Henkel had not won a 15 km World Cup race apart from these two wins in the Championships, however, and Sweden's Anna Carin Olofsson was the World Cup leader before the Games.
Although Henkel had achieved success in previous World Cup races, they hadn't secured a victory in a 15 km race before this event, and Sweden's Anna Carin Olofsson held the top position in the World Cup standings prior to the Games.