Latvian Skiers Struggle in Olympic Sprint Qualification
Milano-Cortina, Italy – Latvia’s contingent of cross-country skiers faced a challenging day at the Olympic Winter Games on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, failing to advance from the qualification round of the classic sprint event. The results exit the Latvian team without representation in the later stages of the competition, as the world’s top skiers battle for medals.
Kitija Auziņa led the Latvian effort, finishing 71st overall. According to Sportacentrs.com, Auziņa completed the 1.6-kilometer course in 4:16.03, nearly 40 seconds behind the leaders. She improved upon her previous Olympic sprint result from four years prior in Beijing, where she finished 75th.
Samanta Krampe secured 78th place with a time of 4:22.81, while Linda Kaparkalēja finished 84th after nearly falling on the final descent. Kaparkalēja, in her first Olympic appearance, recorded a time of 4:27.62 and was visibly emotional after the race, as reported by 1188.lv. The near-fall cost her valuable seconds and dashed her hopes for a stronger finish.
“I feel like this isn’t my result, this isn’t me,” Auziņa said, according to Apollo.lv, indicating issues with her skis impacted her performance. Krampe, however, expressed satisfaction with her effort, noting that she had no issues with ski glide.
The top 30 skiers from qualification advanced to the quarterfinal round. Sweden’s Linn Svahn posted the fastest qualifying time, clocking in at 3:36.21. Svahn, along with Jonna Sundling and Johanna Hagstrӧm, secured the best times and were able to select their preferred heats for the next stage. As reported by Apollo.lv, 87 of the 89 athletes who started the qualification round received a time.
Elsewhere at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Games, Norwegian Johannes Klæbo and Swedish skier Linn Svahn claimed gold medals in the cross-country sprint event, as detailed by Diena.
