Gina del Rio Scores Career-Best 11th in Lahti World Cup Sprint

Andorran cross-country skier Gina del Rio concluded the World Cup weekend in Lahti, Finland, with a 27th-place finish in Sunday's 10km individual classic race, capping a strong showing that included her career-best 11th position in Saturday's skate sprint.

In the classic event, Del Rio started with bib 14 among 64 competitors. She held 27th at the 1.1km mark, slipped to 35th at 3.4km and 36th at the halfway point, then recovered to 35th at 6.1km and 31st at 8.4km before gaining four more places in the closing stretch. Her finishing time of 27:01.8 left her 1:04.2 behind winner Frida Karlsson of Sweden, with Linn Svahn of Sweden second at +4.1 seconds and Jessie Diggins of the United States third at +6.2.

Del Rio described it as one of her top classic distance efforts, despite lingering fatigue from the sprint. "Sensations were good at the start, though I felt a bit tired from yesterday. I controlled the first lap and finished strong," she said. "It's one of the best 10km classics I've done. We're in the same position as Oberhof but with a slightly better time against stronger competition, so I'm very pleased with the skis, the result, and the weekend."

The previous day's sprint marked her season-best and second consecutive semifinal after Falun. With bib 15, she posted the fourth-fastest qualifying time of 3:08.75, 5.85 seconds off Jonna Sundling's leading 3:02.90 and ahead of Svahn and Johanna Hagstroem, while Diggins was fifth. In her quarterfinal, Del Rio led early and took second in 3:08.22 behind Norway's Mathilde Myhrvold, ahead of Finland's Kahara, Sweden's Dahlqvist, Latvia's Eiduka, and the United States' Brennan.

Her semifinal went awry at the start with a stumble that broke one pole—some reports noting a second fall—leaving her to finish in 3:44.56, nearly 30 seconds back. Norway's Skistad's disqualification from the first semifinal elevated Del Rio to 11th overall and second among under-23 skiers. "Sensations were very good—I had my best qualifying ever and felt strong in the quarters," she said. "It was a shame about the broken pole in the semifinal, but sprints are unpredictable, and I'm happy with the season-best."

Lahti boosted her World Cup top-30 finishes to 13 since her 2024 debut—eight this season—along with seven top-15s. Other results this winter include Davos sprint skate (13th) and 10km skate (12th), Trondheim skiathlon (27th) and 10km skate (28th), Toblach Tour de Ski sprint (31st), Oberhof 10km classic (27th), and Falun sprint (12th).

In alpine skiing, Jordina Caminal closed her World Cup speed season at Val di Fassa, Italy, failing to finish Sunday's super-G after starting with bib 56. She recorded provisional 55th, 54th, and 52nd splits through three sectors before losing her line midway. She had placed 45th in Saturday's second downhill with 1:24.87, 3.96 seconds behind winner Laura Pirovano's 1:20.91 and 1.88 seconds outside the points.

Coach Xoque Bellsolà offered a positive assessment: "We're very pleased with what she's doing and how she's skiing, though we haven't been fully competitive in downhill. She's getting fitter, and we'll aim to top the season at the Europa Cup finals in Saalbach."

Separately, Andorran alpine skier Joan Verdú missed the World Cup finals after failing to finish Saturday's slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Entering 24th overall, he entered a right-hand turn too aggressively in the first run, skied long, and missed a gate. Germany's Jonas Stockinger (13th) and Austria's Joshua Sturm (23rd) overtook him, dropping Verdú to 26th with 60 points—just two shy of qualification. Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro-Braathen won, followed by Switzerland's Loïc Meillard and Stefan Brennsteiner. Verdú's season featured inconsistency after switching from Head to Van Deer skis; he completed half of eight races, with a best of 12th in Sölden.