Klaebo completes clean sweep with perfect finish to 'amazing weekend in Trondheim'
Dec 17, 2023·Cross-Country
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is back on top of the overall Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup standings after winning the men's 10km classic in Trondheim, Norway, on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Norwegian, who was unbeatable in Friday's sprint and Saturday's skiathlon, made it three victories in three days in his hometown as he beat runner-up Paal Golberg by more than 17 seconds. Henrik Doennestad finished third, making it three home skiers on the podium.
"Amazing weekend in Trondheim," Klaebo said.
"It's been really nice and my shape is way better now than it was when we started this season."
The four-time overall World Cup winner had needed a couple of weeks to recover from catching Covid-19 just before the season kicked off. After winning the sprint in Oestersund, Sweden, a week ago and claiming a clean sweep in Trondheim, he looks back at full strength, taking the yellow vest as the overall leader off compatriot Harald Oestberg Amundsen.
The outstanding results on his home track also bodes well for his main aim right now; the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2025 in Trondheim, where he grew up, lives and trains.
"I got a lot of good answers during this weekend and I think we (his team) learned a lot when we've been here. It was great to finish off the weekend well," Klaebo said.
With start number 60, the home favourite was well informed about his main rivals' times throughout the interval start race.
At the 3.4km mark Klaebo got his first lead and the margin down to Golberg's times continued to increase. Klaebo's strongest push came between 6.8km and 7.5km, when he extended the gap from nine to 15 seconds over 700 metres.
"I felt that I just opened pretty slow," Klaebo said.
"I heard that I was five-six seconds behind and from 3km I started to push a little bit harder and heard that I had developed a gap. So it was really nice and we had amazing skis and my shape is better, so it was an amazing day."
In his fifth outing on the tour, Doennestad reached his first World Cup podium with a strong finish in front of the home crowd. Starting in position 25, the Norwegian 27-year-old finished in the lead with more than half a minute's margin, watching several strong distance skiers starting after him failing to beat his time.
Doennestad had only had the ninth best time at the 5.2km mark but was faster than most of the other racers in the second half of the race.
There was however not much to do about unstoppable Klaebo and last year's crystal globe winner Golberg, who started with bib No.46 and got running updates about Doennestad's times to finish 3.4 seconds faster than his teammate. It was the second podium this season for Golberg, who is No.2 in the men's World Cup distance standings, behind Amundsen, and third in the overall ranking.
Calle Halfvarsson from Sweden is ranked fifth overall, but still chasing his first podium this season. The 34-year-old, who was fifth in Saturday's skiathlon, is however getting closer and closer.
Starting as No.70, he had the third best time at 8.9km but lost the spot to Doennestad, having to settle for a fourth-place less than two seconds behind the Norwegian.
Norwegian trio Erik Valnes, Didrik Toenseth and Amundsen finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively as USA's Ben Ogden took the eighth place. Sweden's William Poromaa and Jens Burman completed the top-10.
Next up for the world's best cross-country skiers is the FIS Tour de Ski that kicks off on 30 December in Toblach, Italy.
Click here for full results from the men's 10km classic.
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