The annual “Tour de Ski” tournament is continuing, with some familiar faces on the podium, including two from the U.S.
Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg, twice an Olympic gold medalist in team events, has finished second in the Tour de Ski, but wants the title in 2018-19. She won both events in Obertsdorf, barely beating Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva to the line in the 10 km Mass Start Classical – by 0.1 – but then won easily in the 10 km Pursuit Freestyle by 30.4 seconds.
The pursuit created her lead in the Tour de Ski with two events left; she has a 35.4-second edge on Nepryaeva, with American Jessica Diggins third, 1:22.6 behind.
The American women have had a good week, with Sophie Caldwell and Diggins going 2-3 in the Sprint Freestyle in Val Mustair (SUI) on New Year’s Day. Diggins then won a bronze in the 10 km Pursuit Freestyle on Thursday. Diggins finished third overall in the Tour de Ski last season and could repeat, or perhaps move up?
“It was so awesome getting the time of day win today and third in the tour in front of my parents and sister who came all the way over to cheer for the last three stages of the Tour!” said Diggins after the Pursuit bronze.
In the men’s Tour de Ski, Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo has the lead after five of the seven events, but by only 5.4 seconds over Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov. Klaebo won the Sprint Freestyle in Val Mustair and the 15 km Pursuit Freestyle in Obertsdorf, but Ustiugov has been more consistent: third in the Sprint, third in the 15 km Mass Start (Klaebo was ninth) and second in the Pursuit Freestyle.
So they will fight it out to the finish in Val di Fiemme, with Alexander Bolshunov (RUS), standing third, some 1:18.2 behind. The remaining schedule
● 5 January: Women’s 10 km Classical Mass Start & Men’s 15 km Mass Start Classical
● 6 January: Women’s 9 km Pursuit Freestyle & Men’s 9 km Pursuit Freestyle
Summaries from Val Mustair and Obertsdorf:
FIS Cross Country World Cup
Tour de Ski III
Val Mustair (SUI) ~ 1 January 2019
(Full results here)
Men’s 1.4 km Sprint Freestyle: 1. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), 3:03.78; 2. Federico Pellegrino (ITA), +2.35; 3. Sergey Ustiugov (RUS), +3.07; 4. Richard Jouve (FRA), +3.08; 5. Emil Iversen (NOR), +3.61.
Women’s 1.4 km Sprint Freestyle: 1. Stina Nilsson (SWE), 3:31.91; 2. Sophie Caldwell (USA), +2.27; 3. Jessica Diggins (USA), +2.27; 4. Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg (NOR), +3.54; 5. Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR), +4.58.
FIS Cross Country World Cup
Tour de Ski IV & V
Obertsdorf (GER) ~ 2-3 January 2019
(Full results here)
Men’s 15 km Mass Start Classical: 1. Emil Iversen (NOR), 45:30.3; 2. Francesco de Fabiani (ITA), 45:31.2; 3. Sergey Ustiugov (RUS), 45:32.3; 4. Sjur Roethe (NOR), 45:32.4; 5. Calle Halfvarsson (SWE), 45:33.5.
Men’s 15 km Pursuit Freestyle: 1. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), 35:07.5; 2. Ustiugov (RUS), 35:07.9; 3. Alexander Bolshunov (RUS), 36:15.7; 4. Sindre Bjoernestad Skar (NOR), 36:49.0; 5. Simen Hegstad Krueger (NOR), 36:50.0
Women’s 10 km Mass Start Classical: 1. Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg (NOR), 32:08.9; 2. Natalia Nepryaeva (RUS), 32:09.0; 3. Anastasia Sedova (RUS), 32:14.2; 4. Astrid Jacobsen (NOR), 32:21.8; 5. Krista Parmakoski (FIN), 32:24.8. Also in the top 25: 11. Jessica Diggins (USA), 33:07.3; … 15. Sadie Bjornsen (USA), 33:14.3
Women’s 10 km Pursuit Freestyle: 1. Oestberg (NOR), 26:21.2; 2. Nepryaeva (RUS), 26:51.6; 3. Diggins (USA), 27:33.8; 4. Yulia Belorukova (RUS), 27:33.9; 5. Parmakoski (FIN), 27:44.8. Also in the top 25: 11. Bjornsen (USA), 30:29.0.
