Olympic Women's Cross-Country Skiing 2022: Sweden to win the sprint, Russia to win a medal

Maja Dahlqvist has won all five sprints she has competed in this season. Will she repeat her success at the Beijing Olympics by winning gold? We predict that the Swedish skier will be champion again.

Maja Dahlqvist is the main contender to win

Maja Dahlqvist is a typical sprinter who does not fight for medals in other disciplines but is the clear favourite in her favourite discipline. This season the Swede has already competed in five World Cup sprint races, winning every one. Of course, all of this lets her lead the overall ranking in the discipline, with a 141-point lead over her closest rival, and the Swede has not raced in the last two races either.

She has not participated in Beijing yet, which should be a surprise to some - after all, running an extra 15 kilometres in a discipline where her chances of success are next to zero is quite useless. Now, the 27-year-old skier will be fully rested and ready to fight for the long-awaited gold at the Olympics, so it's worth taking a closer look at a bet on Maja Dahlqvist's sprint for 2.25.

Can Natalia Nepryaeva win a second medal in Beijing?

Natalia Nepryaeva came to Beijing as the overall World Cup standings leader. The Russian skier is ahead of her nearest pursuer by a cosmic 195 points, which best demonstrates her phenomenal form. However, the Olympics are a different story as she demonstrated her excitement at such a high level of competition, and she won the silver medal in the skiathlon.

The Russian skier is not a champion in sprinting, which is proven by her eighth place in the overall sprint ranking. Nevertheless, the Russian biathlete managed to win her last World Cup event, which took place on January 1 in Oberstdorf, Germany. Yes, Maja Dahlqvist did not start, but all the other competitors were in action. Natalia Nepryaeva's current form allows her to compete for a medal again, so we believe she will make it into the top 3 for 11.00.

Jessie Diggins vs Anamarija Lampic

Jessie Diggins and Anamarija Lampic are two of the top female sprinters in the world. They are ranked third and second in their respective overall rankings, behind the flawless Maja Dahlquist. All this suggests that they will be battling for the highest places in the upcoming race, including a head-to-head confrontation. It is important to note that only the American was running the day before in the skiathlon, while the Slovenian was systematically preparing for the upcoming start.

Anamarija Lampic is slightly better in the sprint events, currently in second place, 65 points ahead of Jessie Diggins. The Slovenian has already been on the podium four times and finished fourth in the most recent World Cup, while the American has three podiums to her credit. Therefore, the representative of Ljubljana has a slightly better chance of success in the upcoming race, and a bet on Anamarija Lampic finishing above Jessie Diggins can be placed for 1.85.

Betting Tips:

• Maja Dahlqvist to win the sprint - Yes for 2.25;
• Natalia Nepryaeva in Top 3 - Yes for 11.00;
• Anamarija Lampic over Jessie Diggins for 1.85.