Cross-country skiing : Norway power six at home
A few days after returning to the cross-country skiing World Cup for the first time this season last weekend in Ruka (Finland), the international athletes were back on the slopes in Lillehammer, Norway, for the second stage of the winter season.
On home soil, the Norwegians were particularly dominant. Taking the first six places of the day, the Scandinavians gave their rivals no chance. At the head of the list, it was the experienced Martin Loewstroem Nyenget who was the strongest of the red armada.
Always on the pace, the 32-year-old cross-country skier confirmed his fine start to the season, having already finished on the podium twice in Finland last weekend. And he battled right to the end of the 10-kilometre course to claim his first win of the season.
Behind him, Simen Hegstad Krueger held the upper hand in his favourite format. Eventually finishing just four seconds behind the winner, the outgoing world champion in this discipline nonetheless climbed onto the podium for the first time this winter.
With the yellow World Cup overall leader’s bib firmly on his back, Harald Oestberg Amundsen followed up with another top 3 finish, further consolidating his position as world number one. At the foot of the podium, Iver Tildheim Andersen had every intention of repeating the feat he achieved two years ago on this same site. However, he came up just short and had to settle for fourth place.
The young and surprising Andreas Fjorden Ree was once again in the top 5, just ahead of his team-mate Mattis Stenshagen, who was invited back at the last minute following Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo‘s withdrawal. The first non-Norwegian in the race, Germany’s Friedrich Moch finished seventh, just a few seconds ahead of a fantastic Einar Hedegart, a biathlete used to theIBU Cup circuit.
Les Bleus follow each other in the rankings
In the French clan, the best performance of the day went to Jules Lapierre. Already in the top 10 of the mass-start skate event in Ruka (Finland) last Sunday, the Chartrous native this time moved into the top 20, finishing 19th.
Two of his team-mates followed close behind in the top twenty. Hugo Lapalus and Mathis Desloges were twenty-first and twenty-second respectively in the first race of the weekend. Jules Chappaz, also competing in this distance race, crossed the line in forty-first place.
The full rankings
The overall distance ranking
The overall World Cup standings
Read also
- Lillehammer: the individual skateboard start lists
- The full programme for the Lillehammer stage starting this Friday
- Still ill, Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo will not be at the start of the individual skate race this Friday
- France with the same team as in Ruka for the Lillehammer World Cup
