The 24-year-old from Norway claimed his first international victory in the 10km race at the Scandinavian Cup, just hours after his teammate.

He has won World Cup races and taken World Championship medals in roller skiing, claimed victory at SkøyteBirken, and finished among the top ten in the Norwegian Cup. Now, Kasper Herland has secured his first international victory, completing a double win for Team Anlegg Øst Entreprenør in Sunday’s Scandinavian Cup race.

The Lillehammer-based private team has already sent two athletes to the very top of the World Cup and into the Olympic squad this season, Einar Hedegart and Karoline Simpson-Larsen.

Over the weekend, Karoline Grøtting also showed solid performances. With Herland’s victory, he now becomes the fourth rising star to emerge from Team Anlegg Øst Entreprenør.

Also Read: “What we’re doing definitely isn’t found in any training textbook”

Margins down to tenths

Just six-tenths of a second separated the top three in Sunday afternoon’s 10km race in Vantaa. Herland defeated Simen Myhre by two tenths, while Karsten Andre Vestad finished third, six tenths behind Herland.

Behind them, there was a seven-second gap down to Jan Thomas Jenssen in fourth place, with Martin Kirkeberg Mørk another second back.

Håvard Moseby finished sixth, 11.9 seconds behind Herland, but retained the overall lead in the Scandinavian Cup. With that, he secured a free start for the entire second period of the World Cup season.

Read More: Clean sweep for Norway at the Scandinavian Cup 10km freestyle in Vantaa

Perhaps the most important Cup of the season

The Scandinavian Cup is arguably the most crucial race series of the season for athletes who are not permanent members of the national team. At stake are World Cup start quotas and the chance to move into, or back into, contention for the final Olympic spots.

In addition, the best Norwegian athlete in Saturday’s 20km race in Vantaa earns a free start in the 10km race at the World Cup in Oberhof on January 17–18. The Scandinavian Cup also plays a significant role in selecting the U23 World Championship team.

Vantaa Scandinavian Cup 20252026 – Results

Men, 10km freestyle

1. Kasper Herland, Team Anlegg Øst Entreprenør – 22:21.5
2. Simen Myhre, Norway – +0.2
3. Karsten Andre Vestad, Molde og Omegn IF – +0.6

Full results

Sunday’s freestyle race was the final competition of the Scandinavian Cup weekend. The event in Vantaa began with a classic sprint on Friday and continued with the 20km classic race on Saturday.

Where to Watch

The streaming platform SC Play broadcast the Scandinavian Cup live worldwide from Vantaa, Finland, at the beginning of January 2026.

The Scandinavian Cup in Vantaa offered an exciting three-day cross-country skiing competition weekend, featuring some of the World’s top athletes on the start line. Fans followed the action live on SC Play.

Viewers can watch the entire weekend live and on demand exclusively on SC Play, which holds exclusive broadcast rights in all countries except Finland, where the rights are non-exclusive.

SC Play is included with memberships on ProXCskiing.com, Langd.se, Langrenn.com, Maastohiihto.com, and Bezky.net.

WATCH SCANDINAVIAN CUP IN VANTAA ON SC PLAY

FACTS Vantaa Scandinavian Cup Season 2025/2026

• When: Friday, January 2 to Sunday, January 4, 2026 
• Who: Elite national skiers – women and men
• Where: Vantaa, Finland
• What: FIS Cross-Country Scandinavian Cup in Vantaa, Finland

PROGRAM

Friday, January 2: 1.3km Sprint Classic (More details can be found HERE)

• 9:00 CET: 1.3km Sprint Qualification C, Women
• 9:00 CET: 1.3km Sprint Qualification C, Men
• 11:30 CET: 1.3km Sprint Heats/Final C, Women
• 11:30 CET: 1.3km Sprint Heats/Final C, Men

Saturday, January 3: 20km Interval Start Classic (More details can be found HERE)

• 9:00 CET: 20km Interval Start C, Women
• 12:45 CET: 20km Interval Start C, Men

Sunday, January 4: 10km Interval Start Freestyle (More details can be found HERE)

• 9:00 CET: 10km Interval Start F, Women
• 12:15 CET: 10km Interval Start F, Men

The complete competition program can be found HERE on the event’s website.

Read More – Scandinavian Cup: Cross-country skiing calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season 

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.