Therese Johaug sets a new record of distance wins at Lahti 10km C

Despite a tough winter season so far, the courses around Lahti ski stadium were all ready and set for the Nordic World Cup family. The Cross-Country competitions started with the womens 10km in Classic style.

A big Finnish crowd had gathered in the stadium and along the 5km course. Only one week after the strenous Ski Tour, the FIS Cross-Country athletes reported back on track for the final stretch of the World Cup season. In the same good shape as always, Therese Johaug set out and kept the lead at all intermediate times. In her 200th World Cup start, Johaug surpasses Marit Bjørgen with a new all-time record of getting her 63rd individual distance victory.

Nevertheless, Ebba Andersson (SWE) was keeping the competition up as she followed Johaug with only a few second gap. Andersson therefore finished her race in a well deserved second rank and only +3.4 seconds behind Johaug. A great performance by the young Swede who now travels to the Junior World Championships in Oberwiesenthal (GER) to compete at the U23 races.

Third ranked Krista Parmakoski (FIN) thrilled the home crowd by showing that she was able to keep up with the distance expert Johaug and showed a fantastic stable performance along the 10km. „I think I was a little bit lucky that we got this cold weather because the whole winter has been really warm so I could use my old good pair of skis so I was only smiling all the time as its one of my favourite pair of skis. And of course to ski in front of my home crowd. I think that after the Ski Tour I was so tired that it was mentally very good that I could stay home and then compete here," stated Krista after the race.