Sadie Bjornsen competes at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 on Feb. 15, 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Sadie Bjornsen had her first podium finish of the new world cup season Friday, coming in third in the women’s cross-country sprint in Lillehammer, Norway.
The two-time Olympian finished in 2:55.77, behind winner Jonna Sundling (2:52.74) and Stina Nilsson (2:53.08), both of Sweden, in the first of several events being held in Lillehammer this weekend.
Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins also finished in the top 20 for the Americans, coming in 17th.
Three-time Olympian Simi Hamilton had the best finish among the U.S. men in the sprint, finishing 19th.
Bjornsen was 11th in the sprint final in Ruka, Finland, in the world cup opener last weekend and eighth in the 10-kilometer classic.
The 29-year-old from Winthrop, Washington, had four world cup podium finishes last season, including a third-place finish in the sprint in Lillehammer. She was 14th in the sprint classic event at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, one of four events in which she competed at her second Games. She was also part of the women’s 4x5K team that finished fifth, the highest-ever placement by an American women’s relay team at a Winter Games.
Cross-country events in Lillehammer this busy weekend also include the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle and men’s 15-kilometer freestyle on Saturday, women’s 10-kilometer classic pursuit and men’s 15-kilometer classic pursuit on Sunday as well as events in ski jumping and Nordic combined.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
