The Norwegian favorites Therese Johaug and Johannes Hösflot Klaebo won the three-part start of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup in Finnish Hands. The best of the Czech national team players, Kateřina Razýmová, moved freely to the overall 22nd place in today’s final 10 km fighter, and Michal Novák dropped to 38th place in the 15-kilometer race.
The overall winner of the series from last season, Johaug, started first after Saturday’s triumph in the classic ten and, as expected, increased her lead even more. Tatyana Sorinova, the second, to reach the podium for the first time in her career, finished second with a gap of 47 seconds. Third place went to Sweden’s Ebba Andersson.
Razýmová set off on track number 30 and during the race she worked her way up to the final 22nd position in the spurt in the crowd of competitors. She completed ten kilometers in the fourteenth best time. Kateřina Janatová ran the 30th time in the fighter, thanks to which she gained the first point of the season. Overall, she was classified in the fifth and Petra Nováková with Petra Hynčicová in the sixth ten.
“I got in the mood after Saturday,” Razýmová recalled her 27th position from the classic ten. “Even though skating is my weaker discipline and I started from the 30th place, I managed to gradually go down my opponents. I pulled the whole race alone, but when you go down, it is encouraging for him and it gives him strength. So I consider the 14th fastest time to be a good performance, considering that I did not go in the group. I felt that I had a lot of strength, “Razýmová said in a press release of the association.
In the men’s fighter, unlike the women’s race, the decision was made only at the end. The winner of Saturday’s classic 15 Klaebo started with a half-minute lead over the Russian Alexander Bolshunov and compatriot Emil Iversen, but he chose a more prudent pace and in the middle of the race a three-member group rode together. In the end, Klaeb’s bet was perfect – he climbed as expected and shook his opponent in the ascent just before the finish. The winner of last season’s World Championship from Bolshunov finished second, the third was Iversen.
Thanks to his 39th career victory, Klaebo is ahead of Petter Northug’s runners-up and is chasing another Norwegian legend, Björn Dählie, who has 46 wins.
The best of the Czechs, Novák, started in the same way as Razýmová, who was 30, and still held the points at the 10th kilometer. But then he ran out of energy and fell to 38th position. Adam Fellner finished 64th.
Following the cancellation of the race in Lillehammer due to a coronavirus pandemic scheduled for next weekend, the SP cross-country skiers continue in two weeks in Davos.
Cross-country skiing World Championships in Ruka (Finland):
Men & # 39; s 15 km Freestyle Fighter: 1. Klaebo (NOR) 35: 09,8, 2. Bolshunov (RUS) -0,7, 3. Iversen -3,0, 4. Holund (both Nor.) -19,5, 5. Niskanen ( Fin.) -27.3, 6. Musgrave (Brit.) -27.7, 7. Chervotkin -32.9, 8. Belov -33.4, 9. Melnichenko (all Russia) -35.9, 10 Hakola (FIN) -37.1,… 38. Novak -2:41,7, 64. Fellner (both CR) -5: 33.9.
SP standings (after 4 of 33 races): 1. Klaebo 296, 2. Bolšunov 257, 3. Iversen 219, 4. Holund 176, 5. Musgrave 148, 6. Niskanen 147,… 42. Sheller (CZE) 9, 49. Novak 2.
Women & # 39; s 10 km Freestyle Fighter: 1. Johaug (NOR) 25: 06,2, 2. Sorin (RUS) -47,0, 3. Andersson -48,6, 4. Karlsson (both Sweden) -50,8, 5. Brennan ( USA) -52.5, 6. Fossesholm (NOR) -54.8, 7. Svahn -1: 06.9, 8. Dahlqvist (both Sweden) -1: 08.8, 9. Niskanen (Fin. ) -1: 14,5, 10. Něprjajevová (RUS) -1: 15,6,… 22. Razýmová -2:27,0, 48. Janatová -4:21,6, 56. Nováková -5:49,6, 59. Hynčicová (all CR) -6: 25.4.
SP standings (after 4 of 33 races): 1. Johaugová 301, 2. Sorinová 252, 3. Anderssonová 203, 4. Karlssonová 188, 5. Brennanová 177, 6. Svahnová 166,… 25. Razýmová 40, 46. Janatová 1.
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