Drammen World Cup – Men’s Sprint Classic – Preview

The Drammen sprint in classic technique is set to take place tomorrow, Tuesday, March 14, 2023, and the competition promises to be fierce. Here’s what you need to know about some of the top contenders:

Norwegian skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is set to compete in the men’s sprint classic-style event in Drammen tomorrow. Klæbo has an impressive track record in individual World Cup sprint events, having won 36 races, at least 19 more than any other man. Marit Bjørgen is the only woman to have won as many individual sprint World Cup races as Klæbo.

Klæbo has won six out of the nine individual men’s sprint events in the World Cup this season. In fact, in three previous World Cup campaigns, a man won at least seven individual sprint events, all by Klæbo himself. He won eight in 2018/19 and 2019/20 and seven in 2017/18.

Klæbo’s recent performance in individual sprint events has been exceptional, having won 28 of the last 32 races he has participated in. He finished second in the other four races. The last time Klæbo competed in an individual World Cup sprint event and did not finish first or second was during the 3-Days Tour in Lillehammer on November 30, 2018, when his pole broke in the semi-finals, resulting in an 11th-place finish.

Klæbo made his World Cup debut in Drammen on February 3, 2016, where he finished 15th in the men’s individual sprint event in classic style. Since then, Klæbo has reached the podium in 20 of his 21 participations in men’s individual World Cup sprint events in classic style. The only exception was in Lillehammer on December 2, 2016, where he finished 11th.

Klæbo has won the men’s individual World Cup sprint events in Drammen in each of his last three participations, in 2018 (classic style), 2019 (classic style), and 2020 (freestyle). However, he missed the event in 2022 due to a COVID-19 infection. He has also won seven of his last eight participations in men’s individual World Cup sprint events held in Norway, except for the 11th place finish in Lillehammer in 2018, where Federico Pellegrino won.

Other contenders for the men’s sprint classic style event in Drammen include Richard Jouve and Federico Pellegrino. Jouve won two classic-style races in Beitostølen and Les Rousses, while Pellegrino won the freestyle race in Davos. Since the start of 2022, all seven men’s individual sprint World Cup events in the classic style have been won by Jouve or Klæbo. Jouve’s four victories in individual sprint events in the World Cup were all in the classic style, including his win in Drammen last year on March 3, 2022. Pellegrino has won 17 individual World Cup sprint races,

only one was in classic style, in Canmore on March 8, 2016 (Ski Tour Canada).

Simone Mocellini, who has claimed two podium finishes in men’s individual sprint events in the World Cup, can become the sixth Italian man to win an individual sprint event in the World Cup.

In summary, Klæbo is the clear favorite going into Drammen’s men’s sprint in classic technique, having dominated individual sprint events in recent years. However, Jouve and Pellegrino will be strong contenders and should not be underestimated. The competition promises to be exciting and highly competitive, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Drammen, Norway, is the place for this Tuesday’s cross-country skiing World Cup with a sprint in classic technique on March 14. 

Tuesday, March 14: Sprint C (Find more details here)

• 11:30 CET: Sprint C Qualification, Women
• 12:00 CET: Sprint C Qualification, Men
• 14:00 CET: Sprint C Final, Women
• 14:27 CET: Sprint C Final, Men

Men’s Start List

See below the complete program with facts, start lists, and results for the World Cup in Drammen.

FACTS Drammen World Cup Season 2022/2023

• When: Tuesday, March 14
• Who: Elite national skiers
• Where: Drammen, Norway
• What: FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Drammen, Norway

PROGRAM

Tuesday, March 14: Sprint C (Find more details here)

• 11:30 CET: Sprint C Qualification, Women
• 12:00 CET: Sprint C Qualification, Men
• 14:00 CET: Sprint C Final, Women
• 14:27 CET: Sprint C Final, Men

New this season is the same race distances for women and men in all World Cup events, as the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) decided in May. Several other changes have also been introduced to the World Cup.

Read More: Cross-Country Skiing Changes And World Cup Calendar For The 2022/2023 Season

Also Read: New Distances At The Cross-Country Skiing World Cup