Klaebo's Comeback Victory – DSV Starter Had No Chance

At the cross‐country skiing World Cup event in Falun on February 14, 2025, the women’s sprint race was won by Swedish athlete Linn Svahn. Svahn, who had already shown her speed in the qualification round, managed to beat Swiss Nadine Fähndrich by 0.89 seconds and Norwegian Kristine Skistad by 2.60 seconds to take the victory.

In the women’s competition, the German team had a very disappointing day. Coletta Rydzek, after a strong closing surge, secured the second spot in the semifinals but ultimately finished overall in 11th place. Laura Gimmler, who advanced as a lucky loser after a third‐place finish in her quarterfinal, ended up in 12th place. Furthermore, Katharina Hennig, whose race was effectively over in the quarterfinals with a fifth‐place finish in a very competitive field that included Jessica Diggins and Nadine Fähndrich, finished 21st, while Victoria Carl and Sofie Krehl also missed out on a top‐20 placing.

On the men’s side, no German athlete made it into the final. Jan Stölben was the only German to attempt qualification, but failed to advance beyond the 40th position. Instead, Norwegian Johannes Klaebo returned from a break in competition and delivered a commanding comeback win. The Norweger finished over a second ahead of his compatriots, with Erik Valnes 1.31 seconds behind and Oskar Vike trailing by 2.52 seconds.

Overall, it was a mixed day at Falun – the Norwegians celebrated a strong comeback and maintained their dominance in the men’s race, while the German DSV women were unable to reach their usual top positions despite some promising performances in earlier heats.