Cross-country skiing: the French put up a good fight before the World Cup
This Friday, the French cross-country skiers put on their bibs once again for the opening cross-country races in Beitostølen (Norway). The tricolours took part in these races last year before launching their winter with the World Cup.
With just a week to go before the return of the showpiece event,Alexandre Pouyé and Thibaut Chêne‘s Les Bleus will take on some of the best athletes on the circuit in a classic sprint and two individual events, one in the classic on Saturday and the other in skateboarding on Sunday.
The women will be up against Norwegians Tiril and Lotta Udnes Weng, Heidi Weng, Anne Kjersti Kalvaa and Astrid Oeyre Slind, as well as Therese Johaug, who will be making her return to competition with a view to taking part in the world championships in Trondheim (Norway) in 2025.
In the distance races, biathletes from the Nordic kingdom will also be at the start a week after their national selections in Sjusjøen (Norway). They include the promising Maren Kirkeeide and Gro Randby, who have been selected for the World Cup. Other cross-country skiers include the American Sophia Laukli, Nadine Faehndrich from Switzerland , Patricija Eiduka from Latvia and Katerina Janatova from the Czech Republic.
In the men’s races, the competition will be just as fierce. Starting on Friday, Richard Jouve and his team-mates will be up against the ogre Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo, the outgoing world number one Harald Oestberg Amundsen, Paal Golberg, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, Erik Valnes, Simen Hegstad Krueger and Petter Northug Jr, who has suffered a back injury in recent days and is still in doubt.
A number of biathletes will also be taking part, including the sensation Johan-Olav Botn, Filip Fjeld Andersen and Espen Uldal.
The full list of athletes starting the races in Beitostølen
The full programme of Norwegian opening races at Beitostølen 🇳🇴
Friday 22nd November
- 11.30am – Para cross-country skiing: men’s and women’s standing, sitting and visually impaired CT sprint qualifiers
- 11:42 – Cross-country skiing: men’s and women’s CT sprint qualifiers
- 13.00 – Para cross-country skiing: men’s and women’s standing, sitting and visually impaired TC sprint finals
- 13:30 – Cross-country skiing: men’s and women’s CT sprint finals
Saturday 23rd November
- 9.15am – Para cross-country skiing: individual 5 km CT seated men and women
- 9.55am – Para cross-country skiing: individual 10 km CT standing and visually impaired men and women
- 10.00 – Cross-country skiing: individual women’s 10 km CT
- 11:20 – Cross-country skiing: men’s individual 10 km CT
- 14:05 – Nordic Combined: women’s 5 km FT cross-country ski pursuit of the individual compact
- 14:35 – Nordic Combined: men’s 7.5 km FT cross-country ski pursuit of the individual compact
Sunday 24 November
- 9.30 am – Nordic Combined: women’s 5 km FT cross-country ski pursuit from gundersen
- 10:05 – Nordic Combined: men’s 10 km FT cross-country ski pursuit from Gundersen
- 11:15 – Cross-country skiing: individual women’s 10 km FT
- 12.35pm – Cross-country skiing: men’s individual 10 km FT
Read also
- The full programme for the Norwegian opening races at Beitostølen in which Les Bleus will be taking part
- “Making the final adjustments before tackling the World Cup”: on Monday, the French team set off from Beitostølen ahead of the weekend’s opening races in Norway.
