Will Von Siebenthal’s record fall?
Ensign sets course for tour record
Nadine Fähndrich could write Swiss cross-country skiing history for the second time this winter. But a lot has to fit together in the rest of the Tour de Ski.
1/7
Tired but on course: Nadine Fähndrich after the second stage of the tour.
Marco Pescioreporter sports
At some point it won’t work anymore. Nadine Fähndrich has to let the competition go in the second half of the Tour de Ski stage race. The pace is too high for the 27-year-old from central Switzerland, who started first thanks to her sprint victory at the start of the tour. Your legs are too tired. In the end, she finished ninth in the pursuit over 10 km.
This means for the intermediate ranking of the Tour: She is currently eighth overall in the third stage on Tuesday in Oberstdorf, where the 10 km race in classic technique awaits. Fähndrich is on course because she was aiming for a top 10 finish before the Tour de Ski.
With three sprint victories en suite and other strong distance performances – such as eighth place in Davos over 20 km – Fähndrich has recently shown that she can be able to achieve her goal.
Inspired by your current dream weeks and your Swiss women’s record (four individual World Cup victories), is there even a real coup in it? So far, Nathalie von Siebenthal holds the national women’s record for a tour final result – the Bern native, who retired in 2019, ran in 2016/17 and 2017/18 in eighth place overall.
Focus clearly on sprint
At Swiss-Ski, they trust Fähndrich to beat Siebenthals’ mark. Coach Ivan Hudac is cautious about the outside world: “The top 10 are possible, maybe things will go a little better – but a lot has to be right for that.”
Ensign knows that too. Another sprint awaits in Val di Fiemme on Friday, in which she is again the favourite. But before that in Oberstdorf and at the end in Val di Fiemme she really has to step on the gas in the distance races.
A new tour record would be a great bonus for Fähndrich. The World Championships at the end of February in Planica (Slo) clearly have priority this season. There, the woman from Eigenthal is aiming for a medal in the classic sprint. “The World Cup is the absolute highlight of the season. Accordingly, care is taken to ensure that Nadine can optimally prepare for it,” says discipline manager Lars Brönnimann. And Hudac also says: “Because the podium is possible in Planica, her focus is clearly on the sprint.” This inevitably has an impact on the distance races – and thus also on the Tour de Ski.
Kläbo before the next milestone
He picked up a full set of medals at the 2022 Olympics – and with a total of 51 World Cup wins, he is the record holder in that regard. Now Johannes Hösflot Kläbo (26) wants to reach the next milestone. Thanks to his brilliant start to the Tour de Ski in Val Müstair – with successes in the sprint and pursuit over 10 km – he has already caught up with Norway’s cross-country legend Petter Northug. Both are now on 13 wins each in stage races. In Oberstdorf on Tuesday he could trump Northug, who retired in 2018, and become the sole record holder.
He picked up a full set of medals at the 2022 Olympics – and with a total of 51 World Cup wins, he is the record holder in that regard. Now Johannes Hösflot Kläbo (26) wants to reach the next milestone. Thanks to his brilliant start to the Tour de Ski in Val Müstair – with successes in the sprint and pursuit over 10 km – he has already caught up with Norway’s cross-country legend Petter Northug. Both are now on 13 wins each in stage races. In Oberstdorf on Tuesday he could trump Northug, who retired in 2018, and become the sole record holder.