Dhe Norwegian cross-country skiing star Johannes Hösflot Kläbo and Swede Jonna Sundling won their first gold medals at the 54th Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica, Slovenia. Both Kläbo and Sundling successfully defended their titles in the classic sprint on Thursday, Laura Gimmler ran eleventh as the best athlete of the German Ski Association (DSV).
The 28-year-old Olympic champion Jonna Sundling prevailed in a Swedish quadruple victory ahead of her compatriot Emma Ribom. Bronze went to Maja Dahlqvist. The 29-year-old Laura Gimmler gave the German cross-country skiers a decent start to the World Cup competitions, despite their elimination in the semi-finals, just like two years ago when they finished tenth in their home town of Oberstdorf. However, she herself was not completely satisfied: “Of course I dreamed of the final, so I’m disappointed right now, even if it was a good competition.”
Team sprint Olympic champion Victoria Carl (Zehla-Melis), like Coletta Rydzek (Oberstdorf), who competed in her first World Championship race, failed in the quarter-finals. The Pole Izabela Marcisz tried on the last climb “to pass me on the outside and kicked my stick off in the process,” said Carl, who then had no chance to close the gap that had previously arisen. The fourth German starter Sofie Krehl (Oberstdorf) had missed the quarterfinals by only 0.1 seconds after a fall during the qualification.
In the men’s category, Kläbo relegated his compatriot Paal Golberg and the Frenchman Jules Chappaz to second and third place. Since 2018, the only 26-year-old has won gold in the sprint at every major event, be it the Olympics or the World Championships. “For me he is the white elephant,” said Germany’s cross-country team boss Peter Schlickenrieder about Kläbo. He justified his admiration with the fact that the Norwegian “can read routes like no other”. Janosch Brugger (Schluchsee) was the only German participant to start, but the 25-year-old had no chance in the quarter-finals.
