Petter Northug once again put arch-rival Calle Halfvarsson in his place.
In a field worthy of a World Cup, the 38-year-old made it all the way to the final and went into fourth place, while Halfvarsson came out in the B final.
When the two met in the B final, the former skiing king went full throttle from the start and secured a place in the final. Halfvarsson started almost last and in reality had no chance of a place in the final.
As the Swede started almost last in the heat, he in reality had no chance of a place in the final. Halfvarsson took it in stride.
Do you suspect that the organizer placed you behind to help Petter to the final at your expense?
– No no. It goes well. It was fun to go here and I liked the wildcard scheme. If it had been longer it might have been even more exciting, but it was good.
However, it is not impossible that Halfvarsson can get revenge in the foreseeable future. In connection with the Janteloppet at Hafjell two weeks ago, Northug confirmed that the dream of the WC 2025 on home track is alive, and that he will make a decision in late summer.
Read more:
Northug confirms: The WC dream is alive
During the winter, Petter Northug delivered several very strong performances at the top level in all-round cross-country skiing. Among other things, he took home a strong second place from the 20 kilometers during the Norwegian Cup at Nes in February, his first race at elite level in all-round cross-country skiing since he competed at World Cup level in December 2018.
Just before Easter, Petter Northug and little brother Even took silver in the team sprint at the National Championships, after a wild display from the former skiing king. The duo from Strindheim IL were only beaten by Byåsen’s first team with Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Didrik Tønseth. Only 13 seconds separated the finish line.
Read more: – Petter Northug has a head that no one else has
The case continues below
Pre-favourite Johannes Høsflot Klæbo easily secured a place in the final, took his sixth straight victory in the prestigious show race. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing either. The 27-year-old, who recently signed a two-year deal with the national team, fought to the finish to keep his French arch-rival Lucas Chanavat behind him.
Even Northug secured the last podium place, while Petter Northug was number four and Birk Fjellheim was number five.
Swedish grand slam in the women’s sprint
However, the Swedish ladies took some form of revenge for Halfvarsson: They took the entire podium and four of the five places in the final. Ane Appelkvist Stenseth, who was dropped from the national team after last season, ended up in fourth place ahead of Sweden’s junior talent Evelina Crüsell.
Men, final
1. Johannes Klæboe, Norway
2. Lucas Chanavat, France
3. Even Northug, Norway
4. Petter Northug, Norway
5. Birk Fjellheim, Norway
Women, final
1. Johanna Hagström, Sweden
2. Maja Dahlqvist, Sweden
3. Elin Näslund, Sweden
4. Ane Appelkvist Stenseth, Norway
5. Evelina Crüsell, Sweden
