Svensson doubles up Swedish victory in Ulricehamn (SWE)
Feb 06, 2021·Cross-Country
Ulricehamn's Sprint course held it's tactical spots hidden and strenghts had to be saved until the grand finals. Smart skiing was indeed needed to succeed on the course and so the line up for the finals consisted of five of the current top-6 of the Sprint World Cup (only one missing was Alexander Bolshunov). 6th in line was Sergey Ustiugov (RUS) who reported back from a recovery after a Covid-19 infection last autumn. Ustiugov had proven his strong shape already throughout the heats, challenging the fastest times.
Up front on the start line was current Sprint World Cup leader Federico Pellegrino (ITA). At first however, Ustiugov set out as the pace maker which left the successors work their energy off to keep up with the speed. In the downhills, Lucas Chanavat (FRA) had positioned himself in ideal line to take the momentum of the slight downhill, followed by his team colleague Richard Jouve (FRA). Along the straight outrun through the stadium, Gleb Retivykh (RUS) skied into top position for the final tight corner before the finish stretch came in sight. Oskar Svensson (SWE) had remained on the heels of the pace makers and took out his excellent Sprinting qualities for the final meters, passing Retyvikh on the last 20m stretch.
"I used the last bolt of energy I had left in my body. Because on top of the hill after Ustiugov's fast start I felt like I could not keep up but then I just gave it all I could. I can't actually believe I won this race, it's fantastic," said Svensson after claiming his second World Cup victory within a month, after the Sprint C in Val di Fiemme.
Gleb Retivykh gets rewarded with the second rank before third placed Federico Pellegrino who sprinted past the French duo in the final meters of the course, stretching out by mm for the last spot on the podium.
Top-20 check
At his only 8th World Cup start, Yanick Riebli (SUI) sprints to his career's best with a 8th rank.
Graham Ritchi (CAN) finishes on a fantastic 17th rank and marks a milestone to his career with qualifying for the first time and hitting top-20 right away.
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