Cross-country skiing: thanks to Jasmi Joensuu, Finland dominates the team sprint
Early on Friday afternoon, the eighth stage of the cross-country skiing World Cup season kicked off in Cogne, in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta. After the qualifications at the end of the morning, the final stages of the classic team sprint took place just a few minutes later.
Having already dominated the first heat of the day, Kerttu Niskanen and Jasmi Joensuu mastered their subject. Patient in the final laps, the Finns were able to rely on the power of Jasmi Joensuu to make the difference and claim victory. It was their first victory on the circuit since 2013.
Behind the impressive duo, Sweden’s Johanna Hagstroem and Maja Dahlqvist finished strongly. The Scandinavians held on for a long time, but broke away from the pack in the final metres to overtake the German team of Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek in the final.
At the foot of the podium, the second Norwegian team, featuring Elena Rise Johnsen and Hedda Bakkemo, beat the number one team from the same nation, made up of Hedda Oestberg Amundsen and Lotta Udnes Weng.
In the French camp, Mélissa Gal and Léna Quintin let the leading group slip away before the final stint. When they crossed the line, the Frenchwomen were in twelfth place.
Read also
- Cogne: after the disqualification of Iivo Niskanen and Lauri Vuorinen, Rémi Bourdin and Renaud Jay are drafted into the finals
- Cogne: Jules Chappaz and Richard Jouve fifth in the classic team sprint qualifier won by Norway, Rémi Bourdin and Renaud Jay eliminated
- Cogne: Kerttu Niskanen and Jasmi Joensuu win the classic sprint team qualifier, Mélissa Gal and Léna Quintin come tenth
- The full programme for the Cogne stage, the eighth stage of the World Cup season
- Seventeen Frenchmen selected for the World Cup in Cogne
