Winter Olympics 2026: Katharina Hennig Dotzler the victim of 'strange situations' in 50km mass start as skis taken by rival - 'She said sorry'

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina has hosted some weird and wonderful scenes over the past fortnight, so it was perhaps no surprise to see cross-country skiing go out with a bang as Katharina Hennig Dotzler was the victim of "strange situations" on Sunday. The German was left bewildered when Natalia Nepryaeva took her skis during the exchange, leaving her with a less-favoured pair.

German cross-country skier Katharina Hennig Dotzler had "lots of troubles" during her ninth-placed finish in Sunday's 50km mass start at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, as she was left bewildered by a number of "strange situations".

Sunday marked the first time women have raced across 50km in the event, with the distance having previously been set at 30km.

Dotzler said it was already the "hardest race of cross-country skiing", but when considering the other factors at play, her ninth-placed finish appears even more impressive.

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The 29-year-old was left perplexed when, upon swapping her skis, she was left with her unfavoured option. That is because Natalia Nepryaeva, ahead of her, had skated into Dotzler's box and taken her first-choice pair.

And that was not all for Dotzler, as she then discovered a piece of plastic was attached to her skis, an obvious hindrance given the grip issues that it would cause. That caused another stoppage, slowing her down further.

"It’s a very tough race," Dotzler told TNT Sports. "It’s the hardest race of cross-country skiing, so very happy with the ninth place.

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"I had a lot of troubles in my race with the wrong ski and the plastic under my ski, so there were a lot of strange situations, but I’m happy with the ninth place."

On her skis being taken, Dotzler added: "I did not see it, but at the exchange I saw I had the wrong skis. It was my third or fourth pair I tested this morning, so not my fastest one.

"After the exchange, I had a piece of plastic under my ski and I needed a short break to put off that one. It was a very strange race, but in the end I’m very proud that I fought through.

"This morning we tested four pairs of skis, and then the first two skis were ready for the race. The second-best ski I used first. And then the best one would normally be in the box, but [instead] it was the third or fourth pair."

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Dotzler said she ultimately was not fazed by the strange sequence of events due to her lack of medal contention, and that Nepryaeva had apologised to her after the race.

"I saw her, but I did not realise she had my skis," she said. "I realised it in the finish when she said it to me.

"It is what it is, that’s sport. That’s OK, because I had no fight for the medal, it’s ninth place at the end and it’s OK.

"She said sorry to me, it’s kind. It was no problem."

Sweden's gold medal hopes took a hit ahead of the event as it was confirmed heavy favourite Frida Karlsson would not be racing due to illness.

But Ebba Andersson still ensured Sweden would still top the podium as she crossed the line more than two minutes ahead of Norway's Heidi Weng. Switzerland's Nadja Kaelin took bronze.

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It was a fourth medal for Andersson at Milano Cortina and her first gold, having had her chance at winning relay glory for Sweden dashed when she suffered a series of falls, and ultimately finished behind Norway.

"That's the point with sports," she said. "Sometimes you lose, and sometimes you win, it's both ups and downs. You just need to be patient in everything and trust the process, and that's what I've been doing the past week."

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