Podium candidate Astrid Auer Slind exits the Tour de Ski

Cavalis (VG) Astrid Owerri-Slind (35) fell ill before the final two stages of the Tour de Ski.

The issue is updated!

She has a sore throat, the ski association reported Saturday morning, just a few hours earlier Classic 15km combined start in Val di Fiemme at 11:30am.

It is of course a big blow for Norway and Slinde. Slind was one of the podium favorites in Saturday's stage and could be heavily involved in the summary. The Tour de Ski ends with the “Monster hill” on Sunday.

Before the final two stages, Slind is sixth in the summary, as Norway's second best player – 1.02 minutes behind leader Jessie Diggins. But the difference was only 18 seconds from Kirto Niskanen in second place and ten seconds from Jonah Sandling in third place.

In addition to prestige and good standing, Slinde fought for hundreds of thousands in prize money. The winner of the Tour de Ski gets around NOK 1 million, while the fifth-place finisher gets about NOK 250,000.

Heidi Wong is Norway's great hope for ski racing. She's in fourth place – 57 seconds behind Diggins. It tends to thrive in both Val di Fiemme and the “Monsterbakken”.

Illness has ravaged the cross-country elite this winter, and a number of runners missed the Tour or had to cut it short due to illness: Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, Simen Heggstad-Krüger, Tyrell Odnes Wong, Diedrik Tunseth, Ben Ogden, Ebba Andersson, and Lotta. Odnis weng few.

Anne Kjersti Kalvå also broke the Tour before the races in Val di Fiemme after disappointing results.