Lahti (dpa) – Norway’s cross-country skiing Olympic champion Therese Johaug prevented a single victory by Russian Natalia Neprjajewa by a very narrow margin.
In the classic ten-kilometer race in Lahti, Finland, Johaug finished just 1.2 seconds ahead of Neprjaeva. In the finish area, the two athletes hugged briefly.
Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the World Ski Association Fis is currently only honoring athletes from Russia with the flag and anthem of Fis at award ceremonies and on the podium. Third place went to Finland’s Krista Parmakoski. For Johaug it was the 98th World Cup victory, 80 of which were individual.
The German team sprint Olympic champion Katharina Hennig missed another surprise coup, but managed to finish seventh after a solid race. Victoria Carl, who surprisingly won gold in Beijing with Hennig, finished 26th, well behind her chances. The men’s race over 15 kilometers classic was won by Iivo Niskanen from Finland. The best German was Thomas Bing in 43rd place.