Therese Johaug back in top state
Dec 12, 2021·Cross-Country
The final competition at this years edition of Davos Nordic was an important test for all female FIS Cross-Country athletes eyeing with a participation at the Distance competitions during the Olympic Games in February 2022. Due to the altitude and strength of the course, achieving a top placement at Davos is a good omen and indicator of one’s performance. Top favorites at todays 10km in Free technique were Therese Johaug (NOR) and Frida Karlsson (SWE) who pushed back and forth the victories in the most recent Distance competitions.
Therese Johaug set the pace. The outstanding performance of the Norwegian remained untouchable: “I must say I had great skis as well today but I know that I felt good and that I can give all I’ve got today. It was the last World Cup competition for a while for me as I head into the preparation phase before the Olympic games, so performing well today was very important for me,” concluded today’s winner her performance.
For the US athlete Jessie Diggins, the race saw more Up’s and Down’s in terms of pacing but the 30 year-old has the abilities to charge up into an extra gear, which she managed to also do in the final stretch of the race. The American managed to catch up 7 seconds as she headed the slight downwards course back into the stadium towards the finish line. However, the clock was ticking and by 2.6 seconds, she sneaked into the seconds place.
For Frida Karlsson, the race at altitude needed some adjustments: “I was a bit too slow in the beginning of the race before I found my pace. For next time in the altitude, I will start a little tougher I think. I had quite some respect from racing at altitude so maybe that held me back a little at first.” Indeed, the Swede pulled away in the second round, leaving top-contenders such as Rosie Brennan and Heidi Weng, who followed on Karlsson’s footsteps no chance to keep up.
7.2 seconds off the podium, last year’s winner Rosie Brennan keeps on confirming her great shape and abilities in Davos. With 6 nations within the top-10, the 10km F in Davos ends with a promising line up for all upcoming Distance runs along the World Cup, building up to the Olympic Winter Games 2022.
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