'I’m back!' says Klaebo as Ribom wins again in Östersund
Dec 09, 2023·Cross-Country
After a difficult start to the season on and off the track, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo was back to winning ways in Östersund, Sweden on Saturday in the men’s sprint classic, while Emma Ribom (SWE) made it two wins from two in the women’s sprints this season.
This delighted the home crowd, who were treated to some exciting racing in sub-zero temperatures. Unlike many of the other sprint courses on the World Cup circuit, Östersund requires an equal amount of speed, skill and tactical thinking with its unusual layout.
A winding 26-metre ascent out of the stadium to the highest point on the course is followed by a long sweeping downhill section that allows those who fall behind on the climb to make up ground before a long, flat stadium section where sheer pace and double-poling power come into their own.
Ribom on the double
With world and Olympic sprint champion Jonna Sundling still missing after a bout of Covid, and Nadine Fahndrich (SUI), winner of three World Cup sprint races last season, a non-starter, it looked to be shootout between Ribom and Kristine Stavas Skistad (NOR), winner of five sprints towards the end of last season’s World Cup and who finished third behind Ribom in Ruka, Finland three weeks ago. And so it proved.
Overall 2022/23 World Cup sprint champion Maja Dahlqvist (SWE), who has been struggling for form, particularly in the uphill sections, finished third in the second and slower of the two semi-finals to miss out on the final, leaving Ribom and fellow Swedes Linn Svahn and Moa Lundgren to battle it out with Skistad and US pair Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan.
In the final, Lundgren quickly dropped off the pace, and was soon joined by Diggins, whose pace-setting tactics in the qualification rounds finally seemed to take their toll.
Ribom and Svahn made the first break on the two-minute mark but were quickly reeled in before Ribom burst clear on the home straight to take gold in a time of 3 minutes 38.88 seconds, 0.6 seconds ahead of Skistad with Svahn only a further 0.21s back ahead of Brennan, who seemed to be impeded by one of the Sweden team’s coaches as she came round the final bend.
The return of the king
In the men’s race, the signs were ominous for the rest of the field when Klaebo, fully recovered from a bout of Covid earlier in the season, posted a time more than three seconds faster than his nearest rival in morning qualifying.
With Federico Pellegrino of Italy and France’s Richard Jouve – the only other men to win a World Cup sprint race last season – failing to make it to the quarter-finals, who else could challenge the greatest sprinter of all time?
Erik Valnes, who won the first sprint of the season in Ruka, looked the most likely as the second-fastest morning qualifier. He also beat Klaebo in a photo finish in the first of the afternoon’s quarters-finals.
But Klaebo cruised to victory ahead of overall World Cup leader Valnes in the first semi-final. Then, skiing his ever-so-slightly weaker classic style, Klaebo put in a classic performance in the final.
As the snow began to fall again in central Sweden, Klaebo made his move on the two-minute mark. JC Schoonmaker went with him. But the American skier, who had impressed in winning semi-final 2, was powerless as Klaebo put in a trademark burst to open up a 10-metre lead in the blink of an eye.
Valnes, who beat Klaebo three weekends ago, overhauled Schoonmaker too but 23-year-old managed to hold on in third ahead of team-mate Ben Ogden for a first World Cup podium finish.
Klaebo, meanwhile, was clearly relieved. “It was a really fun final,” he said. “I was a little bit nervous before today because it’s a difficult track – a lot of turns and a lot of downhill – but I had really good skis and finally my shape [fitness] is getting better, so I’m back. I’m just going to enjoy the feeling now.”
Click here for full results from Östersund.
