Three Norwegians are at the top in skiathlon – but Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is not at the top. Friedrich Moch achieves the best German result in ten years.
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who celebrated his seventh World Championship gold in the sprint, has not yet been able to win a medal in skiathlon at either the World Championships or the Olympics. That should change on Friday (02/24/2023). However, his compatriot Simen Hegstad Krueger was a little faster, so Klaebo “only” managed to win silver. Bronze went to Sjur Roethe, also from Norway.
The strongest German at the start, Friedrich Moch, also took the opportunity and set an exclamation mark with seventh place. The last time a German was able to do that was ten years ago in a skiathlon, and at a World Cup it’s even the best result in this discipline in 14 years.
Moch with guide group on the way
After the start of the 30-kilometer race, the large starting field initially stayed very close together. The pace was kept low by the top runners. At the end of the second lap, however, the pace increased for the first time, and a leading group of about 15 runners, led by the Finn Ivo Niskanen, was able to break away.
Friedrich Moch from the Allgäu was the only German who was able to stay in the top group. The veterans Lucas Bögl and Jonas Dobler, as well as Albert Kuchler, for whom it is the first World Cup, could not keep up with the pace.
Norway ahead after ski change
Until the change of skis after 15 kilometers, this situation did not change much, the leading group stayed together in the same form. In addition to Moch, Klaebo, his teammate Paal Goldberg and the Swede William Poromaa were also there.
Friedrich Moch managed the switch to skating skis very well, he started the second half of the race in eighth place. The other Germans in the field were still around for twentieth place. On the first lap in free style, the leading group broke up, because the Norwegians Krueger and Roethe were now picking up the pace. Only teammate Klaebo was able to counter the teammates’ breakaway attempt. Moch continued to hold its own in the top ten.
Towering over Norway
After a good twenty kilometers completed, everything looked as if Klaebo would celebrate his first world championship medal in skiathlon. His teammates Krueger and Roethe had left him well behind, but the gap between Klaebo and his direct pursuer Poromaa had already increased to over ten seconds. So it was a Norwegian triple success.
No competitor came close to Krueger, he confidently ran to gold. Behind him, Klaebo finished in silver and Roethe in third place. With Paal Goldberg in fourth place, the Norwegian quadruple victory was perfect. The 22-year-old Moch continued to run his race steadily and claimed seventh place in the end. That meant the first top ten place for a German in skiathlon since 2013.
Jonas Dobler finished the race in a good 15th place, Albert Kuchler just missed the top 15 in 17th and Lucas Bögl completed the German result in 33rd place.
Moch: We didn’t have the strength to be up front
“It was a very good start, just as I had hoped. I thought for a moment: Maybe I can get that one over there, but I just didn’t have the strength anymore“Moch said after the race on ZDF. National coach Peter Schlickenrieder was very satisfied with the performance of the 22-year-old youngster: “A result like that in the most important race of the season is something you have to achieve as a young athlete.“