Cross-country skiing : Therese Johaug bosses the individual classic
A few minutes after Norway’s resounding six-peat in the men’s individual skate, the women cross-country skiers took their turn to fight for victory in this second stage of the 2024/2025 cross-country skiing World Cup, held from Friday to Sunday in Lillehammer (Norway).
Therese Johaug came very close to her first success on her return to the circuit last Friday in Ruka (Finland), but it wasn’t long before she was back on the winning track. Just a week later, the Norwegian was the strongest rider at the end of the 10 kilometres of the demanding Scandinavian track.
As impressive as ever in these time trial formats, the 36-year-old cross-country skier didn’t hesitate to claim her eighty-third victory in the elite category. She also confirmed that she will be a force to be reckoned with over the coming months, particularly at the end of February at the World Championships in Trondheim (Norway).
Now wearing the yellow overall leader’s bib, she is not expected to defend her jersey, however, as she has announced that she will not be at the start of the next races on the calendar, starting with the stage in Davos (Switzerland) scheduled for next weekend.
Frida Karlsson beaten by Norway
Behind her, two of her team-mates gave Norway another hat-trick. In second and third place respectively, Heidi Weng and Astrid Oeyre Slind capitalized on their current fine form. Already on the podium in Finland, the two compatriots denied their rival Frida Karlsson a top 3 finish.
The 25-year-old cross-country skier finished at the foot of the podium, just three seconds behind the day’s third-placed finisher. Jessie Diggins once again finished in the top five places.Helene Marie Fossesholm also put in a fine performance, finishing eighth and back among the best after two complicated years.
Flora Dolci a few seconds off the top 10
Five French women also lined up at the start of this competition. Flora Dolci was in the thick of things and in contact with the best cross-country skiers, finishing a good twelfth. Just six seconds behind in tenth place, the Frenchwoman follows on from her eleventh-place finish in the mass-start skate in Ruka (Finland) last Sunday.
On the other hand, the results were more mixed for the rest of the French clan. Delphine Claudel from the Vosges crossed the finish line in thirtieth place, Juliette Ducordeau in forty-sixth, Mélissa Gal in fifty-eighth and Maëlle Veyre in sixty-fifth.
The full rankings
The overall distance ranking
The overall World Cup standings
Read also
- After the Lillehammer individual skate, Mathis Desloges keeps his green bib
- Lillehammer: led by Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, the Norwegians scored a six-peat in the individual skate event, with Jules Lapierre in the top 20.
- The full programme for the Lillehammer stage starting this Friday
- France with the same team as in Ruka for the Lillehammer World Cup
