Klaebo claims third Tour de Ski title: 'An unbelievable feeling'

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won his third Tour de Ski title on Sunday, as the 2022-23 tour concluded with the men's 10km mass start free in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

The Norwegian 26-year-old did not manage to continue his record-breaking streak of six consecutive wins in the same tour and had to settle for a sixth-place in the last event, where skiers have to climb up a steep alpine ski course.

That was however enough for Klaebo to retain his overall title from last year. Only one male skier – four-time champion Dario Cologna from Switzerland – has won Tour de Ski more times.

"I'm super satisfied," Klaebo said.

"It's as perfect as it can get so now it's really good that it's done an I can go back to relax, for some days at least."

Klaebo's compatriot Simen Hegstad Krueger won the race as another Norwegian, Hans Christer Holund, claimed the second place, 4.8 seconds behind. Jules Lapierre from France finished third, his teammates lifting him up to celebrate his first Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup podium.

Klaebo won the overall title with a margin of 59.5 seconds down to No.2 Krueger, Holund grabbing the last overall podium spot to complete the Norwegian 1-2-3.

"Today the race was really hard," Klaebo said.

"I know that Simen is very strong when it comes to this uphill and I was a little bit afraid that he could actually go too fast for me today, but I'm really satisfied with the race and I think I did the best I could. To be able to win Tour de Ski is an unbelievable feeling."

Krueger and Holund got a gap to the rest of the pack in the last climb, where the inclines are as high as 28%, battling it out for the first spot on the home straight. The win catapulted Krueger from fifth to second place in the overall standings.

"It was a tough fight up there today after a long tour and I'm really happy finishing first today and taking a podium place overall," Krueger said.

"It was a tough fight with Holund up the last metres here but I'm really happy."

Krueger, 29, said the uphill climb in the Alpe Cermis slope had been tougher than he remembered it from previous years.

"I felt that it was even steeper this year," he said.

"I felt pretty good until the last kilometre. Then there was not much power left but luckily I had a big enough gap to manage to take the victory."

Klaebo also won the point standing with a total of 159 collected points. Norway's Sindre Bjoernstad Skar finished second with 84 points. Calle Halfvarsson from Sweden, got the third place, also at 84.

Halfvarsson, who had come into the last event as the tour's overall No.2, looked keen in the first part of the race but struggled in the climb and finished 22nd, having to settle for an overall sixth-place.

Italy's Federico Pellegrino got the overall fourth-place while overall World Cup No.2 Paal Golberg from Norway finished fifth.

The World Cup action continues on 21-22 January in Livigno, Italy.

Click here for full results from the men's 10km mass start free.