King of Cogne Valnes wins second Sprint in two days: 'I really enjoy it here'

Erik Valnes (NOR) claimed the sixth individual Coop FIS World Cup victory of his career when he finished first in the Men's Sprint Classic in Cogne, Italy on Saturday, topping an all-Norwegian podium. The 28-year-old, who had also won the Men's Team Sprint Classic with Even Northug (NOR) on Friday, demonstrated his prowess by beating runner-up Ansgar Evensen (NOR) by 0.72 of a second in a thrilling final showdown.

Although Evensen, chasing his first World Cup win and having held the lead for most of the race, maintained his advantage until just a few hundred meters from the finish, Valnes’s stronger final sprint allowed him to overtake and secure the victory. The clean sweep was completed by Northug, and the Norwegians qualified through the same fast semifinal alongside Swedish skier Edvin Anger.

French duo Richard Jouve and Lucas Chanavat led the chase behind the top three but had to settle for fourth and fifth places, finishing more than four seconds after the winner. Valnes noted that while the team did not have a fixed game plan before the final, their on-snow teamwork was key.

Valnes, who has been in exceptional form since the World Cup returned to Cogne for the first time since 2019, expressed his delight with the venue. He remarked, "I really enjoyed it here. Amazing crowd and nice tracks," even as he looked ahead to the upcoming 10km Interval Start Free race, which he plans to skip as he is not part of the Norwegian skating team.

Overall World Cup No. 2, Edvin Anger, who posted the second fastest qualifying time, finished last in the final. However, in the sprint standings Valnes climbed to No. 2 with 552 points, just behind Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo’s 587 points and ahead of Anger’s 546 points.

For full results from the Men's Sprint Classic, click here, and to follow FIS Cross-Country, visit their YouTube channel.