[ad_1]
The big question before the start of today’s 10-kilometer interval was who would win the duel between the two stars Frida Karlsson and Therese Johaug.
The Norwegian woman was, of course, the favorite, but Karlsson is known for clinking from the start and sacrificing everything in an attempt to win.
She did that today too …
It was for an explosion
Karlsson led by 3.8 seconds after five kilometers, but then it became terribly heavy for the Swedish woman. She made an explosion, and the seconds suddenly began ticking terrifyingly fast in the wrong direction.
After 6.2 kilometers he was six seconds behind Johaug, and after 8.1 kilometers he was 13 seconds behind.
The Swedish woman had simply been enraged. Johaug certainly hadn’t done that. He excelled throughout the race and eventually won by 22 seconds.
This means that Johaug leads the mini tour in Ruka for 16 seconds before the end of Sunday.
– It was a good ski race today. I tried not to start too strong and had a lot to do towards the end. It was very good to be on the top of the podium and take the Swedish duel, Johaug tells NRK.
After the goal, Johaug arrived with a couple of shots in the direction of Sweden. She admits that it has been provoked by Swedes with high self-esteem:
– It is very good to put the Swedes in their place, at least when someone in the Swedish camp has come out and spoken. It’s great to fight back. I was awakened by comments from Sweden, says Johaug.
Hard duel: But Therese Johaug drew the longest straw against Frida Karlsson. Photo: NTB
see more
Russian shock
Behind the duo in front, there was also a crazy drama between Ebba Andersson and the unknown magazine Tatiana Sorina.
The 26-year-old Russian had never made the top 30 in a distance race at the World Cup before, but in today’s race she jumped early and won the race completely, a year and a half after her last race in the world Cup.
In the end, he was 0.1 second behind Ebba Andersson, taking fourth place.
– This is completely wild, says Karstein Johaug in Dagbladet’s cross country studio.
ALL SURPRISED: Tatiana Sorina. Photo: NTB
see more
A quick scroll through the FIS database shows that the 26-year-old Russian’s best finish was fourth in a classic team sprint at Lahti last year.
Individually, he was ranked 15th in a Planica sprint in 2018 before making the journey to Ruka this weekend.
By the way, Sorina was on her feet for the entire season last year and it was her last race at the World Cup before her return to Ruka in March 2019.
– It’s unbelievably fun. I think he did well in the Russian races last weekend. It’s fun to see new names appear. We need him, Johaug tells NRK of the 26-year-old Russian.
