The World Cross Country Cup continued with the traditional skiing sprint in Drammen. The best Finn in the men was Joni Mäki and in the women Katri Lylynperä. The Finns were left without final places.
The World Cross Country Skiing Cup continued in Drammen, Norway, with a city sprint of traditional skiing. The sprint track was thus built about 40 kilometers southwest of Oslo in the center of Drammen.
Norway won the women’s race Maiken Caspersen Falla. The 31-year-old Norwegian takes first place this season. Falla surprised Sweden, which dominated the sprint in Beijing and Lahti Jonna Sundlingin. The third was Slovenian Anamarija Lampic.
See the final of the women’s sprint in the main picture of the story.
The men’s race was won by France Richard Jouvewho had decided that Thursday is his day. Jouve won all the batches in the qualifiers and in the final stage. In the finals, he set out to pull the crowd and pulled himself to the first World Cup victory of his career at a brisk pace. The other was Chinese Qiang Wang and the third in France Lucas Chavanat.
In the video below you can watch the end of the men’s sprint. The story continues after the video.
It should be noted that the Drammen sprint was missing several hard goers. The Russian cross-country team left the country when the Norwegian Ski Association announced that the Russians or Belarusians had nothing to do with the Drammen and Holmenkollen races this week. The FIS then announced that it would exclude Russians and Belarusians from international competition.
There was also a group of tough Norwegians on the side of the men Johannes Hösflot Kläbon under. The Norwegian ski team said on Wednesday that all Norwegian men who skied in the Salpausselä sprint in Lahti last Saturday have a corona infection.
Eight Finns in the final stage – no final places
Four Finnish men and four Finnish women survived the qualifying round in the morning for the top 30 stages. On Saturday in Lahti, the free sprint readings were four women and two men.
Joni Mäki was the fifth in the qualifier, Lauri Vuorinen seventh, Ristomatti Hakola 12: s and Lauri Mannila 27: s. In a body Ville Ahonen eliminated.
In women Jasmi Joensuu was the sixth time trial, Johanna Matintalo ninth, Katri Lylynperä 22: s and Kerttu Niskanen 23: s. Anne Kyllönen eliminated.
Only the Finnish women survived the first stage of the semi-finals Katri Lylynperäwhen he was second in the semifinals of Sweden Anna Dyvikin after.
Instead, Johanna Matintalo was fifth in the semi-finals and so did Kerttu Niskanen. Jasmi Joensuu’s miserable luck in the sprints continued. He was the last of his own to beat Norway Lotta Udnes Wengin with. In both the Beijing Olympics and Lahti last Saturday, Joensuu fell at the same time. In Beijing the rod fell, in Lahti he fell in a gentle fall after being second at that point.
On the men’s side, three Finnish men made it to the semi-finals, ie the top 12. They were Joni Mäki, Ristomatti Hakola and Lauri Vuorinen, who were even placed in the same semi-finals. Instead, Lauri Mannila was eliminated in the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, Katri Lylynperä was the last in her batch.
And no Finns were seen in the men’s final. In the “Finnish semi-final” Mäki was third, Vuorinen fourth and Hakola Fifth. The lot was won by an Italian experienced Federico Pellegrino. The extent of the Norwegian level is also indicated by the fact that Norway took the second place in the final Pål Tröan Aune29, who this season has toured mainly his home country as well as the Scandinavia Cup.