13:48. Tied for second with Jules Chappaz on Wednesday evening in the skate sprint of the cross-country skiing world cup in Tallinn (Estonia), Harald Oestberg Amundsen was in with a chance of a new podium finish this Friday on the closing stage in Lahti (Finland).
However, the Norwegian has fallen ill in recent days. A virus has prevented him from defending his chances, forcing him to withdraw from this event as well as the team sprint scheduled for Saturday. Third in the overall rankings, last winter’s world number one is going to lose out big time.
Especially as it is not yet certain that he will be at the start of the 50km classic, the last race of the 2024/2025 season. “He woke up this morning and unfortunately he wasn’t feeling well. It’s a shame that it happened on the last weekend,” lamented Arild Monsen, coach of the Norwegian team, speaking to Viaplay. We’ll wait until Saturday and see if things can improve before racing on Sunday.
This potential absence could do Hugo Lapalus good if he performs well, as the Frenchman is only 25 points behind the Scandinavian, currently second in the distance rankings.
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