OBERSTDORF, Germany (Reuters) – Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo led a stunning clean sweep of the individual sprint medals for Norway at the FIS Nordic Skiing World Championships on Thursday, and Jonna Sundling of Sweden stormed to victory in the women’s race in unseasonably warm conditions.
Klaebo, who won gold in the individual sprint at the 2018 Olympics and the 2019 World Championships, put on a final spurt on the home straight to defeat his fellow Norwegians Erik Valnes and Haavard Solaas Taugboel in bright sunshine on a wet, slushy course.
Klaebo and the Norwegian team skipped this year’s Tour de Ski to prepare for the World Championships, and Klaebo felt the gold medal meant that they were justified in doing so.
“It has been a demanding year, where we have made choices that ensured we would have our best days here, so that we succeed means a lot and it tastes extra delicious,” Klaebo told Norwegian TV.
Sweden’s Sundling had no such problems in her final, putting on a dominant display of pace and power from the very start to beat Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla, with Anamarija Lampic of Slovenia taking the bronze medal.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; editing by David Evans)
