Cross-country racer Didrik Toenseth (NOR) put himself in the mix for the World Championships with his solid performances at the World Cup in La Clusaz (FRA) this weekend.
On Saturday the 21-year-old beat Tour de Ski winner Alexander Legkov (RUS) in the men’s 15K classic mass start event.
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“That was totally unreal. I didn’t think I was going to manage that,” Toenseth said to Norwegian TV station NRK after the race.
Toenseth ended up fourth overall, after having pulled the entire field for a large portion of the race.
“This is what I train for. On Friday, I had no reason to think I was even on the long list of potential racers for the World Championships. Now I do,” Toenseth said.
And Sunday, Toenseth skied the second leg for the Norwegian team that won the men’s 4×7.5K relay in La Clusaz.
This was certainly the international breakthrough at the senior level for the young Norwegian. Prior to the weekend, he had only four World Cup starts and his best finish was 17th. However, Toenseth earned a gold medal at the 2010 FIS Junior World Championships in Hinterzarten (GER), also in the men’s relay.