Madshus racers took home a solid handful of podiums again this weekend, including the first World Championship gold medal of 2023, National Championships titles and World Cup finishes that help clench a ticket to the FIS Nordic World Championships and the IBU Biathlon World Championships in February.
At the FIS World Cup, Renaud Jay (FRA) clinched his first-ever World Cup victory, winning the team sprint in Livigno (ITA).
“It’s very cool. We had hoped to make it to the podium, or even win (the team sprint),” Jay says after the race, commending his teammate Richard Jouve for the effort.
“Richard was super strong, so it was nice. And vice versa, the 2022 sprint World Cup winner credited Jay with the victory.
“We raced well. He gave me the relay. It was a hard battle on the final stretch, but we were both strong,” Jouve says of Jay.
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Photo by: Nordic Focus
As for the tears: Vilde Nilsen (NOR) couldn’t hold back her tears after realizing that she had secured the gold medal in the 18-kilometer classic race at the 2023 Para World Snow Sports Championships in Östersund (SWE) on Sunday.
“This is big. It was a tough race, and I had been nervous for several days leading up to the race. After recovering from Covid last winter, I have put in so many training hours to get back to the level I was, so this is huge,” the 21-year-old says after her victory.
Additionally, Thomas Karbøl Oxaal earned the bronze medal in the category for vision impaired. This was his first individual World Championships medal.
The classic race on Sunday was the first cross-country event at the Para World Snow Sports Championships, which conclude with relays on Sunday January 29.
Now for the rest of the cross-country action.
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At the Norwegian National Championships in Gjøvik, Mathilde Myhrvold went straight for the podium. On Thursday, the 24-year-old snagged the silver medal in the skate sprint, on her own home course in front of her friends and family.
On Friday, Harald Østberg Amundsen won the gold medal in the crucial 15k skate. Along with the victory in the 10k skate at the Scandinavian Cup in Falun (Sweden) last weekend, the 24-year-old has put in a solid bid for a ticket to the FIS World Championships next month.
Then a couple of hours later, Helene Marie Fossesholm hauls in to third place in the women’s 10k skate. She too was depending on a podium finish at nationals in order to be in the mix for the World championships team selection.
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The Saturday races at the Norwegian National Championships were cancelled due to cold temperatures well below the FIS cutoff at -18 C.
But on Sunday, the action returned with relays for both men and women. Tiril Liverud Knudsen anchored her club Konnerud IL to the silver in the women’s 3x5km. Then Harald Østberg Amundsen was back at it, leading a 4-man train to a fierce battle for the silver in the men’s 3x10km relay on Sunday afternoon. While Østberg Amundsen ended outside the podium, he posted the second-fastest leg of the day.
At the Finnish National Championships, Krista Pärmäkoski won the 10-kilometer skate race on Saturday, with Eveliina Piippo took home the bronze medal. Also, Lauri Lepisto was third in the sprint race.
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Last prep for the biathletes
The IBU biathlon World Cup in Antholz-Anterselva (ITA) was the last round before the IBU World Championships in February. Madshus racers didn’t waste the opportunity to hone their skills and show off their speed one last time.
On Friday, Sturla Holm Lægreid shot clean, skied fast and was third in the sprint. Additionally, Roman Rees (GER) was fourth, setting themselves up nicely for the pursuit on Saturday.
Shooting clean for the second day in a row, Lægreid moved up to second place in the pursuit, after starting half a minute behind. Rees held on to his fourth place, while Benedikt Doll (GER) hauled into a solid 10th place.
The pursuit was the last individual World Cup event prior to the IBU world championships, which starts on February 8 in Oberhof (GER).
Finally, Lægreid, Rees and Doll capped off the World Cup in Antholz-Anterselva with solid efforts in the relays. Lægreid helped Norway to first place, while Rees and Doll pulled Germany into third place.
Photo by: Nordic Focus