Cross-country skiing : Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo on fire in front of his home crowd
It was under thick flakes that made the race more indecisive than ever that the cross-country skiers set off on Tuesday for the individual classic of the world cross-country skiing championships in Trondheim, Norway. Over a 10-kilometre course, the various athletes lining up at the start engaged in a formidable battle.
But as in the sprint skate and skiathlon, local prince Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo impressed once again. Starting off at a good pace, the Norwegian put his foot down on the accelerator pedal in the final lap to pull away from his direct rivals. Cheered on by thousands of supporters who had braved the cold and falling snow, the Scandinavian won another gold medal.
This third title in as many races means that the world number one now has a total of twelve world titles, one less than Petter Northug Jr, the record holder. Building on this success, he could well go on to win gold several times in team events such as the classic sprint team and the men’s relay.
Behind him, two of his compatriots helped Norway sign another hat-trick on home soil. In a stadium cheering them on, Erik Valnes and Harald Oestberg Amundsen finished strongly to move into the top 3. In silver, Erik Valnes crossed the line 8 seconds behind Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo, while bronze medallist Harald Oestberg Amundsen finished just 11 seconds behind the winner.
At the foot of the podium, Edvin Anger put in an outstanding performance. The Swede started among the front runners in the group of favourites and once again proved that he can be at ease over distance. Disappointed after missing out on the skate sprint, the sturdy lad made up for it well and came within three seconds of a world medal after Martin Loewstroem Nyenget fell in the final metres.
William Poromaa was in the game for a long time to disrupt the Norwegian hegemony, but literally lost everything at the end of the race. In contention for the medal, the Swede finally finished sixth, 15 seconds from victory. A few seconds behind him, Switzerland’s Cyril Faehndrich had the luxury of finishing seventh.
Hugo Lapalus failed to play up front
In the French clan, Hugo Lapalus will no doubt be disappointed. In great form over the last few weeks, particularly in the skiathlon where he was at the front of the pack in the classic section, the Frenchman could have dreamt of a podium finish in this global event. However, not everything went according to plan for the Haut-Savoyard.
Having fallen behind as the 10 kilometres went by, the cross-country racer from La Clusaz (Haute-Savoie) was unable to turn the tide and join the battle. At the finish, he crossed the line in eleventh place , more than 56 seconds from victory and 45 seconds from the box.
Not far behind him, his compatriot Rémi Bourdin continues to impress during this fortnight. An excellent thirteenth in the sprint skate last Thursday, the Doubiste skier did it again on Tuesday. Fourteenth in the final ranking, the skier from Frasne-Drugeon finished just three seconds behind his team-mate.
Third and last Frenchman of the day, Clément Parisse climbed to twenty-eighth place. The Mégevan rider finished strongly to claw back some precious seconds, enabling him to take his place in the top 30 in what could be his last individual World Championship competition.
Read also
- Trondheim: Hugo Lapalus can win a medal in the individual event
- Offensive and eleventh in the skiathlon at the Worlds, Hugo Lapalus wanted to be out in front in Trondheim: “I had to try today”.
- Alexandre Rousselet reviews the French performances after the first week of the Trondheim Worlds
