Tour de Ski, Pellegrino still on the podium: third in the pursuit

From the last podium in 2022 to the first podium in 2023. Federico Pellegrino is always in a hurry and returns to the best of the Tour de ski in Val Mustair, Switzerland, where the Norwegian Johannes Klaebo is still triumphant. In the cross-country stage review stuck in the World Cup, the 32-year-old from Valle d’Aosta is third in the 10 km classic pursuit technique after the second place in the free technique Sprint on December 31st.

The race

—

In the final the Norwegian extends and wins in 25’55″0, Chicco duels on the tracks with the World Cup leader, the other Norwegian Pal Golberg, and crosses the finish line in the photo finish with the Viking at 10″2. Second or third? In the end he will be third for a matter of millimetres. The 32-year-old policeman has always been a pure sprinter, but with experience and class he is proving to be a cross-country skier capable of anything. Under the podium the Norwegian Krueger. Signs of recovery from Francesco De Fabiani, 17th at 1’13”, also the rediscovered Didi Noeckler in points at 1’36”. In the first six places, five Norwegians. For the cross-country skier from Valle d’Aosta today is the 39th podium in his career, the second in a distance race (therefore not a sprint) after the third place in the 20 km pursuit last November 27 in Finland. In the provisional standings after 2 stages of the Tour, Klaebo leads with a 10″ advantage over the pair who reached the podium. Among the women, Tiril Weng wins over the Finnish Niskanen and the Swedish Frida Karlsson. Caterina Ganz is 29th. On Monday, the Tour will restart from Germany , in Oberstdorf.

Happy dad

—

“It was another good match – explains Pellegrino -, I played my cards well, it seems to me that Klaebo has trained very well in the last two weeks and he proved it. I am very satisfied with these results, I dedicate these first podiums as a father to little Alexis, I think we have seen a good show for cross-country skiing”. He then adds: “I knew I was starting in an excellent position but yesterday’s four sessions could make themselves felt. I tried to keep the same pace as Klaebo for the first laps, I resisted those coming from behind, but we are at an altitude of 1,800 meters and energy management was fundamental today. I think I ran a super race, a shame about the final sprint because I was very close to grabbing second place. But I finished 2022 in the best possible way and restarted in the best way in 2023. I’m proud of the Tour de Ski I’m doing, and today I pulled off a super race”. The blue champion then talks about the photo finish: “I’m a bit sorry, but that’s okay. At 1800 metres, energy management was fundamental and today I did it excellently”.