Favorite Amundsen Withdraws from the Tour and Goes Home

Originally published in SVT Sport on January 02, 2025

Favorite Amundsen Withdraws from the Tour and Goes Home

Harald Östberg Amundsen, the overall leader in the World Cup, has announced that he is withdrawing from the Tour de Ski, according to the Norwegian Ski Federation. The team doctor, Ove Feragen, confirmed that the 26-year-old from Asker woke up with a sore throat this morning and will be heading home.

Amundsen, who was among the favorites to win the season's Tour de Ski, was sitting in third place overall, 21 seconds behind Sweden's Edvin Anger and 57 seconds behind the leading Norwegian, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

The Tour de Ski continues tomorrow with a classic sprint in Val di Fiemme. On Saturday, there will be a 20-kilometer skiathlon before the competition concludes with a climb up the slalom slope in Alpe Cermis on Sunday.