Female cross-country skiers are set to make Olympic history this Sunday, racing a 50km classic event for the first time at a Winter Games, but the landmark competition is being met with mixed emotions from athletes.

The gruelling 50km classic race, the final cross-country event of the Milano Cortina Games, challenges athletes fatigued from five previous contests and facing an immediate return to the World Cup circuit.

The hilly course at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme is expected to take over two hours.

Team sprint gold medallist Jonna Sundling of Sweden expressed a preference for 30k.

"If I would choose I would prefer 30k, but if it's 50k I can do 50k," she stated. "In some way I would prefer 30k, like for the audience also."

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Others, however, are excited by the challenge.

Norway’s Astrid Oeyre Slind noted its strategic depth: "I think a 50k is a good distance. It's quite different than a 30k. When a race is more than two hours, you have to be more aware of energy and tactical stuff and everything. It's quite a different race, so I think it's a good thing we have a 50k."

The 50km race is also viewed as a crucial step for Olympic equality, particularly after the absence of a women's Nordic combined event sparked controversy over female participation in sport.

"I am really excited about having equal distance," said US skier Jessie Diggins.

"When I got to the World Cup and was like, 'Wait a minute, the men get to do 50 and the women are capped at 30. Why?' And I didn't understand why. Why do we not get to do these big, epic races that are pretty iconic and pretty legendary in our sport?'"

Cross-country skiing debuted at the Olympics in 1924 (men-only), with women joining in 1952.

Diggins concluded, "Whether or not you're an athlete who wants to race the 50k, I think you should have the opportunity to race the 50k."

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