In the end, only a few centimeters were missing! Ski crosser Daniela Maier failed unexpectedly early a week after her Olympic triumph at the World Cup in Kopaonik, Serbia, on Friday (February 27, 2026).
The gold medalist from Cortina D’Ampezzo was already over in the quarter-finals, although things had initially looked excellent. From the start, Maier took the lead in the field of four. She mastered the first waves and jumps with great confidence, the competition was clearly behind.
Significant loss of speed on the home straight
Maier continued into the home straight with a lead of several meters before losing her rhythm on the last wave and losing speed dramatically. As a result, in the end she only finished third behind Jole Galli and Jade Grillet Aubert – for the half-filae she should have come at least second.
For Galli it was the end of the line again in the semi-finals, but Grillet Aubert made it to the final and secured second place. The victory went confidently to the Swede Sandra Naeslund, who secured her 56th World Cup triumph in her comeback season after a long injury.
