AAnd in the final ordeal up to the famous Alpe Cermis, Katharina Hennig kept up with the world’s cross-country elite. With the last of her strength, the 24-year-old pushed her way across the finish line on the final climb in Val di Fiemme on Sunday, the end result being a great success: eighth in the daily classification and eighth in the overall ranking of the Tour de Ski. A few weeks before the home World Cup, Hennig gives the ailing German cross-country team hopes that they will also be able to provide a surprise at the title fights in Oberstdorf.
“It’s a good drive in the team. The girls are hot. Of course, everything outshines the success of Katharina Hennig ”, said the sports director Andreas Schlütter. Hennig had surprisingly taken second place in her beloved classic technique on Friday and had finally made it into the world elite, who managed to get by without the Norwegian team, which was missing due to corona at the Tour de Ski. Hennig runs “always offensively – that’s what we want to see,” added Schlütter.
Strong form
In addition to the unexpected podium, the Oberwiesenthal native took four more top ten places and thus underpinned her strong form, which comes into its own in classic races and on difficult routes. Second place, the best cross-country skiing result of her career, was commented on Friday by Hennig with a surprise: “I’m honest: I was already flirting with it. But I really didn’t think it would work that way. I can’t believe that it was enough in the end. ”On Sunday, as well as Hennig, Antonia Fräbel managed a little surprise as 14th.
In the overall standings, Hennig was 3:41 minutes short of overall winner Jessica Diggins, who made for a premiere. The 29-year-old is the first American to triumph at the traditional event around the turn of the year. Diggins was enough for a second place on the Alpe Cermis behind the Swede Ebba Andersson, who landed on tour rank three. Julia Stupak from Russia came in second overall.
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