Cross-country skiing : Mathis Desloges an outstanding second
On Sunday, the first men’s Olympic cross-country skiing title of the Milan/Cortina 2026 Games was at stake in the skiathlon, contested on the track at Tesero (Italy), in the Val di Fiemme. The 20-kilometre race was a spectacular spectacle, with Villardian Mathis Desloges taking France’s first medal of the Italian event with an exceptional second place.
The 23-year-old Frenchman had made this race his main objective, and he was there in spades. Wearing number 9 on his shoulders, he delivered a very high-level performance in the bright Italian sunshine. Always in contact and perfectly placed during the classic part of the race, he dropped to sixth place at the halfway point, well inside a group of eight cross-country skiers led by Norwegians Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget.
In the skating section, Norway’s Mattis Stenshagen and Sweden’s Truls Gisselman quickly cracked. Shortly afterwards, Norway’s Harald Oestberg Amundsen fell after contact with Russia’s Saveliy Korostelev. This left only five in the lead – Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, Mathis Desloges, Hugo Lapalus and Saveliy Korostelev – to fight it out for the precious medals.
With two loops to go, Mathis Desloges almost lost everything. In the lead at the loop, the Frenchman stepped into the lane reserved for changing skis and cut the trajectory, a move that earned him a yellow card. There were lengthy discussions with the jury after Russia lodged a protest.
In the last two rounds, the five men were testing and observing each other. A real game of chess was being played out. On the final climb, the king of the discipline, Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, put in his decisive acceleration and flew to his seventh Olympic title, the third individual of his career and the first over a distance.
Behind him, Villardien Mathis Desloges moved into second place. Buoyed by his exceptional skiing and drawing on all his resources, the Frenchman held off the comeback of Norway’s Martin Loewstroem Nyenget right to the end. At the age of 23, he not only won his first Olympic medal, but also France’s first distance medal of the Games. Martin Loewstroem Nyenget completed the podium by taking third place, his first Olympic medal.
Behind the podium, Russia’s Saveliy Korostelev took fourth place, just ahead of Cluse’s Hugo Lapalus. After a superb race, the Frenchman finished fifth, just 4 seconds and 3 tenths from victory.
Further back, Norway’s Harald Oestberg Amundsen took sixth place, ahead of the day’s surprise, Sweden’s Truls Gisselman, and Italy’s Davide Graz. Chartrous’ Jules Lapierre finished a very fine ninth. After a very solid classical part, which finished in eleventh place, he managed to climb back into the top 10. The British rider Andrew Musgrave completed the top ten.
For his part, Victor Lovera, in his first Olympic race, also put in a solid performance, finishing fifteenth.
Full results
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