08:51
Eight starters still there
Then there are only eight athletes who are up front. Krüger leads the group, followed by all four athletes from the Russian Olympic Committee team. Sjur Røthe is also there, along with Patterson and Parisse.
08:49
Krüger tears the next gap
Simen Hegstad Krüger goes to the front of the group and with the next attack the Norwegian ensures that other athletes have to let go. Bolshunov goes along, but the two Swiss are having a harder time now and have to hope that the pace in front will fall asleep again.
08:47
DSV trio in second group
The German trio with Notz, Dobler and Moch runs in the second group. With a deficit of more than a minute, there is nothing more possible for them towards the top ten today. The other two Swiss riders, Rüesch and Pralong, are also in this group.
08:45
Bolshunov leads group
Alexander Bolshunov continues to lead the group as the timer passes 16.8 kilometers. Behind him is teammate Artem Maltsev. From the Swiss team, Dario Cologna and Roman Furger are in good shape and are still in the top group. Holund is six seconds behind the group.
08:44
Was the ski change worth it?
One can ask oneself whether the three Norwegians chose the right strategy with their ski change. After the change, they had to invest a lot to get back into the group. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is gone for good.
08:43
Broken stick at Holund!
What trouble for the Norwegian! Hans Christer Holund has to break his stick while chasing the group and it takes a long time before he is given new material. Meanwhile, teammate Krüger has almost made it back to the group.
08:40
Cologna and Furger right in the middle
Dario Cologna and Roman Furger continue to show a top race and can stay in the top group. It currently consists of about 13 athletes.
08:39
Klæbo falls off again
For Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, changing skis wasn’t worth it, at least for once. He’s in trouble again and has to let his teammates go, who now have to hunt down the group.
08:38
Norwegians go to change skis
Three of the four Norwegians take a risk and now come to change skis while the rest of the group runs through. Only Sjur Røthe decides against it and stays in front.
08:36
Notz leads second group
The second group, in which three of the German athletes are also running, is already clearly behind with 33 seconds. It is currently led by Florian Notz. Jonas Dobler is also very far ahead here. Friedrich Moch completes the group. Lucas Bögl is already 1:41 minutes behind.
08:35
The next outlier
The French have really planned something today and there is the next escape from the French team at 13 kilometers. Clément Parisse breaks away from the group.
08:34
The gap is there
Will Johannes Høsflot Klæbo have problems now? At least it seems so, because there are a few meters between the Norwegian sprint star and the leading group.
08:33
Bolshunov is pushing
Bolshunov also moves forward from the group’s midfield and now he’s making another move! Above all, he certainly wants to ensure that Johannes Høsflot Klæbo falls out. Because he is very dangerous when it comes to his final sprint.
08:31
The German athletes drop out
Unfortunately, it has already happened to the German men and they fall out of the first group. Cologna and Furger are still in from Switzerland.
08:29
The French hit high speed
The French are making sure that things get a little busier now. Your interest now lies in the fact that more and more cross-country skiers can no longer keep up.
08:28
Cologna shows itself in front
In his last race at the Olympics, Dario Cologna is initially in good shape and is now even at the top of the group. Together with Manificat he sets the pace. Alexander Bolshunov is further behind and Klæbo is also a little further behind.
08:23
The usual suspects
The usual suspects from Norway and the Russian Olympic Committee team are still up front. After the two attempts, the group is now quieter and the pace seems slow. A situation that particularly suits those who are among the strongest in the final sprints.
08:20
One round is done
The first round is done and after 18:45 minutes Simen Hegstad Krüger leads the group back into the stadium. There are also 40 starters in the group. Including all German and Swiss athletes. From the German team, Moch is 17th in the top position. The best Swiss is Dario Cologna in tenth place.
08:18
Watch out for falls
In the turmoil of the group, you also have to watch out for falls. Italy’s Paolo Ventura loses his balance and lands momentarily in the snow. But he pulls himself together and stays in the group.
08:16
The group is still big
Despite the first attacks, the group is still quite large. There are still a good 40 of the 61 athletes, including the Germans and Swiss.
08:13
Manificat sets the next attack
And then there’s the next athlete, who sits in front and picks up the pace. Alexander Bolshunov follows at the same time and most of the rest of the group can follow suit. Due to the many speed increases, more and more starters are falling behind.
08:11
Holund recaptured
Hans Christer Holund has been caught again and is now finding his way back into the group. But it shows that we can expect a more active race today.
08:10
Dobler in front
Jonas Dobler from the German team is right in the middle of it for the first few kilometers and is in seventh position. Jason Rüesch is also at the front of the group.
08:09
Holund starts for the first time
Hans Christer Holund from the Norwegian team is the first to try something here. He steps up and puts a small gap between himself and the group. Let’s see if he just tests it for a short time or if he’s already serious.
08:04
The usual suspects
The usual suspects from Norway and the Russian Olympic team are right at the front for the first few meters. The pace is still slow.
08:02
Niskanen missing
By the way, the 2018 Olympic champion, Iivo Niskanen, will be missing. The Finn, who became Olympic champion over 15 kilometers in Beijing, has already left and will not do the long distance. His specialty is the classic style and since free technique is used today, the incentive wasn’t there for him.
08:01
Here we go!
With an hour delay, we can actually start now! The starting shot has been fired and the 61 athletes are on their way. At the beginning it is important not to fall and to get a good position in the large group.
07:58
Demanding routes
At the end of the day, the cross-country skiers faced another challenging route profile. The cross-country network is 1,700 meters above sea level and thus higher than all routes in Europe. In addition, the route is very windy and the snow is unusual and slow. The change in program means there will be four runs over a 7.1km loop. The temperatures are around minus 15 degrees and there is also the wind.
07:53
The four Swiss
The same applies to the Swiss. Dario Cologna is not in the form he can attack this year and the other Swiss cross-country skiers have not been good for top results either. In addition to Cologna, Roman Furger, Jason Rüesch and Candide Pralong are scheduled to contest today’s race.
07:49
The German starters
A medal would be a huge surprise for the German cross-country team. But if the race is slow and the group stays together for a long time, then perhaps the German starters could also get involved today. Friedrich Moch, Lucas Bögl, Jonas Dobler and Florian Notz were nominated for the last Olympic race.
07:45
Not everyone happy with the decision
Of course, not everyone is happy with the decision to shorten the race. After all, the 50s is considered the race in cross-country skiing, especially in the Nordic countries. British cross-country skier Andrew Musgrave expressed his displeasure on Twitter. “The FIS just shortened the 50km to 28km because it’s a bit cold and windy. I don’t see how that makes it warmer or less cold. What a damn joke,” said Musgrave. Thomas Maloney Westgård, who has competed for Ireland since 2016, also agreed via the social network. It is also clear that the balance of power will shift due to the shorter distance. Bolshunov’s dominance is shrinking while Klæbo’s chances are likely to increase.
07:31
For the first time less than 50 kilometers
Due to the shortening, there is a novelty for cross-country skiers today. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Winter Games, the final race will not be held over the full 50 kilometers. The distance has been run since the first Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924.
06:45
It starts later!
Today we have to wait a little longer for the competition. Due to the freezing cold and strong winds, the men’s cross-country decision will not start until 8:00 a.m. The distance is also changing: instead of 50 kilometers, only 30 kilometers are run!
06:37
Bolshunov the favorite
Alexander Bolshunov from the Russian Olympic Committee team takes on the race as one of the big favourites. The long distance suits Bolshunov and the cross-country course of the Beijing Games is perfect for the strong athlete. The 2021 Tour de Ski winner took silver in the 50-kilometer race in Pyeongchang 2018 in classic technique and silver at the 2021 World Championships (also classic) behind Norway’s Emil Iversen and ahead of Simen Hegstad Krüger. Krüger is one of the favorites on paper, but it is questionable how much the Norwegians were affected by their corona infection before the games. He had only come for the last race. One can also be curious about Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Although Klæbo is considered to be more of a short-distance man, he has also been able to show off over long distances. If the field is together to the end he definitely has a chance.
06:29
Good Morning!
Welcome to Zhangjiakou, where the long edges of cross-country skiing are on the agenda for the final weekend of the Beijing Winter Olympics. First it’s the men’s turn today who have to wait 50 hard kilometers. This year they will be run in free technique. It starts at 7:00 a.m.!