Aussie quartet set for Olympic classic
Published Tue 10 Feb 2026
Courtesy Australian Olympic Team
Ellen Søhol Lie, Maddie Hooker, Hugo Hinckfuss and Lars Young Vik will showcase their speed in the Classic Sprint this Tuesday 10 February at Milano Cortina 2026.
Lie is excited to line up for her first Olympic sprint event.
“It’s certainly exciting conditions where anything can happen. I’m really looking forward to getting out there,” said after training.
The first sprint of the Milano Cortina Olympic program will take place on a demanding 1.6km course featuring two short, sharp climbs followed by one long, steep, decisive uphill. The course then finishes with a long and fast right-hand sweeper, bringing competitors back into the stadium for the final sprint to the line.
The downhill sweeper into the finish is particularly challenging due to the warm conditions, which have created a softer, sugary snow surface and made cornering at speed more difficult on cross-country skis.
In cross-country sprint racing, the top 30 athletes from both the men’s and women’s qualification rounds progress to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and finals.
With 95 starters in the men’s race and 89 in the women’s, Young Vik will wear bib number 43, Hinckfuss bib number 56, Lie bib number 57 and Hooker bib number 60.
The qualification round begins at 7:15pm AEDT.
Follow the blog to keep up with the @AUSOlympicTeam #ForzaTeamAUS.
Watch the Winter Olympics on Channel 9, 9Now, and Stan Sport.
Photo Credit: Australian Olympic Team/Getty Images
