The Norwegian sprint specialist ruled the skate sprint at the World Cup in Dresden, Germany, on Saturday.

After winning the qualifier and all the heats, Norway’s Håvard Solås Taugbøl dominated the final and hauled into his first ever World Cup victory. Italy’s sprint veteran Federico Pellegrino tried to give but missed 

“It was pretty good. This is a goal I’ve tried to reach all my life and it was fun to win a show race like here in downtown Dresden. And beating Pellegrino and Chavanat is a dream come true,” Solås Taugbøl says after his first ever World Cup victory. 

For Solås Taugbøl, who’s had a rough start to the season, the sprint victory in Dresden was also a strong bid for the last ticket to the Tour de Ski. The brutal stage race, which starts on December 28, is also the last chance to qualify for one of the eight spots on the Norwegian team to the 2022 Olympics. 

Men’s Final, Sprint F, World Cup Dresden
1. Håvard Solås Taugbøl, Norway, 2:15.02
2. Federico Pellegrino, Italy, +0.15
3. Lucas Chavanat, France +0.68
4. Even Northug, Norway, +1.22
5. Sindre Bjørnestad Skar, Norway, +2.01
6. Gleb Retyvikh, Russia, +4.85

Complete results 

In the women’s sprint, the Swedish duo Maja Dahlqvist and comeback kid Jonna Sundling were in a class of their own. 

Tomorrow the World Cup in Dresden continues with team sprints for both men and women.