Krüger wins 20km as dominant Norway claim six top spots

Norway dominated the men's 20km individual start free at the Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, on Sunday, claiming the six first positions of the race that Simen Hegstad Krüger won.

The 29-year-old twice Olympic champion was at his own level at the high altitudes of the Swiss ski resort. At 12.2km he had got himself a margin of more than 20 seconds down to the others – a margin that he kept until the finish line.

Hans Christer Holund got closest, clocking in at 22.3 seconds after Krüger to take the second place 2.2 seconds before teammate Sjur Røthe.

It was Krüger's first individual podium position this season, having previously had two 10th-places as his best results. That it happened in Davos was perhaps no surprise. Krüger had won his past two distance races there, in 2019 and 2021.

"It's amazing," he said.

"I love this course, it's my favourite track, and with the season opener not (being) ideal for me it was a really good feeling to take the victory today. Today I'm just really, really happy."

Krüger thanked his teammates for bagging his 11th World Cup victory.

"I got to take a few laps with Holund so we made up a good pace. It was a great team effort," he said.

Didrik Tønseth from Norway finished fourth, 52 seconds after Krüger and 0.5 second before Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Iver Tildheim Andersen completing the Norwegian top-six.

Overall World Cup No.2 Klæbo, who missed last weekend's action due to an illness and saw Italy's Federico Pellegrino beat him to the sprint victory on Saturday, showed that he is on his way back to good shape as he climbed from an eight-place halfway through the race, to finish fifth.

Concluding a weekend of action at 1,500m altitude in Davos, the world's best cross-country skiers now get a short break before the World Cup and FIS Tour de Ski action kicks off again at Val Müstair, Switzerland, on 31 December.

Click here for full results of the men’s 20km individual start free.