’s best male sprint performance since Phillip Bellingham made the top-30 in January 2018 just prior to the PyeongChang Olympics where he finished 29th. 
 
Young Vik also teamed up with 2022 Olympian Seve De Campo to finish in 26th place in the men’s team sprint.
 
A midweek World Cup took place prior to Lahti, in Tallinn, Estonia, where Young Vik was 53rd.
 
No Australian women competed in the final two events, due to a combination of illness and university commitments.
 
Australian Result Summary
 
Tallinn, Estonia
Men’s Sprint
Lars Young Vik – 53rd
Bently Walker-Broose – 75th
Fedele De Campo – 81st
 
Lahti, Finland
 
Men’s Sprint
Lars Young Vik – 31st
Seve De Campo – 77th
Fedele De Campo – 94th
 
Men’s Team Sprint
Lars Young Vik/Seve De Campo – 26th
 
50km Mass Start Classic
Seve De Campo – 59th
Lars Young Vik - 65th
Fedele De Campo - 68th

It’s been a highly successful World championships for the Australian Cross Country Ski Team in Trondheim, Norway, where Australians skied to best ever individual and team result performances at the World Championship level.
 
Competing in front of fanatical Norwegian crowds of up to 100,000 spectators, the locals were ecstatic to witness hometown superstar Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo win an incredible six gold medals from six events.
 
Rosie Fordham claimed a 20th place finish in the women’s 50km Mass Start Free, the best ever finish in an individual distance. Fordham was also a member of the women’s Team Sprint alongside Ellen Soehol Lie finishing 15th, the first time an Australian team has made a championship final.
 
The women’s 4x7.5km relay team featuring Fordham, Soehol Lie, Tuva Bygrave and Phoebe Cridland placed 12th, the best World Championship relay result  for an Australian team.
 
In the men’s event, the individual highlight was Lars Young Vik finishing 33rd in the men’s sprint, just missing the finals (top 30) by 0.21 of a second. No Australian has ever made the Sprint finals at the World Championships.
 
The men's relay team also finished 20th in team sprint and the 4x7.5km relay.
 
Full results below.
 
7.5km Classic Women’s (Qualification Event)

• Phoebe Cridland 4th (top-10 needed to qualify for individual)

 
7.5km Classic Men’s (Qualification Event)

• Liam Burton 24th

 
Sprint Free Women’s

• Rosie Fordham 44th
• Phoebe Cridland 55th
• Ellen Soehol Lie 57th
• Tuva Bygrave 60th

 
Sprint Free Men’s

• Lars Young Vik 33rd
• Phillip Bellingham 63rd
• Bentley Walker-Broose 65th
• Fedele De Campo 102nd

 
20km Skiathlon Classic/Free Women’s

• Rosie Fordham 38th
• Ellen Soehol Lie DNF
• Tuva Bygrave 51st

 
20km Skiathlon Classic/Free Men’s

• Bentley Walker-Broose 79th
• Phillip Bellingham 87th
• Fedele De Campo 90th

 
10km Interval Start Classic Women’s

• Rosie Fordham 37th
• Phoebe Cridland 41st
• Ellen Soehol Lie 42nd
• Tuva Bygrave 44th

 
10km Interval Start Classic Men’s

• Seve De Campo 52nd
• Lars Young Vik 75th

• Bentley Walker-Broose 83rd
• Fedele De Campo 88th
• Liam Burton 122nd

 
Team Sprint Classic Women’s

• Australia (Rosie Fordham & Ellen Soehol Lie) 15th

 
Team Sprint Classic Men’s

• Australia (Lars Young Vik & Seve De Campo) 20th

 
4 x 4.75km Relay Classic/Free Women’s

• Australia (Tuva Bygrave, Ellen Soehol Lie, Rosie Fordham, Phoebe Cridland) 12th

 
4 x 4.75km Relay Classic/Free Men’s

• Australia (Seve De Campo, Lars Young Vik, Bentley Walker-Broose, Fedele De Campo) 20th

50km Mass Start Free Women’s

• Rosie Fordham 20th
• Tuva Bygrave 32nd

 
50km Mass Start Free Men’s

• Seve De Campo 50th
• Phillip Bellingham 60th
• Bentley Walker-Broose 65th
• Fedele De Campo 70th

Congratulations to the athletes, their coaches, and staff together with Snow Australia and everyone in the Australian cross country skiing community on these outstanding results and a most successful championships.

The Cross Country Skiing World Cup tour was in Cogne, Italy, over the weekend, with Australian athletes competing in the team sprint, individual sprint and 10km interval start free events.
 
In the team sprint events, the Australia 1 men’s team of Hugo Hinckfuss and Lars Young Vik did well, finishing in 22nd place from a field of 34 teams, and the women’s team of Rosie Fordham and Tuva Bygrave were 19th from a field of 21.
 
Rosie Fordham the highest place individual finisher in 37th in the women’s 10km interval start free.
 
Fordham and Hinckfuss will remain in Italy for the Under 23 World Championships, taking place in Schilpario from February 3 to 9.
 
Result Summary
 
Women’s Team Sprint Classic
Rosie Fordham/Tuva Bygrave – 19th
 
Men’s Team Sprint Classic
Hugo Hinckfuss/Lars Young Vik – 22nd
Bentley Walker-Broose/Fedele De Campo 31st
 
Women’s Sprint Classic
Tuva Bygrave – 55th
Phoebe Cridland – 56th
 
Men’s Sprint Classic
Lars Young Vik – 48th
Hugo Hinckfuss – 57th
Fedele De Campo – 81st
 
Women’s 10km Interval Start Free
Rosie Fordham – 37th
Tuva Bygrave – 39th
Phoebe Cridland – 52nd
 
Men’s 10km Interval Start Free
Hugo Hinckfuss – 44th
Lars Young Vik – 68th
Bentley Walker-Broose – 73rd
Fedele De Campo – 78th

The first team sprint Cross Country Skiing World Cup events of the season have taken pace in Davos, Switzerland, with the Australian women’s team finishing 18th and the men’s team 29th.
 
In the women’s event Rosie Fordham and Ellen Soehol Lie teamed up, just missing the top-15 final in 18th place.
 
Seve De Campo and Lars Young Vik teamed up in the men’s event to finish in 29th place.
 
See below full summary of Australian results, with individual sprint and 20km events also taking place in Davos.
 
Team Sprint Women
18th Rosie Fordham and Ellen Soehol Lie

Team Sprint Men
29th Seve De Campo & Lars Young Vik

Women’s Individual Sprint
53rd Rosie Fordham
56th Ellen Soehol Lie

Men’s Individual Sprint
73rd Lars Young Vik
83rd Bentley Walker-Broose
84th Seve De Campo
 
Women’s 20km Classic
39th Rosie Fordham

Men’s 20km Classic
71st Seve De Campo
79th Bentley Walker-Broose

Australia’s Cross Country Skiers have competed in the latest World Cup event in Lillehammer, Norway, over the weekend.

The highlight was Rosie Fordham who achieved a personal best result of 33rd in the 10km (Free) event.

Summary of results

Women’s 10km Interval Start Free

• Rosie Fordham 33^rd

Men’s 10km Interval Start Free

• Seve De Campo 70th
• Lars Young Vik 74th
• Bentley Walker-Broose 79th

Women’s Sprint

• Ellen Soehol Lie 56th

Men’s Sprint

• Lars Young Vik 67th
• Seve De Campo 78th
• Bentley Walker-Broose 81st

Women’s 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free

• DSQ

Men’s 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free

• Seve De Campo 62nd
• Bentley Walker-Broose 68th