The Roller Ski World Championships concluded in Madona, Latvia, on Sunday September 6, and one name stood above all others in the women's competition: Ragnhild Aarekol. The Norwegian cross-country skiing star collected three gold medals over four racing days, adding a silver in the 200-metre sprint to complete one of the most dominant individual performances in recent championship history.
Three Titles in Four Disciplines
Aarekol opened her account on Thursday, taking the women's 10-kilometre classic individual title ahead of Poland's Aleksandra Kołodziej. It was an authoritative performance that set the tone for the days ahead. On Friday she teamed with Synnøve Kjøsåvik to claim the women's team sprint gold, the Norwegian pair outpacing every rival in the freestyle relay format.
The only setback came in Saturday's 200-metre sprint final, where Latvia's Linda Kaparkaleja edged Aarekol for gold, with Croatia's Tena Hadžić completing the podium. Aarekol still walked away with silver.
She bounced back emphatically on Sunday, winning the women's 20-kilometre mass start in a time of 50:23.8, finishing 2.2 seconds ahead of Poland's Magdalena Kobielusz and 2.9 seconds ahead of Italy's Maria Eugenia Boccardi. The mass start victory sealed her triple — three world titles across four days of competition.
Bergsland Leads Norway's Men
On the men's side, Norway's Andreas Bergsland won the 10-kilometre classic individual in 23:11.4, with compatriot Amund Korsæth taking silver (+45.7 seconds) and Germany's Thomas Bing bronze (+53.3 seconds). Norway's men's dominance did not extend to the skating-technique events, however.
In the men's team sprint, Latvia's Lauris Kaparkalejs and Raimo Vigants edged Sweden's Erik Fransson and Simon Karlsson by just 0.5 seconds in a tight sprint finish. Poland took bronze another 1.3 seconds back. Vigants then claimed the mass start title on Sunday in 45:24.6, with Karlsson again 0.5 seconds behind and Bing third.
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Host nation Latvia produced one of the stories of the week. Linda Kaparkaleja won the women's 200-metre sprint, while Lauris Kaparkalejs and Vigants combined for the men's team sprint gold and Vigants added the mass start title. It marked a breakthrough showing for a nation that has steadily built its roller-skiing programme over the past decade.
Junior Honours Spread Wide
In the junior events, Slovenia's Tine Sporn took the junior men's classic title. Norway swept the junior women's speed events: Emilie Ruud Lia won both the team sprint and mass start, while Mille Sophie Sveinhaug Aarnes was her team sprint partner. Ukraine's Sofiia Shkatula beat Sweden's Matilda Grahn in the junior women's classic sprint.
The 2026 Rollerskiing World Cup circuit wraps with its third and final stage in Val di Fiemme, Italy, September 17–20, where Aarekol will arrive as the undisputed form athlete after a Madona week that could hardly have gone better.
