Cross-country skiing

Stadlober second on penultimate Tour de Ski stage

Teresa Stadlober

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The good cross-country skiing successes of Austria's Mika Vermeulen and Teresa Stadlober continued on Saturday at the start of the final weekend of the Tour de Ski. Stadlober finished second behind Norway's Therese Johaug in the 20 km skiathlon in Val di Fiemme and is now sixth in the overall standings.

Earlier in the men's race, Norwegian Johannes Hösflot Kläbo Vermeulen had finished fifth, making the Styrian third overall.

Both ÖSV athletes played an active role in their races. After eight kilometers, Stadlober, Johaug, her compatriot Astrid Oeyre Slind and Sweden's Ebba Andersson pulled away from their rivals, with Johaug taking her leave at around kilometer 13. While Johaug, in her comeback season, ran to victory with a lead of 30.6 seconds, Stadlober won the sprint against Slind and Andersson after a photo finish. It is the 31-year-old's best World Cup result in an individual race; seven years ago she was also second fastest on the Alpe Cermis climb.

Alpe Cermis as the final challenge
This challenge awaits the women at the end of the Tour de Ski on Sunday (3.30 pm), the men will start their race at 2.15 pm (both live on ORF 1). Johaug is favored with a 22-second lead over Slind, while the US American Jessie Diggins, who finished fifth on Saturday, is already 1:47 minutes behind in third place overall. For Stadlober (+3:45), the Norwegian Heidi Weng, six seconds ahead of her in fifth place, should be within reach, less so the fourth-placed Finn Kerttu Niskanen (+2:27).

Vermeulen was at the front of a large leading group for a long time in the 10 km classic and skating competition and led until around kilometer 19.4. Kläbo won by 2.4 seconds ahead of the Italian Federico Pellegrino after an attack on the last climb. Vermeulen was 5.1 seconds behind Kläbo and only 1.2 seconds behind the third-placed Norwegian Jan Thomas Jenssen. Overall, Jenssen's compatriot Haavard Moseby, who finished fourth on Saturday, is now in third place ex aequo with Vermeulen, 2:29 minutes behind Kläbo. The duo are eleven seconds behind the Norwegian Erik Valnes.

Vermeulen points to second place overall
"I'm confident that this can turn out well," said Vermeulen, who was second after the 10 kilometers, looking ahead to second place overall. "But with Hugo Lapalus, Andreas Fjorden Ree and Haavard Moseby there are also other dangerous riders, and you just have to see how they perform tomorrow." Basically, the Styrian feels good. "I had the feeling today that I was one of the most active and strongest in the race, but unfortunately it's not always the strongest who wins in races like this."

Due to the relatively fast conditions, the field kept bunching up and the course of the race didn't quite play into his hands either. "Nevertheless, I'm extremely happy with my performance today, and tomorrow we're going all out."