Cross-country skiing: Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo does not miss his comeback
In the wake of Linn Svahn’s solid success in the women’s race, the best cross-country skiers faced off this Friday lunchtime in the final stages of the classic sprint of the cross-country skiing world cup in Falun (Sweden), the first stage of a weekend with three competitions on the programme.
And while he had decided to prepare on his own while the big tour caravan was packing its bags in Cogne, Italy, Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo even revealed that he had been ill for a few days. But it seems that the germs didn’t really bother the Norwegian.
Back in business on Friday in the county of Dalarna, the Scandinavian proved that he was once again the boss of the discipline. An easy winner in qualifying, he then ran riot in the final stages to reach the last round of the day.
The dominant 28-year-old cross-country skier did not hesitate to cross the finish line in first place. With this performance, he added his ninety-fifth career World Cup success to his list of honours. A victory that is none other than his fifty-sixth in a sprint.
Behind him, team-mates Erik Valnes and Oskar Opstad Vike helped Norway to another hat-trick. Erik Valnes won in Cogne, while his young compatriot Oskar Opstad Vike claimed his very first podium at this level of competition.
Fourth-placed Jules Chappaz was held up by Even Northug
At the foot of the podium, it was a Frenchman who came out on top after a race disrupted by a collision. Jules Chappaz was on the right skis in the first part of the course, but was pushed by Norway’s Even Northug. A risky manoeuvre by the Scandinavian cut the Frenchman off at the pass and prevented him from catching up with the right car in the race for the top 3.
However, just a few days before the start of the world championships in Trondheim (Norway), Le Cluse reassured himself by reaching the final of a sprint for the first time this season in an individual race. After him, Lucas Chanavat stopped in the semi-finals after a passage marked by the superb performance of Czech revelation Jiri Tuz, sixth on the day.
Having qualified for the quarter-finals of a classic sprint for the first time since his World Cup debut, Rémi Bourdin was no match for the top-ranked Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo and Erik Valnes, who were in the same pool as him in the first round of the finals.
Read also
- Falun: Linn Svahn regains World Cup victory in the classic sprint
- Falun: Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo qualifies for the classic sprint, three French players reach the finals
- Falun: Linn Svahn sends out a strong signal about qualifying for the classic sprint, Léna Quintin will see out the quarter-finals
