Laura Gimmler caused a surprise in the sprint at the cross-country skiing World Cup in Oberhof. She was the only German to reach the final on Friday (January 19, 2024) and came fifth when Linn Svahn won. There was an unexpected winner among the men.
Laura Gimmler couldn’t stop beaming: she was the only German in the final of the cross-country sprint in Oberhof. She only finished fifth there, but the result was worth far more. Because Gimbler had recently had a corona infection, which put her out of step in the middle of the season.
“I’m incredibly happy,” she said in the Sportschau interview. “I’ve had a really difficult few weeks and I can’t believe what a turn things have taken.”
Schlickenrieder: “Laura had a hard time”
Cross-country skiing national coach Peter Schlickenrieder was also proud of his protégé, but also not surprised by his performance. “You always have to give Laura credit for that. I’m happy that she’s made it now, she’s had a tough time,” he said.
The winner was the Swede Linn Svahn (3:04.05 minutes) followed by her teammates Frida Karlsson (+0.33 seconds) and Jonna Sundling (+2.06).
Four Germans in the quarterfinals
In the classic sprint, four German runners initially competed in the quarter-finals: Gimmler, Victoria Carl, Katharina Hennig and Coletta Rydzek. But Rydzek and Hennig didn’t make it to the next round. It was also over for Carl in the semi-finals.
Surprise in the men’s sprint
Contrary to expectations, victory in the sprint did not go to the dominant Johannes Klaebo, but to his compatriot Erik Valnes (2:24.75 minutes). Completing the podium were his compatriots Ansgar Evensen (+0.40 seconds) and Even Northug (+3.31). Klaebo was surprisingly eliminated in the semi-finals.
The best detscher was Jan Stölben. But for the 22-year-old it was already over in the quarterfinals. He missed out on making it to the next round due to the lucky loser classification.
2024-01-19 22:19:38
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