First Podium of the Season for Lucas Chanavat, Finishing Second in Davos Sprint Behind Johannes Klaebo

In a near-repeat of his performance in the semifinals, Lucas Chanavat achieved a second-place finish in the Davos sprint skate event in Switzerland this past Saturday night, trailing only the formidable Johannes Klaebo, who continues to display overwhelming dominance in the discipline.

Having started strong early in the race, Chanavat pressed the pace to prevent the Norwegian squad from organizing a strategic attack. After distancing competitors Matz Jenssen and Ben Ogden, only four men were left to contend for the podium. Despite Chanavat's efforts to increase the tempo further, Klaebo proved to be too powerful. As his rivals could only watch as Klaebo surged ahead on the final climb, the 29-year-old French skier held onto his second place with determination.

This result marks Chanavat's first podium of the season following a fifth-place finish in Lillehammer earlier this month. Richard Jouve was the only other French athlete to qualify for the sprint, finishing eighth after failing to advance past the semifinals due to time constraints.

On the women's side, Jonna Sundling continued her streak of strength, pulling away in the last hill to claim victory with a notable 2.33-second lead over her Norwegian challengers Mathilde Myhrvold and Julie Myhre. French athletes Mélissa Gal and Léna Quintin were eliminated in the semifinals, finishing eighth and tenth, respectively, in the day’s sprint.