Novák started from 16th place, but about halfway through the race he reached the front of the race. In the leading group with six Russian competitors and the German Lucas Bögl, the 25-year-old Czech skier held on to the end.
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In the end, however, he could no longer keep up the pace and reached the finish line in fifth place, where he disrupted today’s Russian domination. Bolshunov won by half a second ahead of Sergei Ustugov, third was Artyom Maltsev, fourth Ivan Yakimushkin and sixth Ilya Semikov.
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Novák lost 9.2 seconds to Bolshunov, who moved to the top of the World Cup standings thanks to the victory. It was eight and a half seconds away from the Czech national team’s podium.
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Novák, who was 16th on Saturday in the classic 15th, improved his position in distance races in fifth place. His best result so far was 14th place in the free fifteen from Falun 2019.
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| Cross-country skiing in Ruka (Finland) – fighter races |
|---|
| Men (15 km) |
| 1. Bolshunov (Rus.) 35: 23.7 |
| 2. Usťugov (Rus.) -0,5 |
| 3. Malcev (Rus.) -0,7 |
| 4. Yakimushkin (Rus.) -5.3 |
| 5. M. Novák (CZE) -9.2 |
| 6. Semikov (Rus.) -12.7 |
| 7. Bögl (DEU) -17.3 |
| 8. Chervotkin (Rus.) -50.6 |
| 9. Pellegrino (It.) -57,4 |
| 10. De Fabiani (It.) -57,7,… |
| 48. Pechousek (CZE) -3: 40.5 |
| 53. Button (ČR) -4:30,3. |
| Standings (after 3 of 32 races) |
| 1. Bolshunov (Rus.) 174 |
| 2. Usugov (Rus.) 132 |
| 3. Klaebo (Nor.) 119 |
| 4. Valnes (Nor.) 118 |
| 5. Terentěv (Rus.) 115 |
| 6. Червоткин (Rus.) 112, … |
| 12. Novák (CZE) 60 |
| 55. Scheller (CZE) 4 |
— .
