The reigning Tour de Ski champion had a rough start to the World Cup and tested positive for covid-19 after the premiere in Ruka. After that, however, it didn’t take long before Johannes Høsflot Klæbo was back in good old fashion.
The 27-year-old has won four races, leads the overall World Cup and was heavy advance favorite to go all the way even in the upcoming edition of the Tour de Ski, which begins on Saturday.
But now stands it is clear that the ski star has again become ill and is forced to throw in the towel.
– After I got the flu the week after the World Cup in Trondheim (the last World Cup competitions in mid-December), I had to go home from the high-altitude training because of a six-day fever, says Klæbo in a statement.
Norwegian national team doctor Ove Feragen:
– Johannes had hoped for the longest time to be able to compete in the tour, but unfortunately it comes too early for him.
Klæbo had charged set for his fourth overall Tour de Ski title. He has the most stage wins – 17 in total – in the tour’s history since its inception in 2006-2007.
In the past, the reigning Olympic and World Cup gold medalist in skiathlon, Simen Hegstad Krüger, has also withdrawn from the Tour de Ski due to illness.
Replacements for Klæbo and Krüger will be Ansgar Evensen and Henrik Dønnestad.
Tour de Ski runs from 30 December to 7 January.
2023-12-28 14:44:18
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