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Perfect race of the champion Norge: victory in the pursuit, best time of the day and reached the milestone of 130 podiums in top-level races. A newcomer Heidi Weng returns to the podium from February 2018, while Astrid Jacobsen has completed the Norwegian rejoicing.
Sunday 1 December 2019 9 minutes reading time
On the eve of the start of the World Cup, the strong theme centered around Therese Johaug in understanding how far her domain would expand. Already in the Nordic Opening of Ruka, the Norwegian champion left no stone unturned, taking a triumphal runway in the final pursuit, but without ever stepping up from the accelerator and going to take two victories in one day only when he also scored the best part of the day.
Johaug's race scheme was pretty simple: going all the way from the first to the last meter. Especially in the inaugural kilometer of the two-and-a-half circuit, the toughest being totally uphill, the phenomenal norge has always gained on all the rivals and then conceded something in the final stretch as a very light athlete who struggles to generate high downhill speeds .
The final advantage over the second classified was finally 1’11 ’’ and having pushed to the last meter without thinking about the festivities, Johaug also took the satisfaction of registering the best time of 10 kilometers in skating. In this way, Therese has reached 130 podiums in first-level races, including 63 victories, including 3 in the ‘Mini Tour’ at the start of the season.
Second place in the chase for a notable Heidi Weng: the two times winner of the crystal ball has found a real day of grace as it has gathered the place of honor also on the time of day. Starting from tenth place to 1’03 â€from the team mate, Weng immediately added high gears, gradually gaining positions while keeping a step in line with Johaug's.
At the beginning of the third round, the twenty-eight-year-old norge grabbed for the provisional podium - represented by Sadie Bjornsen and Krista Pärmäkoski - dragging behind her compatriot Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen. After taking a few hundred meters of water, losing the chance to get the best time out of Johaug, the Scandinavians continued their ferocious march, first separating the Finnish and then the American one.
The highlight in the assignment of the less noble positions of the podium was the transit on the last roughness of the Ruka ring, when Weng took Jacobsen by force. It was from February 2018 that the 1991 class that won two World Cups did not get on the podium, so this result is an indication that it is returning to the pre-Olympic levels of PyeongChang, nominating it as one of the first dangerous opponents for Johaug. Norway has thus collected the third hat-trick in the 'history' of the Nordic Opening, the second on the Ruka snows after the end of 2011.
Fourth coin for Bjornsen, stubborn in trying to stay as long as possible with Weng and Jacobsen managing to defend himself from the return of an unbelieving Jessica Diggins - fifth and author of today's third time - but losing the precious yellow bib worn more than worthily today. Only sixth place for Pärmäkoski, who collapsed vertically in the second part of the race.
Bomb game in the first kilometers, the very young Frida Karlsson dreamed for a moment of a possible engagement even at the podium, then vanished for a net drop in performance on the last lap. The Swede was also overtaken by an excellent Tiril Udnes Weng, having to settle for the eighth place finish. The two biggest surprises of the 10 km alternating yesterday, the Czech Katerina Razymova (9th) and the American Rosie Brennan (10th) have completed the top ten.
After two first competitions in chiaroscuro, she gave some positive signals to Stina Nilsson who was the author of an 8-place comeback closing at the 11th place, while Jonna Sundling (17th) and Natalia Nepryaeva (18 ^), having lost so many positions.
The Nordic Opening for the Italian women's team did not end well: the first blue to pass at the finish line was Lucia Scardoni at 41st position, soon afterwards Caterina Ganz 43 ^ also arrived. Finally 55th Anna Comarella, while Greta Laurent did not start this today.
In the overall standings of the Johaug World Cup he is already fleeing from the top of his 311 points, followed at a distance by Weng (238) and Jacobsen (216). The first of the Swedes, who were given as anti-Johaug, is Karlsson at just 125 points, indicating a first leg of the maximum circuit widely above the "par" to use the language of golf.
The cross-country World Cup is now moving to Norway for the Lillehammer classic. In the town that hosted the 1994 Olympic Games there will be a Skiathlon test (7.5 km alternating which will be followed by 7.5 km skating) and a 4x5 km relay.
RUKA - 10 KM PURSUIT TL
1. JOHAUG Therese (NOR) 25'48''0 2. WENG Heidi (NOR) at 1'11''3 3. JACOBSEN Astrid Uhrenholdt (NOR) at 1'13''3 4. BJORNSEN Sadie (USA) a 1'27''9 5. DIGGINS Jessica (USA) at 1'30''9 6. PÄRMÄKOSKI Krista (FIN) at 1'41''0 7. WENG Tiril Udnes (NOR) at 1'52'5 8 .KARLSSON Frida (SWE) at 1'53''9 9. RAZYMOVA Katerina (CZE) at 2'00''1 10. BRENNAN Rosie (USA) at 2'15''3
Click here for complete results.
RUKA - WINNER of the DAY
1. JOHAUG Therese (NOR) 25''48 '' '' 02. WENG Heidi (NOR) at 8 '' '' 33. DIGGINS Jessica (USA) at 20 '' '' 94. JACOBSEN Astrid Uhrenholdt (NOR) at 27 '' '' 35. KARLSSON Frida (SWE) at 37 '' '' 96. WENG Tiril Udnes (NOR) at 39 '' '' 5
Click here for complete results.
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