At the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, Madshus skiers bag three podiums and several strong performances in the prestigious Tour de Ski stage race.
Sophia Laukli (USA) caps off her second-ever Tour de Ski with third place in the brutal final stage up the Alpine hill Alpe Cermis in Val di Fiemme (ITA).
The 22-year-old certainly had one heck of a climb to her first-ever World Cup podium: Over the last 2.5 kilometers of the infamous “monster hill,” the racers face more than 400 meters elevation gain. Two sections of the final climb feature average gradients of more than 26 percent.
Last year, Laukli was fifth in the stage up Alpe Cermis. She’s been looking forward to the grueling stage ever since.
“It feels surreal to be on the podium today. I was so looking forward to today’s race, and I had big goals. But I wasn’t sure if it was actually possible to do this well. So, it really means a lot to me, and it feels so rewarding to pull it off,” Laukli said after her race on Sunday.
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Photo by: Nordic Focus
Earlier in the Tour de Ski week, the Madshus racers shine in the rain at the 20km skate race in Oberstdorf (GER).
With conditions as wet, soggy and suctiony as they come, it was time to bring out the purple magic: The Redline LTD with the revolutionary green bases. 22-year-old Ben Ogden (USA) posted a fabulous 6th place, his best finish at the elite World Cup to date, and was only seconds from the podium.
Then just a couple of hours later, World Cup veteran Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) hauled in to second place, and posted her first podium for the 2023 Tour de Ski. Laukli posted the eighth fastest time in the race.
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Photo by: Nordic Focus
The next day, they are at it again: Ogden pulls off a stellar sprint in Val di Fiemme. Pärmäkoski posts another podium and moved up to third place overall. With two stages to go, she was in the perfect position to attack the overall title. Unfortunately, Pärmäkoski came down with a stomach bug the next morning, which forced her to pull out of the Tour.
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At the IBU biathlon World Cup, Madshus racers have a ball at the sprint in Pokljuka (SLO): Sturla Holm Lægreid kick off his new year on the podium with fellow Madshus racers Benedikt Doll (GER) in fourth place, Timofey Lapshin (KOR) in seventh and Roman Rees (GER) in eighth place.
And 2023 has just begun. This week, the IBU World Cup continues with competitions in Rupholding (GER).
Photo by: Nordic Focus