The Ostersund sprint was disappointing due to its lack of intrigue. Klebo took gold in training mode.
The most anticipated event of the third stage of the Cross-Country World Cup in Östersund is the return of Johannes Kläbo. And the main question is its form.
In Ruka at the start of the season, the eminent Norwegian was so bad that he decided to take a break. In Sweden, it’s time to prove your status. And Klebo did it without any problems!
And the stage itself will only be remembered for the failure of another team. The service crew simply set up the skiers on the eve of the start.
Poor Kazakhs
Surprising news began to arrive already at the qualifying stage of the men’s sprint. It turned out that not a single skier from the Kazakhstan team was able to try the Ostersund slope. While everyone was trying to figure out where the four athletes of this team were, World Cup race director Michal Lamplot gave an explanation: Svyatoslav Matasov (42nd place at the stage in Ruka) and Konstantin Bortsov (92nd position in the sprint standings at the end of last season) were not We managed to submit our skis for fluoride testing on time.
Two more skiers from this team also did not make it to the start. We are talking about Denis Volotka and Olzhas Klimin. But they are not to blame for this. According to the main losers of the Swedish stage, the problem lies with their own service team:
“It was a mistake by our lubricants,” says Volotka.
According to the new rules, all athletes’ skis must be checked for fluoride within half an hour before the start. If the skis are returned at least five minutes later than the deadline, this entails disqualification:
— We couldn’t give the skis back on time. It’s our fault. We tried to find the best lubricant and didn’t have time. We feel sorry for the runners,” responds oiler Viktor Kislyakov.
Of course, the Kazakhstanis would not have influenced the distribution of medals, but they could try to jump into the top 30. It will be interesting to know how skiers will take revenge on their overzealous service crew.
Skistad past the gold
The prologue was won by Lynn Swan and Johannes Klebo – the Norwegian’s strong bid for a triumphant comeback. But for whom the sprint in Sweden ended earlier than usual, it was for the Italian Pellegrino, the Chinese Wang Qiang and the Frenchman Jouve. Moreover, the latter in Ruka was ahead of Klebo himself and became second in a similar race.
In the women’s part, the scenario was exactly what the fans expected to see: Norwegian Kristin Skistad against a cohort of Swedes, who were diluted by Americans Diggins and Brennan.
It was not possible to give the native fans a completely Swedish podium, but the victory still went to Reeb. Skistad wedged herself between her and Lynn Swan. Brennan could have fought for the top three, but her path was blocked on the last climb by the Swedish coach – the local specialist was clearly against American participation in the division of prizes.
Too easy
The men had even less variety in the decisive race. Klebo and Valnes successively won the quarterfinals and semifinals, and in the second heat the Americans Schoonmaker and Ogden surprised. Ben traditionally set an incredible pace for himself from the start, which was supported by his teammate. Both finished together, ensuring a Norwegian-American confrontation in the main race.
Frankly speaking, only Valnes could compete with Johannes for gold in such a company. But the Sprint King’s partner in the Olympic team relay “ate up” in the semi-finals, when he could not maintain Klebo’s pace. So Eric was not able to solo in the main race on Saturday.
The US representatives risked using team tactics, increasing the pace from the start, but the Norwegians were obviously ready for this. By the middle of the distance, a tired Ogden completely fell away from the leading pair, which consisted of Schoonmaker and Klebo.
Johannes not only maintained the pace, but was able to make his signature acceleration up the climb and perform flawlessly on the finishing descent. His counterpart from the USA did not find an equivalent answer. Moreover, Valnes came up from behind on the decisive straight and passed Schoonmaker in a short burst. Third place for an American is also an achievement.
Well, Klebo didn’t seem to have any problems two weeks ago. Too easy victory for the Norwegian.
2023-12-09 16:35:27
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