November 24 to 26 marked the kickoff for the 2023/24 World Cup, featuring a 3-day race weekend for the FIS cross-country World Cup in Ruka (FIN) and the start of a weeklong round for the IBU biathlon Word Cup in Östersund (SWE).
For Team Madshus, it was action from the get-go on both arenas.
At the IBU Biathlon World Cup opener in Östersund (SWE), Sturla Holm Lægreid kicks off the fun helping Norway to second place in the single mixed relay on Saturday, November 25, which was the very first World Cup event of the season.
On Sunday, 30-year-old German veteran. Roman Rees secures his very first World Cup victory, winning the 20-kilometer individual competition in a spectacular way. A few minutes later, Norway’s Endre Strømsheim hauls into sixth place, just barely out of the podium.
On the women’s side, 25-year-old Marit Ishol Skogan blasts onto the World Cup circuit, pulling into 10th place in her very first World Cup race.
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Photo by: Nordic Focus
At the FIS Cross-Country World Cup opener in Ruka (FIN), Harald Østberg Amundsen (NOR) bags his first World Cup podium on Sunday. After making it to the semifinal in the classic sprint on Friday, finishing sixth in the 10 kilometer classic distance event in Saturday and third in the 20 kilometer skate race on Sunday, the 25-year-old takes home the yellow bib as the overall FIS World Cup leader after the first round.
For the upcoming weekend, the cross-country skiers move on to Gällivare for the second round of the FIS World Cup. The biathletes remain in Östersund for the continuation of their World Cup, setting the stage for a spectacular and action-packed weekend in the Swedish winter sports headquarters.
Photo by: Nordic Focus