Canadian Women’s Cross-Country Skiers Continue Hot Streak with Sonjaa Schmidt’s Fourth-place Finish in Engadin
ENGADIN, Switzerland — Jan. 25, 2025 — Whitehorse, Yukon’s Sonjaa Schmidt narrowly missed the World Cup podium in Engadin’s sprint free technique event. Her eyes were set on the podium as she battled with Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist into the final 100 metres of the race. In a lunge for the line, she came just 0.79 seconds short, finishing fourth for her best-ever World Cup finish.
“The qualification felt good — there were blue skies, we’re up here in the mountains, there’s good music playing, and I was just dancing all day,” said Schmidt, the reigning under-23 sprint world champion.
Schmidt began her day by qualifying in 10th place. She then dominated her quarterfinal heat, finishing ahead of Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu. In the semifinal, Schmidt placed fourth but advanced to the final as a lucky loser with one of the fastest times.
The final featured some of the sport’s biggest names, including Olympic and World Champion Jessie Diggins of the United States.
“It was pretty surreal,” said Schmidt. “Jessie came up to me, cracked a few jokes and knew who I was, which really helped calm my nerves. Just lining up with athletes like her was unreal, and the vibes were so positive — it made the whole experience amazing.”
Sweden’s Jonna Sundling dominated the race, winning in a time of 2:49.04. Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad placed second with 2:50.32, while Dahlqvist narrowly edged out Schmidt for third in 2:51.91.
25.01.2025, Engadin, Switzerland (SUI):
Sonjaa Schmidt (CAN), and Jessie Diggins (USA), (l-r) – FIS world cup cross-country, individual sprint, Engadin (SUI). www.nordicfocus.com. © Authamayou/NordicFocus.
“I think there was definitely a move I shouldn’t have made,” Schmidt said. “I got a bit excited and tried to move in front too early, and it didn’t work out. I made the same mistake yesterday, so I’ll learn from it. The podium is so close though, and it was still a really exciting race.”
Schmidt’s result continues a string of strong performances from Canada’s women’s cross-country skiers. Earlier this season, Schmidt and teammate Liliane Gagnon (Quebec City, Que.) placed fifth in the team sprint in Davos, Switzerland. Katherine Stewart-Jones (Chelsea, Que.) followed with a fourth-place finish in Stage 3 of the Tour de Ski, while Katherine Weaver (Vancouver, B.C.) and Gagnon each recorded top-20 finishes in France last weekend.
“I think the Canadian women are on fire right now,” said Schmidt. “The fire is contagious within the team. We are hunting for a podium, and the cool thing is we don’t know who it’s going to be. It can be any one of us, which is exciting, really inspiring, and it’s just a really great team to be around right now.”
Schmidt made history last season as the first Canadian woman to win at the FIS Nordic Under-23 World Ski Championships. While her winters are dedicated to racing, her summers include unconventional training.
“For the past two summers, I’ve spent eight to 10 weeks between April and June planting trees. It funds my ski career but also doubles as training,” said Schmidt. “The shifts are three days on and one day off, so on my ‘off’ days, I focus on ski-specific training. So far, it’s been working well for me.”
Unconventional as it may be, it’s hard to argue with the results.
Next weekend, Schmidt will compete in Cogne, Italy, in her final World Cup race before heading to Schilpario, Italy, for this year’s FIS Nordic Under-23 World Ski Championships where she’ll defend her world champion title.
“Today definitely gives me a boost of confidence going into U23s, but I also know that it’s going to be challenging, so I’ll have to keep my head strong and know that I can push with my fitness.”
Full Results: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=CC&competitorid=235543&raceid=46806