Thanks to a tactical masterstroke, cross-country skiing superstar Høsflot Klaebo won the 20 km skiathlon in Trondheim. Always in the leading group, the series winner held back for a long time before leaving his competitors standing in the last kilometer. The best Germans crossed the finish line 1:18 minutes behind.
National coach Peter Schlickenrieder seemed somewhat sobered by Johannes Høsflot Klaebo’s renewed triumph. He and his fellow Norwegians dominated the 20 km skiathlon race in Trondheim at will. Nine Norwegians in places one to ten – that’s as good as it gets!
Florian Notz surprises in a classic style
In the skiathlon, athletes run a 20-kilometer route, first completing ten kilometers in the classic style and then, after changing skis, the second half in the free technique. In the early stages the field stayed somewhat together. Friedrich Moch (Isny) was one of five DSV runners initially holding out for positions 15 to 20.
Only after various increases in speed did the field pull apart. Gradually the favored Norwegians formed up at the front around Klaebo, who did not do any leadership work himself. On the second lap in classic style, the Norwegians kept the pace high. A number of athletes, including Moch, now had to have something torn down. Florian Notz (Römerstein) kept up the pace.
Norwegians spread the field wide apart
“Florian is doing a really good race and has positioned himself really well”said national coach Peter Schlickenrieder after running around eleven kilometers. In the meantime the runners had switched to free style. And the field now spread further apart. Runners from other nations, such as the Scot Andrew Musgrave, were always ahead. But three kilometers before the finish it became clear: the Norwegians had simply used tactics.
Harald Østberg Amundsen and Klaebo now took the lead, increased the pace again and were clearly ahead in the end. Behind Klaebo, Amundsen and Emil Iversen finished second and third. The only non-Norwegian in the top ten was the Austrian Mika Vermeulen in ninth place.
Schlickenrieder: “We’re already disappointed”
And the Germans? Notz, who now had a good chance of a top 20 finish, had to pay tribute to his pace in the last few kilometers. He ended up in 30th place in the final ranking, one place behind Friedrich Moch.
“We were already flirting with a top 15 place”said the national coach afterwards on ZDF. “Flo is okay, but we’re a little disappointed.” The Norwegians attacked and accelerated right from the start. “Our boys fell victim to the high pace.”