Cross-country skiing: as in the women’s event, the Chinese take the lead in the individual classic qualifying round
A few hours after qualifying for the women’s individual classic, won by Lingshuang Chen, the men took to the track this Wednesday on the 7.5 kilometre course of the world cross-country skiing championships in Trondheim (Norway).
Kuerbanjiang Wuerkaixi put in a fine performance in this competition, which allows athletes with too many FIS points to apply for a place in the world competition scheduled for 4 March. Very solid, like his compatriot Lingshuang Chen earlier in the day, the Chinese dominated the event.
On the line, he won ahead of his compatriot Liu Rongsheng by more than 18 seconds after a high-flying performance. Micha Buechel from Liechtenstein completed the podium, more than 42 seconds behind the winner. Behind him, Danish biathlete Joachim Weel Rosbo had to settle for fourth place.
Less than 5 seconds behind him, it was a well-known name in French Nordic skiing who achieved a fine result. Second in the skate sprint of the French Cup in Méaudre (Isère) a few days earlier, the Haitian and Olympic Mont d’Or resident Stevenson Savart stood out by qualifying after finishing fifth.
Iceland’s Astmar Helgi Kristinsson, Belgium’s Samuel Maes, Slovakia’s Jan Adamov, Latvia’s Jekabs Skolieks and Denmark’s Magnus Tobiassen rounded out the top 10. Wearing the colours of San Marino, Doubiste’s Simon Sancet failed to secure his ticket for the next round, finishing in sixtieth place. Samuel Uduigowme Ikpefan, a skier from Pays Rochois and representing Nigeria, started off at a good pace, but did not finish the race.
The full rankings
Read also
- Trondheim Worlds: Lingshuang Chen wins the individual classic qualification ahead of two other Chinese gymnasts
- To score less than 300 FIS points to qualify for the 2026 Olympic Games: the day of the great challenge has arrived for Simon Sancet, who took part in the qualifying race for the Trondheim World Championships.
- The full programme for the 2025 World Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships in Trondheim
