Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo wins 2024/25 Cross-country skiing World Cup sprint classic opener

Five-time Olympic champion Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo got his 2024-25 Cross-Country World Cup campaign off to a winning start with a dominant display in the Men’s Sprint Classic event in Ruka, Finland on Saturday (30 November).

The imperious Norwegian skier is in a bid to reclaim the overall title he conceded to compatriot Harald Oestberg Amundsen despite claiming an incredible 16 individual World Cup victories during the 2023/24 season.

After finishing fourth in the 10 km classic on Friday, the cross-country skiing superstar was a dominant force throughout the day starting as the fastest qualifier before winning his quarterfinal and semi-final races.

King Klaebo carried the form into the final where was without equal as he crossed the line in a winning time of 2:25.25.

The six men stayed together for much of the race until the final ascent when nine-time world champion Klaebo put the hammer down and put some daylight on the chasers. Coming into the final stretch Klaebo took his foot off the gas to take in the atmosphere at the finish.

Compatriot Erik Valnes followed in second place, two seconds adrift, with Lauri Vuorinen of Finland rounding out the podium clocking 2:28.95.

In the women’s final, Sweden’s Johanna Hagstroem claimed a career-first World Cup victory in a time of 2:49.95. Hagstroem edged Norway’s Julie Myhre (2:50.33) in a sprint to the line with Maja Dahlqvist taking third.