Klaebo claims back-to-back Engadin wins as Norway dominate Mass Start

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) made it two wins in two days this weekend as he finished first in the Men's 20km Mass Start Free in the Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Engadin, Switzerland, on Sunday.

The overall World Cup leader, who won the Sprint Free on Saturday, stayed in the front for the entire race with nothing to do for runner-up Iver Tildheim Andersen (NOR) and No.3 Didrik Toenseth (NOR) as they came into the final stretch with the best sprinter in the world.

"It was kind of a transport from St Moritz to here and then I felt like everyone kind of wanted to take it a little bit easy," said Klaebo, 28.

"Then the last two laps were really hard. It was really fun actually, and cool to do something else."

On the relatively flat point-to-point course, running between ski towns St Moritz and Silvaplana at an altitude of 1,840m, a group of 18 skiers had stuck together until only a few kilometers remained of the race.

A heavy snowfall had stopped just before the start, adding an extra obstacle for the skiers in front of the pack.

At the top of the last climb, Klaebo had placed himself where he likes to be; right behind last weekend's 10km Free winner, Andersen, who was in first position.

The front duo made a move with Toenseth following after and the last kilometer was all about deciding which positions on the podium the three Norwegians would get.

At the end of the last long curve, Klaebo pushed past Andersen and got himself a gap that none of his compatriots could close, securing the 94th World Cup victory of his career.

"It was better that we started at 12.30 than at 10 this morning because then it was snowing way more than it did when we were skiing," Klaebo said.

"It was a big advantage to stay behind (the front) but when we came here (closer to the finish), the conditions got a little bit better and, especially the Norwegians, we had amazing skis today."

Klaebo said he had not decided whether he will compete in Cogne, Italy next weekend, but that he "for sure" will be racing in Falun, Sweden, 14-16 February.

Behind him, Andersen kept Toenseth behind him to protect his second place in the Norwegian showdown.

Paal Golberg (NOR), Martin Kierkeberg Moerk (NOR) and Andreas Fjorden Ree (NOR) finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, making it an all-Norwegian top-six that will not make it easier for the management selecting skiers for the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, starting in a month.

Best non-Norwegian skier was Jules Lapierre in seventh place, who finished 14.1 seconds behind the winner. France had a strong day with five skiers among the 20 best as Clement Parisse (FRA) and Hugo Lapalus (FRA) claimed the eighth and ninth place respectively. 

Austria's Mika Vermeulen completed the top-10, crossing the line 28.1 seconds after the winner.

Click here for full results from the Men's 20km Mass Start Free.

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