The German cross-country skiers are expecting medal opportunities, especially in the team in Trondheim. Victoria Carl has realistic chances of her first individual medal.
The Nordic World Ski Championship in Planica has already shown that the German cross-country skiers are strong in the team. Both the women’s and the men’s relay was able to win a medal. Since then, the German cross-country team has developed steadily, is no longer only strong in the team, but also individually. The 15 DSV starters want to underline this at the World Cup in Trondheim.
Moch loves the tour, can he also World Cup?
Friedrich Moch has already shone several times at the Tour de Ski. Last winter he was the first German to climb the overall ranking podium for 15 years. This season, too, Moch was on the podium again during the tour. In the final climb to the Alpe Cermis in Val di Fiemme, he celebrated third place. In the overall classification, he was in a strong sixth place.
In the last weeks before the World Cup, the Allgäuer focused on training in order to be in top shape for the highlight of the season: “I am very motivated and I am very happy that the World Cup will start soon. It was now a long time without competitions. That is why anticipation and motivation are even greater.“
Sportschau, 24.02.2025 5:38 p.m.
May dream of next team medal
In the singles, the competition from Sweden, France, Italy and especially Norway with exceptional athlete Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is a little too strong to dream of a medal. But in the team, the 24-year-old sees the chance of precious metal, as in Planica: “In the season we made a small sensation last time. It would be a dream of us guys to repeat that. “
However, a lot would have to work together for this medal, because nobody has made it to the podium of the podium this season of the rest of the German cross -country skiers. The closest to the next was the 23-year-old Jan Stölben, who ran fifth twice in the sprint.
Women convince in width
The strong development is even clearer among the DSV starters. A total of eight runners have been nominated for the World Cup, five of them have already been among the top six in a World Cup race this season. The performance density is remarkable. For the currently best cross -country skier Victoria Carl, this is mainly due to the expertise and the analysis tools that coach brought to the German team by Nilsson. The training is now more individual and you can react better to personal needs. Your analysis is clear: “We are more strong in a team than ever.“
Laura Gimmler, for example, celebrated her first podium of the career in Cogne’s sprint. Coletta Rydzek also showed several times in the sprint: their best performance this winter: two sixth places.
Katharina Hennig kept collecting podium places in the past winters. However, this season was slowed down by health, missed several races and training days due to illness. “I unfortunately had to adjust my goals for the World Cup a bit due to the many disease failures. If the winter had gone as in the past three years, my goal would have been a single medal.“
Sportschau, 24.02.2025 5:40 p.m.
Carl can also dream in individual
Hennig’s focus in Trondheim is on the team races. It is similar with Victoria Carl: “We know very well: we can get a medal in the season and there is simply the focus on it. Team competitions are always the most beautiful anyway.“
Victoria Carl is the German starter, who can also have legitimate hopes for an individual medal. The 29-year-old currently confirms weekend after weekend that she is part of the absolute top of the world. She was already in the top five in a World Cup race eight times this winter, and she was on the podium twice. In the overall World Cup, only the American Jessie Diggins stands in front of her. Carl still remains reserved: “If everything goes great, a single medal is the goal for me personally. However, everything has to fit a hundred percent, otherwise it will not work. The competition is so big and many girls want a medal.“
Carl definitely has good memories of Trondheim: in 2023 she was able to celebrate her first World Cup victory there. In the meantime, the meticulous worker is an even more complete athlete and can dream of her first one World Cup individual medal.