11:45. The women’s classic team sprint qualifiers kicked off the cross-country skiing world cup competitions in Cogne (Italy) late on Friday morning. Thanks to a dominant Jasmi Joensuu, the first Finnish team took the lead.
After a good run by Kerttu Niskanen, ninth in the rankings, the 28-year-old cross-country skier outclassed her rivals to win the prologue by almost two seconds from Laura Gimmler. Behind Finland, Norway came second with the duo ofHedda Oestberg Amundsen and Lotta Udnes Weng.
Italy’s Caterina Ganz and Federica Cassol rounded off the top 3, while Mélissa Gal and Léna Quintin, the only French competitors, finished the first round in tenth place.
Read also
- The full programme for the Cogne stage, the eighth stage of the World Cup season
- Seventeen Frenchmen selected for the World Cup in Cogne
