Dhe German cross-country skier Katharina Hennig caused a surprise on the second day of the Tour de Ski and achieved a top result. The 24-year-old finished fifth in the ten-kilometer mass start in Val Müstair in Switzerland on Saturday, just two seconds behind the victorious Swede Linn Svahn. The day before, Germany’s cross-country skiers had massively disappointed in the sprints.
“We can be very satisfied with the way it went, especially after the disastrous start in the sprint that was a ray of light,” said national coach Peter Schlickenrieder: “We have good chances in the overall standings.”
Julia Stupak from Russia and the American Jessica Diggins completed the podium in the second individual race behind Svahn, who was victorious in the final sprint. Behind Hennig, Antonia Fräbel also landed 25th in the points ranks. Behind them, Pia Fink (35th) and Julia Preussger (39th) were significantly further behind.
For Hennig it was the second best World Cup result of her career. With her strong result in the mass start in the classic technique, she also moved up in the overall standings and is now eleventh, 1:16 minutes behind. She had previously set “a result in the top 10” as her goal. Svahn from Sweden, who had already won the sprint on New Year’s, leads the overall standings with 32:42 minutes ahead of Diggins (+13 seconds) and her teammate Frida Karlsson (+18).
The Tour de Ski traditionally ends on January 10th in Val di Fiemme / Italy. This year, the dominant Norwegians are missing, who are staying at home as a precautionary measure in view of the corona pandemic and preparing for the World Cup in Oberstdorf (February 23 to March 7).
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