Therese Johaug's jubilation. © NTB / LISE ASERUD

Klæbo, Johaug and the Norwegian dominance

This winter's Tour de Ski came to an end on Sunday. In addition to the spectacular race up Alpe Cermis, two Norwegians took the coveted victory in the overall rankings.

05 January 2025

From: do

It is the toughest race on the cross-country skiing calendar and the highlight of the prestigious Tour de Ski: the final stage with the legendary climb to Alpe Cermis. The 10-kilometer mass start in freestyle technique includes the infamous final climb on the ski slope, where athletes must overcome gradients of up to 28%. On Sunday, Norwegian Simen Hegstad Krüger demonstrated the best climbing skills and triumphed ahead of Austrian Mika Vermeulen (+7,8 seconds) and German Friedrich Moch.

Around a kilometer before the finish, Krüger and Vermeulen were able to break away from the field. No one was able to keep up with the two top climbers, and in the end the Norwegian proved to have greater endurance. In the exciting battle for third place, Friedrich Moch, the winner of this race last year, prevailed and overtook the Frenchman Hugo Lapalus in the final sections.

Klæbo's triumph and Vermeulen's masterpiece

The leader of the overall ranking, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, held back a little on the last day of the competition. He finished 18th, 1.13,7 minutes behind, but his overall victory was never in danger. Nevertheless, there were changes in the final ranking: Austrian Mika Vermeulen moved up to second place in the overall ranking with his strong second place in the daily ranking.

Klæbo won the men's Tour de Ski. © Getty Images

Federico Pellegrino once again showed a confident performance, finishing the mass start in an excellent seventh place (+31,0 seconds) and finishing the Tour de Ski overall in a strong fourth place, 2.13,3 minutes behind. The Frenchman Lapalus finished third overall.

Johaug shows it to everyone

Therese Johaug has had a two-year break and also became a mother during this time. Nevertheless, she once again showed at the Tour de Ski that she is one of the best cross-country skiers ever. Not only did she triumph after an impressive solo effort on the Alpe Cermis, but she also secured her fourth overall victory in the Tour - and all this in her comeback season.

One kilometer before the finish, the Norwegian already had a big lead over the chasing pack, which she impressively left behind on the spectacular climb. At the finish, her lead was 25,5 seconds over her compatriot Astrid Øyre Slind, who thus confirmed her second place in the overall ranking. Two other Norwegians followed behind: Heidi Weng (+28,0) and Nora Sannes (+31,1).

Jesse Diggins finished third overall after finishing sixth on Sunday, 54,3 seconds behind.