TESERO, Italy, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Sweden's bid for women's relay gold unravelled in dramatic fashion on Saturday as Ebba Andersson endured a "nightmare" leg on the demanding course, with a series of falls and broken equipment leaving the favourites battling to salvage a medal.
In the end Sweden recovered to take silver in the women's 4x7.5km behind Norway and ahead of Finland after Andersson suffered a difficult day at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium.
The worst incident came at high speed when she pitched forward, the impact flipping her into a somersault and sending one of her skis flying just before she was due to exchange with Frida Karlsson, who watched the chaos on the stadium monitors.
In the turmoil that followed, Andersson had to glide for around 400 metres on one ski before a teammate handed her a replacement ski, but by then the damage was done.
Karlsson was sent out over a minute behind Norway, effectively ending Sweden's hopes of gold.
"It was a nightmare for me," Andersson, 28, told reporters. "If I could wish for anything, I'd like to rewind the time.
"There was quite a lot of stress early on because of that first fall and I became far too passive on the downhill.
"And, yeah, it ended with a tumble as well and then broken equipment as a result. Then it was mostly just crisis and panic running through my head."
Despite the setback, Sweden managed to finish second, though Andersson held herself responsible for them missing top spot.
“In the end, I can’t really blame anyone but myself," she said. "I didn’t react well enough in that moment and that’s how it turned out."
Asked if she had suffered any serious injuries after the chaotic relay leg, Andersson dismissed any physical concerns.
"No physical damage, only in my heart," she added.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund and Liz Hampton in Tesero, Italy; Editing by Ken Ferris)
