'Fired-up' Amundsen back with 10k triumph after month-long World Cup absence

Harald Oestberg Amundsen returned to international competition after a month-long absence to win the Men's 10km Interval Start Free race in Cogne, Italy. The 26-year-old, who had last competed with a win in the 15km Classic Pursuit in Toblach on New Year’s Day, was eager to get back on the snow after missing three World Cup stages following illness and a withdrawal from the Tour de Ski.

In a race that featured lots of uphill skiing and minimal rest on the downhill, Amundsen took his cues from Finland’s Iivo Niskanen, tracking his splits at the 2.1km and 3.3km marks. Despite Niskanen’s strong early performance – as he looked to redeem himself after a disqualification in the Team Sprint Classic – Amundsen’s consistent pace and a killer push between 6.6km and 7.8km allowed him to build an 8.4-second lead over his teammate Iver Tildheim Andersen, ultimately winning by 11.7 seconds.

Martin Loewstroem Nyenget rounded out the all-Norwegian podium, finishing 15.7 seconds behind Amundsen after a steady finish that pushed Finland’s Niskanen off the podium. Other notable performances included Edvin Anger of Sweden, who finished fourth – the best performance by a non-Norwegian in the race.

The victory moved Amundsen from eighth to fifth in the overall World Cup standings and provided a substantial boost of confidence ahead of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships later this month in Trondheim, Norway, and the subsequent World Cup race in Falun, Sweden, in mid-February.

Amundsen expressed his excitement after the race: "The weather and the course were really nice, and I was really fired-up for this race. It feels great to win and to get this confidence boost ahead of the World Championships."