Tour de Ski: here are all the participants of the top teams, including programming, absences due to injuries and Covid

Tomorrow the sixteenth edition of the Tour de Ski will start from Lenzerhaide. Numerous big players at the start, despite some defections due to some injuries and programming choices.

Monday 27 December 2021 5 minutes reading time

The sixteenth edition of the Tour de Ski will start tomorrow morning from the Swiss snows of Lenzerhaide. The pandemic, the planning choices in view of the Olympic Games and some injuries have led several athletes to give up the event, but the field of participation remains of the highest level. Norway shows up with the full men's team, with Johannes Klaebo having to fill the role of favorite. The other norge present will be: Harald Amundsen, Erik Valnes, Evan Northug, Pal Golberg, Emil Iversen, Martin Nyenget, Simen Krueger, Sjur Rothe and Didrik Tonseth. Among the Norwegian girls, on the other hand, the absences of Maiken Falla and Ingvild Ostberg stand out, which unfortunately has to end her season early, due to the exacerbation of the health problems suffered in recent years. The absence of the star Therese Johaug was already known several weeks ago, So, tomorrow they will be at the start: Helene Fossesholm, Ragnhild Haga, Anne Kalva, Mathilde Myhrvold, Silje Theodorsen, Heidi Weng, Lotta Weng and Tiril Weng. Anologist speech also for the Russian team, with Sergey Ustiugov absent as he has already qualified for the Beijing Games. Leading the Russian patrol will be Alexander Bolshunov, flanked by Alexey Chervotkin, Ivan Yakimushkin, Denis Spitsov, Artem Maltsev, Alexander Terentev, Ilia Semikov, Andrey Melnichenko and Gleb Retivykh. Veronika Stepanova loses the Russian team, struck by an accident poisoning, which will be replaced by Khristina Matsokina. The other Russian athletes at the start will be: Natalia Nepryaeva, Tatiana Sorina, Yulia Stupak, Anastasia Rygalina, Lilia Vasilieva, Yana Kirpichenko and Ekaterina Smirnova. Mutilated, but still of the highest level, the Swedish contingent, orphan of Maja Dahlqvist, Jonna Sundling. The men's team will focus mainly on Oskar Svensson and Jens Burman; Gustaf Berglund, Viktor Braennmark, Calle Halfvarsson, Anton Persson and Eric Rosjoe will also compete with them. Frida Karlsson leads the women's team, made up of Ebba Andersson, Anna Dyvik, Johanna Hagstroem, Charlotte Kalla, Louise Lindstroem and Moa Lundgren. Some news in France, above all the exclusion of the veteran Jean Marc Gaillard, class of '80, who until now has taken part in all the editions of the Tour de Ski held up to now. Last minute forfeit also by Maurice Manificat, who fell during a training session. Headlights therefore focused on the sprinters Lucas Chanavat and Richard Jouve. Also at the start Adrien Backscheider, Martin Collet, Renaud Jay, Hugo Lapalus, Jules Lapierre and Clèment Parisse. Only four, however, the French girls at the start: Coralie Bentz, Delphine Claudel, Flora Dolci and Lena Quintin. Tomorrow a sprint in skating will open on the Lenzerhaide track, with the qualifiers scheduled at 11: 30 and the final stages at 14.