At the ongoing U-23 World Championships in Lillehammer, Norway, Ralf Kivil was the only Estonian competitor in the U-23 freestyle sprint and unfortunately finished just shy of the quarter-finals. He placed 31st overall, missing qualification by a mere 0.11 seconds after being overtaken by Oskar Opstad Vike, a Norwegian athlete, who came in 1st. Kivil was just 6.16 seconds behind the leader's time.

The competition saw Vike, who recently earned a bronze medal in the sprint at the Olympics, aiming for a podium finish at the home World Championships. However, tragedy struck when Vike fell during the heat and could not complete the race, leading to his hospitalization amidst fears of a rib fracture. This incident has shocked the local fans and might influence the Norwegian team's strategy moving forward in the tournament.

In other results, the gold medal was claimed by Filip Skari from Norway, the son of Kristina Šmigun-Vähi's former rival Bente Skari, while the silver went to Elias Keck from Germany and bronze to Roman Alder of Switzerland. The women's U-23 championship title was secured by Elin Henriksson from Sweden, followed closely by Norwegian athletes Mina Sofie Kjäraas Moland and Helene Ekrheim H.