Sundling and Klaebo victorious in first Engadin sprints

Jonna Sundling (SWE) and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) became the first skiers to win a Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup Sprint in Engadin as the event made its debut in the eastern Swiss Alps on Saturday.

Olympic champion Sundling, 30, fought off Norway's Kristine Stavaas Skistad to claim the victory in the Women's Sprint Free, taking over the lead in the World Cup sprint standings.

"I felt really good. I just tried to focus on my technique and ski well," Sundling said.

The first semifinal had looked much like a final, with Sundling, the fastest in the qualifications, and Skistad going up against the overall World Cup No.1 Jessie Diggins (USA) and the sprint leader before Saturday's races, Jasmi Joensuu of Finland.

Sundling won it, with Skistad 0.56 of a second behind, as Diggins and Sonjaa Schmidt (CAN) joined the duo into the final as lucky losers in the fast race, Joensuu in fifth place missing the chance to fight for her sprint standings top spot.

In the final, Sweden's Maja Dahlqvists and Norway's Lotta Dunes Weng joined the quartet from the first semifinal, but again it became a battle between another Swede and another Norwegian.

Sundling took an early lead as Skistad moved into her favourite position; behind the Swedish leader. She stuck to Sundling's skis like glue, waiting for the final stretch to make an attack and go for the win.

When the right moment came, however, Skistad did not have enough power to match Sundling, who pushed away to take her third Sprint Free victory this season, more than a second before the 25-year-old Norwegian.

"I'm satisfied by the final and that I could have the energy to push all the way to the finish line," Sundling said.

Behind the top duo, Dahlqvist and Schmidt battled it out for the third place, Dahlqvist managing to keep the Canadian behind her to make it two times Sweden on the podium.

For Schmidt, 22, the fourth place was however a career-best result in the sprint, and a boost of confidence ahead of the FIS Nordic Junior World Championships U23 Cross-Country World Championships in Schilapario, Italy, next week.

"Going into my first sprint final, I was a bit nervous, but I was more excited to just be there and race against the best in the world," said Schmidt, whose best individual World Cup result before Saturday had been a Sprint Free 19th place in Lahti, Finland, last year.

"It definitely gives me confidence for the sprint and for my fitness going into the U23 championships."

Diggins had tried to drive up the pace in the beginning of the final but broken her pole, having to settle for a sixth place behind Weng.

Klaebo back on top

The men's competition had several similarities to the women's races; a tough final-like semifinal, an outstanding Norwegian-Swedish top duo fighting for the top spot.

Sweden's Edvin Anger, who claimed his first World Cup victory as he won the Sprint Classic in Les Rousses, France, in Klaebo's absence last week, won the first semifinal, finishing 0.41 of a second ahead of Klaebo as France's Lucas Chanavat and Valerio Grond of Switzerland behind them got the lucky loser spots.

Joined by Italy's Federico Pellegrino and Norway's Haavard Solaas Taugboel in the final, Anger took an early lead as Klaebo, just like Skistad had done, tucked in behind the leader. This time, however, the Norwegian made a push just before the final stretch and in the remaining 30 seconds of the race, Anger could not answer.

Klaebo slowed down and looked back, letting the Swede come closer before crossing the line 0.2 seconds before him. Just like in the first semifinal, Chanavat grabbed the third place.

"It was a really tough day," Klaebo said.

Klaebo, who won his 93rd World Cup race, said the fast course had been a factor making the semifinal "quite a mess".

"There was also a lot of wind, so there's a big advantage to stay in behind and go quite fast from the top and all the way to the finish," he said.

"There's a really long turn before the finish line here so going on the outside is quite a lot longer than on the inside, so it makes it a little difficult but I'm really happy about being first."

After winning an exhaustive Tour de Ski, Klaebo skipped the Les Rousses stage to train and save up energy for his main event this season; the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, starting in a month's time. The 28-year-old said he enjoyed returning to the Cross-Country tracks, and on top of the podium.

"It's good to be back," Klaebo said.

"I've stayed here (in the Engadin area) for little over a week and the plan is to now do my last preparations here before the World Champs' so I'm looking forward to that."

Overall World Cup No.2 Anger has found a good shape and will for sure also look forward to the world championships, where he hopes to put Klaebo under more pressure.

"I hope that he at least is starting to get nervous," the 22-year-old said.

"It feels like the shape is going in the right way towards Granaasen (Trondheim's world championships tracks)".

His second podium in two weeks brought him to the second place in the men's sprint World Cup standings, taking over from Erik Valnes (NOR) who skipped Saturday's races.

"It feels like it has been at a new level since Davos, really," Anger said.

"The distance races have had a better and better flow and in the sprint I feel that everything is clicking more and more."

The World Cup action in Engadin concludes on Sunday with the Men's and Women's 20km Mass Start Free.

Click here for full results from the Women's Sprint and here for full results from the Men's Sprint.

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