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Dario Cologna performed as strong as a bear on the Tour de Ski in his home country. The Münstertal runs in the mass start race of more than 15 km with classic technique from the start. Only against defending champion Alexander Bolschunow does he have a chance. Behind that comes the great battle for the podium.
Cologne takes advantage of the fall of the Russians
Cologna fights against Russians Chervotkin, Belov and Yakimuschkin, he seems to be a little behind. But then the trio gets in the way before the finish curve and falls. Cologna, on the other hand, remains smart and ranks icy second, 23 seconds behind Bolschunow. Yakimuschkin is third.
“I wanted to stand up to the Russians. Sure, there was the fall. But first you have to be in the right position ”, says Cologna later in“ SRF ”. “When I fell, I didn’t think twice, I just made sure I could evade.”
For Cologna it is only the second podium since March 2018 and the first in more than a year. At the time, he finished third at Davos in December 2019. In total, it is the 73rd podium at the World Cup for the four-time Olympic champion. It is the first at his home in Val Müstair. «It was a great race, a tough one. Getting on the podium at home is a very nice feeling, ”says Cologna.
Cologna Silences Critics
Concerns about form are thus in the background. After a poor start to the season, the 34-year-old had to put up with many questions. “I’ll keep calm,” Cologna said. The form has to be good at the World Cup. Now it looks pretty good before.
Jonas Baumann is 15th, second best Swiss. Candide Pralong (18th), Beda Klee (24th) and Roman Furger (29th) also make the points.
In the general classification, Bolshunov takes the lead. The defending champion had already celebrated second in the sprint the day before. Artjom Malzew (Russ) and Oskar Svensson (Sd) follow. Cologna, 14th in the sprint of the first stage, is still in 4th place. He is 1:11 minutes behind Bolshunov and eleven seconds behind the runner-up. So the chances in Sunday’s chase are very good.
Fandrich convinces again
Nadine Fähndrich has apparently digested her personal New Years drama. After not being on the podium due to a crash despite a good sprint performance, he also held up well in the second stage of the Tour de Ski.
The 25-year-old runs more than 10 km in the classic mass start in the chasing group. She is ranked 13th in the top 15 and loses 24.6 seconds to the top. An acceptable performance for the Lucerne team, which is still far superior in the sprint. Laurien van der Graaf is 40 years old, two minutes ago.
Fähndrich says in “SRF”: “It was good, but something is still missing. I’m in shape, but I’m not in top shape yet. “But in terms of the course of the season, that’s completely fine, says Fähndrich, regarding the World Cup in February.
Svahn celebrates his second victory
Swede Linn Svahn wins the race in the final sprint ahead of Julija Stupak (Russ). Jessica Diggins (United States) third. Svahn won the sprint the day before and therefore confidently defends the leader’s jersey. Fähndrich ranks sixth in the overall ranking.
