These men are on a mission

January 16, 2023

Another solid weekend of racing in the books: Madshus racers bag nearly a dozen podiums and a number of stellar performances on the World Cup and beyond.

Coming straight off a multiple-podium start to the new year, Team Madshus was back for more this weekend.

At the IBU Biathlon World Cup in Ruhpolding (GER), Madshus racers helped secure both first and second place in the relay on Friday: Sturla Holm Lægreid raced the first leg for Norway’s winning team, while Benedikt Doll and Roman Rees pulled Germany into second place. On Sunday, Lægreid was back on the podium with a solid third place in the mass start.

Additionally, Vebjørn Sørum (NOR) pulled off a three-podium weekend at the IBU-Cup in Pokljuka (SLO), which were his first international races of the season. On Friday, he the 24-year-old was third in the short individual event. On Saturday he was third in the sprint, and on Sunday, Sørum capped his weekend with a victory.

“When I finally get a chance to race for Norway, I certainly grab it with both hands. It is such a fierce battle for the spots on the national team, so it feels really nice to deliver when I get named to the team,” Sørum says.

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Photo by: Nordic Focus

For the cross-country skiers at the Scandinavian Cup in Falun (SWE) there was plenty on the line, particularly for those who didn’t race the Tour de Ski.

Both Norway and Sweden are basing their team selection for the upcoming FIS Nordic World Championships and U23 World Championships on the Scandinavian Cup Falun race weekend, previous results from the first Scandinavian Cup races in Östersund (SWE) in December.

Coming off a rough start to the season recovering from a bout of Covid in November, Harald Østberg Amundsen (NOR) didn’t waste any time. He went straight for the top of the podium on the first day of races in Falun: He won the 10-kilometer skate race with more than a second to spare, despite taking a solid nose dive on the last lap.

“It was really challenging conditions today, and really hard to ski well. But when I can beat skiers like Iver (Tildheim Andersen) who just won this event at the World Cup - even when I take a nose dive on the last lap, I am super content,” Amundsen says after his first victory of the season.

On Saturday, the 24-year-old was back for more, and took home a third place in the classic sprint.

On Sunday, Amundsen was headed for a third straight podium in the 30-kilometer classic mass start, but was hooked and hindered on the course midway in the race. He still ended up with a respectable seventh place, and overall put in a solid bid for a ticket to the 2023 FIS Nordic World Championships.