The Boys are Back—Klaebo Schools Anger in Engadin Freestyle Sprint

John TeafordJanuary 25, 2025

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Johannes Hoesflot  Klaebo (NOR) is BACK, and with plenty of time to ease up in the finishing straightaway, perhaps a reminder to the young upstart, Edvin Anger (SWE), of just who the boss really is. (Photo: Authamayou/NordicFocus)[/
You just can’t believe how fast . . . when skiers at the front of a World Cup Sprint field hit the gas, the top end speed they reach is simply astounding—fast enough that skiers at the trailing end of the pack are rocked back on their heels, having neither technique tricks nor fitness solutions to deal with the radical increase in pace. It’s simply bizarre to see those skiers in the back half of the Sprint field—world-class skiers, all—reduced to flailing ski-kids when the pace really ratchets up. That’s what happens at Engadin, Switzerland on a Sprint course that only offers speed. Not much in the way of interesting features or novel course challenges, not much in the way of variety or tactic: Engadin’s Sprint course is a wide-open, wind-swept strip of groomed corduroy that weaves through open, unprotected territory. On a sunny day with temperatures hovering just above freezing, what the Engadin course offers is speed. And nearly every heat winner seemed to rely on at-the-front speed in order to advance.

Predictably, the only skier doing things a different way was Klaebo . . .

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is back in the mix. After a few weeks off (during which he skipped numerous World Cup starts and the Norwegian National Championships), Klaebo returns to the World Cup tour, hoping to respond to recent claims voiced by Edvin Anger (SWE) that he (Anger) would’ve beaten Klaebo in last week’s Classic Sprint in Les Rousses, France. If Klaebo reads the reports in ski-media, he might’ve arrived in Engadin determined to make Anger eat those words.

In the end, Anger did show that he possesses tremendous speed, but nothing like the speed that’s available to Klaebo who coasted easily across the line for his 100th individual World Cup win. Anger scuttled home in second place ahead of Klaebo’s off-season training partner, Lucas Chanavat (FRA).

Leading a world-class pack at the beginning of his quarterfinal heat, Jack Young (USA) would come to learn what World Cup Sprint speed really means. Young would find himself overtaken in the second half of his heat, finishing 25th on the day. (Photo: Authamayou/NordicFocus)

Among Americans, Ben Ogden qualified 11th, though he would exit after a tangle in the semifinal left him sixth. He would finish the day in 12th. JC Schoonmaker qualified 26th and finished third in his quarterfinal, good for 15th on the day. Jack Young qualified 28th, then learned a lesson in World Cup Sprint speeds as his from-the-front tactic in his quarterfinal was overhauled by faster, more experienced sprinters. Young would end the day in 25th.

Other Americans included Gus Schumacher in 45th, Kimball Murphy 46th, and Zanden McMullen 62nd. Canadian finishers included Sasha Masson 36th, Pierre Grall-Johnson 61st, Julian Smith 66th.

In addition to Klaebo, the entry list this weekend in Engadin included a number of other lesser known Norwegian compound-names: Oskar Opstad-Vike, Aleksander Elde Holmboe, and Sindre Bjoernestad Skar. Questions still lingers as to whether those were the young guns who popped a good one at Norwegian Nationals, OR that the Norwegian federation is trying them on for size. With two spots still  up for grabs in the selection of Norwegian Sprint slots for February’s World Championships, the results from Engadin’s Freestyle Sprint would mean everything to Norway’s quickest sprinters.

Norway’s Haavard Solaas Taugboel—leading Richard Jouve (FRA) and Janik Riebli (SUI)—would advance to the Final in Engadin’s Freestyle Sprint, perhaps earning his place on the Norwegian Sprint team for the World Championships in Trondheim next month. (Photo: Authamayou/NordicFocus)

Among more familiar names, Haavard Solaas Taugboel was back in the Norwegian Sprint lineup. Having not yet secured his start position in the upcoming Trondheim World Championships, Taugboel had much to lose, much to gain. Likewise, Even Northug was entered. He’d hoped to win an easy one a week ago in Les Rousses (where a World Cup win would have likely punched his ticket to Trondheim), only to have that low-hanging fruit snatched by Edvin Anger (SWE). In Engadin, Northug would flounder again, qualifying 48th and failing to advance to the Quarterfinal.

Perhaps the names most conspicuous by their absence were of those Norwegian all-’rounders who also excel in Sprint competitions: Paal Golberg, Harald Oestberg Amundsen, Erik Valnes. All three have been known to give Klaebo a run for his money, but their federation seems determined to save those skiers for Distance efforts. The story today seemed likely to be a grudge-fueled contest between Klaebo and Anger.

Engadin Freestyle Sprint

A sunny morning in Engadin also dawned very windy, with a steady stream of air pushing across the flat valley and broad frozen lake around Engadin. It seemed to all observers that the wind would become a factor in the tactics and the outcome of today’s events. Altitude would also play a role as Engadin—at an elevation of 1800 meters (nearly 6,000 feet)— is the highest stop on the 2025 World Cup Tour. Sprinting is a long day, and the rest periods get shorter and shorter as the day progresses. Speed isn’t ever enough: sprinters need to get to the final knowing they can deal with anything. The veterans are always the ones who prove most capable in that regard.

Quarterfinal 1 featured Klaebo, Lucas Chanavat (FRA), and American qualifier, Young. Young drove the early pace while Klaebo dropped quickly off the back. Klaebo’s relaxed start turned into a more familiar strategy as he easily made up three spots on the first uphill, sliding into a third place position with headwind descents just ahead. As they hit the serious headwind, Klaebo maneuvered out from behind Chanavat, and shot past Young into the lead. Klaebo and Chanavat would advance while Young faded to fifth in the heat, finishing the day in  25th.

Ben Ogden (USA) skied tactically in his quarterfinal to advance behind Edvin Anger (SWE). Ogden would finish 12th on the day. (Photo: ,Authamayou/NordicFocus)

Quarterfinal 2 was a somewhat more tactical affair, led out by Anger who was closely followed by Ogden. Those two would keep their spots through the finish line, moving on to the semifinal round.

JC Schoonmaker found himself pinched in early going of Quarterfinal 3, but managed to work his way to the outside in the final turn. He exited the turn in third, gaining speed all the way up the finishing straight, but the man he needed to catch was the legendary Federico Pellegrino. Pellegrino would remain second, advancing to the Semifinals behind heat winner Valerio Grond. Schoonmaker would finish the day in 15th.

Schoonmaker was introspective when considering how close he was to advancing: “I think making up that gap to Pellegrino is all tactics for me.,” said Schoonmaker. “It comes down to having a better position rounding the corner into the finish which goes all the way back to being more aggressive in the early and middle parts of the race. To me it’s much less about the .3 seconds behind but the position. .3 seconds can feel quite close when you say it like that, but when you put it in terms of actually passing someone and gaining the position to move on, it’s much more difficult especially when it’s a fast and short finish like today. So for me I feel like I really need to work on my positioning and strategy throughout the heat to be ahead of a guy like Pellegrino heading into the finish rather than trying to overtake him.”

Taugboel’s future would play out in Quarterfinal 4, where he demonstrated his agility in lifting a ski tip over one of the corner-marking v-boards as Janik Riebli (SUI) crowded him to the inside. That little loss of speed may have cost Taugboel: he moved Riebli back toward the middle for the finishing sprint, inadvertantly opening up the inside lane where Richard Jouve (FRA) used his exceptional finishing speed to grab the last automatic qualifying spot. Taugboel’s day—and likely his chances for a spot on Norway’s World Championship team—would have ended with a third place finish, but Taugboel’s finishing time was fast enough to secure a lucky loser spot.

Sprint Semifinals

Klaebo opened Semifinal 1 with just enough drive to push Riebli and Anger to the lead. That’s where Klaebo wanted them to be, and they totally fell for it. Ogden and Chanavat (who would typically go to the front, himself) cleverly slotted in right behind Klaebo. Anger moved to protect the inside line causing Klaebo to short-step through a corner (perhaps the closest Klaebo has come to getting tangled in a Sprint heat). Anger would remain the frontrunner through the finish line just ahead of Klaebo. Though if Anger thought this same strategy would bring him victory in the final . . .

Oskar  Svensson (SWE) drove the pace in Semifinal 2, but would find himself pvertaken by those who took advantage of his draft. He would finish the day ninth. (Photo: Authamayou/NordicFocus)

Jouve went straight to the front of Semifinal 2 (totally changing his own tactics from the Quarterfinal), but it was Oskar Svensson (SWE) who made the pace through the middle of the heat. Taugboel lurked just behind Jouve, hoping to follow him through to the Final, but the mercurial Jouve would begin to fade mid-lap, and Taugboel was forced into the lead. Around the final turn, Taugboel dragged most of his pursuers through the fading Svensson. Only Pellegrino was able to find an outside line that propelled him to the Semifinal victory ahead of Taugboel (whose advancement to the final might earn him the Trondheim starting spot to which he aspired).

Valerio  Grond (SUI), Johannes Hoesflot  Klaebo (NOR), Lucas  Chanavat (FRA), Edvin  Anger (SWE), sprint past Engadin’s landmark castle in the Final of the FIS World Cup Freestyle Sprint. Klaebo would overtake Anger for the win. (Photo: Authamayou/NordicFocus)
Sprint Final

Klaebo allowed Anger to win their semifinal matchup; perhaps he had been sandbagging in order to make Anger believe that his own speed would be sufficient? The Sprint Final would reveal the truth.

Chanavat finally acted like Chanavat, storming directly to the front, daring others to follow. Klaebo started only fast enough to claim a space ahead of Pellegrino. There Klaebo could see and control the race. When Chanavat bobbled on the first uphill, Anger found himself in the lead. Klaebo followed in second, shadowed by the every-crafty Pellegrino. All three seemed to have the positions they wanted, though only Klaebo seemed to know how things would turn out.

Following a wider, faster line into the lead with 200 meters to go, finally, Klaebo let his skis run on a line that pulled him up alongside Anger. If Anger thought he possessed the speed to beat Klaebo, this would be the place to show it. Nope . . .

Exiting the final turn, Klaebo kicked into a higher gear for only a few deft skate strokes, then shut down his own effort to coast up the finishing straight. With forty meters still to race, he turned around to assess Anger, who’s finishing efforts would avail him not. Klaebo’s gesture appeared less as taunting and more as a demonstration of dominance, an insistence for the sort of respect that perhaps Klaebo feels was lacking in Anger’s comments to the media last week. Or maybe it’s just a Norway/Sweden thing . . .

Pellegrino was third across the line, but was later relegated to last (sixth) in the Final heat standings for having bumped Valerio Grond (SUI) in the Final. Chanavat would be elevated to third place.

Regardless, the Engadin Freestyle Sprint demonstrated the continuing dominance of the old contrasting with the glimmering potential of the new, even in such tightly-packed, elbow-rubbing conditions. Training partners, Klaebo and Chanavat shared a post-race moment in the finish area, sharing stories from the race like a typical pair of post-race age-groupers. “Poles everywhere, skis everywhere,” said Klaebo. “But I feel like that’s what happens in these kinds of courses.”

One thing’s for sure: Klaebo is definitely an authority in what happens in these kinds of races.

Men’s Freestyle Sprint RESULTS

Men’s Freestyle Sprint QUALIFYING

John Teaford

John Teaford—the Managing Editor of FasterSkier — has been the coach of Olympians, World Champions, and World Record Holders in six sports: Nordic skiing, speedskating, road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking, triathlon. In his long career as a writer/filmmaker, he spent many seasons as Director of Warren Miller’s annual feature film, and Producer of adventure documentary films for Discovery, ESPN, Disney, National Geographic, and NBC Sports.

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