16:14
Klæbo runs forward
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has recognized the signs of the times. The overall World Cup leader is chasing, doing so so consistently that he doesn’t pull anyone with him. The sprint world champion closes up quickly and impressively. So we have three Norwegians in front.
16:13
Hyvärinen falls
The two Finns are also struggling. Iivo Niskanen follows. And Perttu Hyvärinen even falls on an easy descent. For cross-country skiing, that’s quite a spectacular fall. It takes time, but he keeps going.
16:11
Two Norwegians escape
Simen Hegstad Krüger supports Sjur Røthe, the two Norwegians set the pace. The others have to close the holes first. Friedrich Moch is now also in the chasing role. And Johannes Høsflot Klæbo also has to react.
16:09
Rothe steps on the gas
Røthe immediately picks up the pace with the new material in the changed style. So the group stretches enormously, there are a few gaps.
16:07
ski change
Then half of the almost 30 kilometers are completed. After the classic part, the skating continues. Skis and poles have to be exchanged for this. Sjur Røthe is the quickest to do this.
16:05
13 runners left
And so we are left with 13 athletes. The next shaky candidate is Perttu Hyvärinen, who is struggling to make contact. But then some athletes drink up liquid, which gives the Finn some reprieve. One and a half kilometers of classic are still to be completed.
16:03
Musgrave falls behind
As soon as the pace picks up again thanks to Iivo Niskanen, Andrew Musgrave gets hit first. The Brit doesn’t seem to be in the form today to be up there at the front. Let’s see what else can be saved in skating. Once again Irineu Esteve Altimiras gets a shot.
16:02
Large gap to the pursuers
The leading group is currently running half a minute ahead. Jonas Baumann, Mika Vermeulen and Jonas Dobler run in the chasing group. Albert Kuchler follows a few seconds behind. Lucas Bögl has already lost more than a minute.
16:00
Keep up the good work
Friedrich Moch makes a good impression, is quite actively involved in the group and keeps German hopes alive.
15:59
tempo dragging
With Iivo Niskanen no longer doing anything for pace, with Calle Halfvarsson currently in the lead, Irineu Esteve Altimiras is catching up again. And that helps Andrew Musgrave, who has also been struggling recently, to stick with it. So now we have 15 runners again.
15:56
Ventura gives
Annoyed, Paolo Ventura throws in the towel. The Italian had fallen far behind due to problems with the material. In view of the large gap, that no longer made sense.
15:55
14 men ahead
Meanwhile, 14 athletes remain in the head group, which includes all the favourites. Most recently, Irineu Esteve Altimiras from Andorra had lost contact.
15:52
scold
Mika Vermeulen runs in Jonas Dobler’s area. The Austrian also missed the connection to the front. Incidentally, this also applies to the Swiss Jonas Baumann. The Swiss are no longer represented in the top group.
3:50 p.m
failure
Arsi Ruuskanen was the first athlete to give up. The Finn didn’t make it through the second split at kilometer 2.2.
15:49
Moch stay tuned
Friedrich Moch continues to get involved. On the other hand, Jonas Dobler and Lucas Bögl have problems keeping up with the group, which has been reduced to 15 runs. Albert Kuchler is already half a minute behind.
15:47
Niskanen sorted out
Iivo Niskanen is considered to be the stronger classic runner. This is one of the reasons why the Olympic bronze medalist is already trying something. The Finn keeps looking around to see who can follow him. Of course, the favorites stay tuned. The Norwegians don’t let themselves be shaken off that easily.
15:43
Niskanen steps on the gas
Almost imperceptibly, Iivo Niskanen increases the pace, which now stretches the field enormously. This encourages selection. We can still count about 35 runners in the first group.
15:42
Kilometer 4.7
The Swedes are also well represented with William Poromaa and Calle Halfvarsson. Hugo Lapalus represents the French colors. And Friedrich Moch is also among the top ten.
15:40
Niskanen shows up
In the meantime, Iivo Niskanen has placed himself at the front. The Finn is currently setting the pace. Three Norwegians are watching at the ends of his board. Pål Golberg can now also be seen there.
15:38
Ventura far back
Then Paolo Ventura has to change his left ski. The Italian went off the track in the early stages and has lost a lot of time now, over a minute and a half behind.
15:35
selection begins
Then there is the first fall. In the back field, however, it is not clear who this affects. In addition, the sorting begins now. The first athletes fall behind.
15:32
First split
The field was quickly sorted. Everyone is still together. It’s progressing at a leisurely pace. Two Norwegians lined up at the front. It’s Simen Hegstad Krüger and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.
15:30
begin
Now the starting gun sounds. The 66 athletes set off together from four starting corridors. Quite early goes into a descent. You have to be careful not to fall. Everything goes well for now.
15:28
circle of favourites
And Norway doesn’t have that much competition from other countries. The strong Russians are known to be absent. We are curious about the form of the Olympic bronze medalist Iivo Niskanen from Finland, but he certainly has what it takes to be fit for the high point of the season. In addition, the Swede William Poromaa, who was sixth at the Olympics in skiathlon, was able to challenge the Norwegians twice for a podium place in the distance races this season. And the Frenchman Jules Lapierre actually did it once. Otherwise we can think of the names Perttu Hyvärinen (Finland), Andrew Musgrave (Great Britain), Clément Parisse and Hugo Lapalus (both France) for an extremely broad group of favourites. So we have now really almost desperately searched for arguments against a total Norwegian triumph.
15:22
Norwegian superiority reduced
Others are fighting for the medals. We could easily list far more than a handful of Norwegians here, all of whom would be good for medals, but only four athletes are allowed to start per nation. And so, for example, Hans Christer Holund, fourth at the Olympics and currently second in the Distance World Cup, is not there at all. With Pål Golberg, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Simen Hegstad Krüger and Sjur Røthe, the Norwegians can still grab plenty of precious metal.
15:13
ÖSV and Swiss Ski
The only Austrian is Mika Vermeulen, who finished sixteenth in skiathlon at the last Olympic Games. And speaking of Beijing 2022, the Swiss Jonas Baumann finished 15th. If the athletes mentioned here finish in these regions today, that would be worthy of all honor. This also applies to the other four Confederates: Beda Klee, Roman Furger and Cyril Fähndrich.
15:04
German quartet
Of the four German starters, only Friedrich Moch can honestly be classified as reasonably competitive at the moment. The 22-year-old has what it takes to finish in the top 10, after all he is currently eighth in the distance World Cup and one of the 15 seeded athletes. In addition to Moch, Lucas Bögl, who came 12th in the last Olympic skiathlon, Jonas Dobler and Albert Kuchler are also competing.
14:55
skiathlon
First, the classic part is on the program for the 66 athletes from 28 nations. The field, which is sent on its journey in the mass start, moves on an officially 3,788 meter long lap that has to be completed four times. After that, the runners have to switch to the skating technique, which of course involves changing skis and poles. Now you also go four times over a circuit that is exactly 3,599 meters long. In total, we come to exactly 29,548 kilometers of competition.
14:45
Planica
At the 54th Nordic World Ski Championships, the fifth set of medals is at stake. From 3:30 p.m. in Planica, the cross-country skiers will have their second chance after yesterday’s classic sprints. Versatility is required in skiathlon because the athletes have to work in both styles. Incidentally, this form of competition is not to be found on this winter’s World Cup calendar.
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the decision of the men’s World Championships in Skiathlon! The live ticker starts in good time before the start of the competition.