Both Jens Burman and William Poromaa were in the final sprint and when 2.6 kilometers remained of the race, Burman was in the lead ahead of a quintet of Norwegians. Poromaa was then seventh, 3.9 seconds behind Burman.
In the end, however, it was a Norwegian showdown that Johannes Kläbo won closely ahead of Martin Löwström Nyenget and Pål Golberg in second and third place respectively.
“They are strong at sprinting”
It was the first time in his career that Kläbo won the classic five-mile in Holmenkollen.
Burman finished as the best Swede in sixth place, 4.8 seconds behind Kläbo.
– They are strong at sprinting those Norwegians. I did what I could today, but I can’t do more than that, says Burman.
Poromaa dropped
How did it feel when five Norwegians ran away?
– I don’t really have that speed like Kläbo and these guys. You try to keep up. It would have been optimal if you were involved in the riot yourself.
Was there anything you could have done differently?
– It is if you had been braver and driven even earlier. But it’s a trade-off there too, you don’t know if you’ll be able to cope.
William Poromaa dropped to tenth place, 28.3 seconds behind.