Cross-country skiing : Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo simply too strong
Following Johanna Hagstroem’s victory in the women’s race, the cross-country skiers also contested the first classic sprint of the winter on the cross-country skiing world cup. In Ruka (Finland), Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo wasted no time in finding his feet in his favourite discipline.
Impressive from the qualifying round onwards, the Norwegian then ran riot throughout the tournament to secure his place in the final. Once there, he quickly made the most of the powder to cruise to victory. It was not only his first success of the winter, but also, and above all, his fiftieth career victory in a sprint.
Behind him, Erik Valnes tried to keep up with his compatriot but was unable to do anything. Beaten on a regular basis, the 28-year-old cross-country skier once again had to settle for second place, just two seconds behind his insatiable team-mate.
Lauri Vuorinen also shone in front of his home crowd. Already sixth in the first morning heat, the Finn then held on as the laps went by to reach the final. Ideally placed, the experienced 29-year-old finished ahead of Even Northug, Niilo Moilanen and Sweden’s Marcus Grate. This is his second individual podium in his career, following on from last year’s success in Falun (Sweden).
The only Frenchman still in the running after qualifying following the early eliminations of Richard Jouve, Lucas Chanavat, Théo Schely, Renaud Jay, Rémi Bourdin and Hugo Lapalus in the morning, Jules Chappaz was unable to fully defend his chances in the quarters. After making a mistake on one of the downhill sections of the course, the Haut-Savoyard saw his route come to an end at this stage of the competition.
The full rankings
The overall sprint ranking
The overall World Cup standings
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- The full programme for the Ruka World Cup, the first stage of the winter season for cross-country skiers and combined skiers
- Ruka: Fifteen-strong France on the opening day of the World Cup
