TESERO, Italy, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ebba Andersson of Sweden won the final cross-country skiing event of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, taking gold in the women's 50km mass start classic on Sunday.

The Swede finished in two hours, 16 minutes and 28.2 seconds, two minutes and 15.3 seconds ahead of Norway's Heidi Weng, while the bronze medal battle was a sprint to the line, with Switzerland's Nadja Kaelin coming out on top in 2:23:09.7.

The drama started even before the race as two of Scandinavia's medal favourites, Sweden's Frida Karlsson and Norway's Astrid Oeyre Slind, withdrew due to illness.

A fast start quickly thinned the field, with a breakaway group, including the eventual medallists, emerging by the 7.5km mark at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium.

Soft, slushy snow in the warming conditions caused trips and falls throughout the race, making ski waxing and tactics crucial.

Andersson, who had fallen in the team event but still helped Sweden secure silver, remained focused throughout the race.

This victory marks Andersson's first Olympic gold, her fourth Olympic medal in Italy, and her sixth overall.

"It's really a dream come true," said Andersson. "I've dreamed about this day for a long time now and it's almost unbelievable that everything went as planned.

"I've had the trust the whole time, but even though I had believed in myself, it's something else when it works out in reality, so I'll try to just enjoy the time now," she added. ■