Karen Chanluang, a Thai national cross-country skier, delivered an impressive performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, finishing 84th out of 111 competitors in the women's 10 km freestyle interval start race, and ranking 7th among Asian athletes.
In the event, Karen finished with a time of 28 minutes 39.7 seconds. Although she was 5 minutes 50 seconds behind Sweden's gold medalist Frida Karlsson, the Thai skier's performance was outstanding compared to her pre-competition ranking of 110th.
This result clearly exceeded expectations and marked Karen's best performance at these Winter Olympics, reflecting the progress and potential of Thai skiers on the global stage.
Meanwhile, the next event for the Thai cross-country skiing team is Mark Chanluang's men's 10 km freestyle interval start race on 13 February 2026 at 17:45 Thailand time. He is seen as another hopeful for Thailand's athletes in this Winter Games.
Karen's achievement represents a significant step forward for Thai winter sports, demonstrating ongoing development and proving that Thai athletes can compete and succeed at the world level with pride.