Poromaa Challenges but Falls Behind as Norway Dominates

Poromaa Challenges but Falls Behind as Norway Dominates

William Poromaa was in contention for a podium finish in the skiathlon race in Lillehammer for a long time. However, during the final lap, he could not match the pace of the Norwegian competitors, culminating in a fully Norwegian podium with world cup leader Harald Östberg Amundsen claiming the top spot.

Poromaa crossed the finish line in 11th place, finishing 23 seconds behind the winner. He spent significant portions of the race in the lead pack despite struggling at the ski transition where he lost valuable seconds. "What happened at the ski exchange? See Poromaa's explanation of the mishap in the video above," an excerpt notes.

"I lost a couple of seconds; I was somewhat fortunate that things did not go too quickly there. It was a bit of luck," he said. He managed to rejoin the front group but could not maintain his speed as the pace picked up towards the end.

The final stretch turned into a fierce battle with Harald Östberg Amundsen taking the victory just ahead of Jan Thomas Jensen by the narrowest of margins. This win is crucial, as Amundsen mentioned, "Winning today likely secures my spot on the team for the World Championships, something I've dreamt about," he told SVT Sport.

The third spot on the all-Norwegian podium was claimed by Martin Löwström Nyenget.

In contrast, Calle Halfvarsson struggled with back issues and withdrew from the race early on.