Latvia’s Patrīcija Eiduka achieved a historic result in cross-country skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, securing 15th place in the women’s 10km freestyle race on Thursday. The result, announced by TVNET Sports, marks the best-ever finish by a Latvian cross-country skier at the Olympic Games.
Eiduka completed the course in 24 minutes and 33.3 seconds, finishing 1 minute and 44.1 seconds behind Sweden’s Frida Karlsson, who claimed gold in a time of 22 minutes and 49.2 seconds. Karlsson secured her second gold medal of the Games, with fellow Swede Ebba Andersdotter taking silver (23 minutes, 35.8 seconds) and Jessica Diggins of the United States earning bronze (23 minutes, 38.9 seconds).
The Latvian team likewise saw Kitija Auziņa finish 61st, Linda Kaparkalēja in 94th place, and Samanta Krampe in 101st position. A total of 111 skiers participated in the event, with 108 completing the race.
This achievement follows Eiduka’s 23rd-place finish in the 20km skiathlon at the same Games, as reported by Apollo.lv. At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Eiduka finished 23rd in the 10km distance, which was held in classic style. Auziņa was 68th at that time, while Estere Volfa, now competing in biathlon, finished 83rd, and Krampe placed 92nd.
In biathlon, Estere Volfa demonstrated strong performance, achieving 11th place in the 10km pursuit and 16th place in the 7.5km sprint. Baiba Bendika also secured a 15th-place finish in the sprint event.
The Latvian delegation also saw success in team events, with Eiduka and Auziņa achieving 13th place in the sprint team final. The Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo are scheduled to continue until February 22nd.
