FasterSkier’s coverage of this week’s FIS World Championships stands as a proud tribute to an icon of American Skiing, Marty Hall who has generously supported our coverage of international cross country ski events. To learn more about Marty and Kathy Hall’s A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, please contact info@fasterskier.com. We’ll miss you, Marty.
Trondheim’s changeable weather changed again as skiers awoke to snow swirling in the morning sky, filling the tracks of the 10 kilometer Classic course. One degree Fahrenheit, snow falling steadily: fearsome conditions on a most important day. The forecast was that snow could turn to rain as the day progressed: clumpy snow, sloppy tracks, gritty competition, a hard-man’s race. Skiers would be pleading for grip, praying for glide.
All the entrants in today’s World Championship 10 k Classic Interval Start had expected to be chasing Iivo Niskanen (FIN). Time and again, Niskanen has proven himself to be the foremost practitioner of Classic technique, and he definitely would’ve been the odds-on favorite to claim gold in Trondheim. But competitive sport is a funny thing, especially those sports focusing on uber-strenuous endurance training and competition, and taking place in mid-winter. They don’t call it “cold and flu season” for nothing . . .
Iivo Niskanen dropped out of the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim due to a bout of the flu that has been lingering since his victory in the 10 k Classic in Falun, Sweden. His recovery was not complete in time for Sunday’s Skiathlon in Trondheim. Now, Niskanen has withdrawn from all events in this year’s championships, including today’s 10 k Classic. It was about to become a whole new race.
And the snow continued falling, sending wax technicians into a panicked frenzy. Those ski-nations blessed with fat budgets and hulking wax trailers have plenty of experience in such challenging conditions, giving their athletes a distinct advantage over lesser-prepared teams. On the other hand, the search for that extra smidgen of speed has seen nations like Norway and Sweden blow the wax on important days in the past, ending the careers of coaches in a number of infamous incidents. There was a lot at stake in Trondheim.
“This is the weather we are used to in Trondheim, so a little bit of a home advantage today,” said Klaebo after the race. When asked what he thought about the day’s conditions when he first looked at the sky this morning, Klaebo grinned. “Holy $#&%! that’s what I was thinking this morning. But I think the conditions were a little bit better than expected, I think they have done an amazing job, and I think it was an exciting race to watch, as well.”
Klaebo has good reason to be both satisfied and confident, as he delivered another win for Norway in the 10 k Classic Interval Start. Norway filled the podium with Erik Valnes in second, and Harald Oestberg Amundsen third.
Team USA has committed considerable resources to waxing and base prep, but they’ve also missed the boat in that department through each of the first few races at these championships. American skis have dragged, American skiers have slipped, but Gus Schumacher seems always to find a way to produce fine results. In the 10 k Interval Start, he once again proved his ability to pace well and race bravely, finishing 13th. He was followed by Zak Ketterson 27th, Zanden McMullen 40th, Ben Ogden 47th.
Ketterson commented on the conditions: “When it’s 32 degrees and snowing, it’s Zero skis. When they’re good it’s like the simplest of conditions. If you have one or two pairs and they’re both bad, it’s like “that’s that.”
“Ending up 13th on a tricky day and tricky conditions,” commented Schumacher. ” It’s pretty sweet to not be satisfied with 13th . . . knowing that there’s more in the tank!”
Canadian, Antoine Cyr, also continued his string of impressive finishes, starting fast on the day and holding on to cross the line in 18th. Olivier Leveille was the next Canadian in 38th, followed by Max Hollmann in 43rd.
10 k Classic
World Championship and Olympic events are staged following rather different standards and practices, including shuffling the starting order of interval start races so that top-seeded skiers will have skiers from lower seeds sprinkled among them. On Tuesday in Trondheim, the 10 k Classic Interval Start will include numerous skiers whose only participation in international racing will be these championships. And they will be right in the middle of things (rather being lumped in an inexperienced bunch at the very end of all starters).
The 55th starter on the day will be Achbadrakh Batmunkh of Mongolia, followed closely (and almost immediately) by the hyper-speed racing advance of Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. I wish we could be standing trailside when Klaebo makes that pass. Might he say something to Batmunkh? Some kind encouragement? Some expression of polite camaraderie? Fans of Nordic skiing will remember the immortal Norwegian champion, Bjorn Daehlie, standing at the finish line of the 1988 Olympic 10 k Classic in Nagano to greet the final finisher (Kenya’s Philip Boit). We always hope our heroes will be so magnanimous.
But there are races to win in Trondheim, and Klaebo must sense that his chances have improved markedly with the withdrawal of his most excellent Finnish rival. But Klaebo isn’t the only one hoping to claim gold at the end of these ten kilometers.
The first two kilometers climb steeply and steadily, a challenging beginning to a race that requires skiers to start fast. Racing 10 k is risky business, as described by former World Cup champion, Martin Jonsrud Sundby (NOR): “All in all, the biggest climb is from the start,” he said. “And from there, it’s much downhill. A few less demanding climbs. High speeds, but not the most demanding parts.”
“For sure, after lapping (after 5 k) when you are going out on the second lap you have to do this uphill once more,” Sundby continued. “From 6 k up to 7 k, I think that’s the most crucial part.”
At the 3.2 kilometer checkpoint, Ketterson led the first 40 starters. It. looked like Team USA might have had greater success in ski prep today in Trondheim. Then bib 40, Antoine Cyr, narrowly topped Ketterson at the 3.2 kilometer mark. It looked like North American teams had gotten things right.
“It was good, especially my first lap (when) I was getting race leader splits,” said Ketterson. “Looking at the end, I wish I would’ve summoned more effort at the end . . . It maybe looks like I took it out too hard. On the second lap I started to feel like I bogged down . . . I’m pretty happy with it.”
Wearing bib 56, Klaebo would start just a few places behind his teammate, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget (one of the strongest Classic performers on the World Cup tour this season). Klaebo would have the advantage of split times being relayed to him at multiple points along the course.
Valnes was back in the racing after having missed the Sprint and Skiathlon with a nagging back injury. He wasted no time, laying down the fastest spilt times at two kilometers. Then the Norwegian crowd watched the arrival of Edvin Anger (SWE), the rangy U23 leader who has shown a willingness to race aggressively. He began topping the early time checks, threatening to upset Norway’s best-laid plans. Anger and Klaebo would trade leads through the next few splits: 5 k, 5.9 k. But at 7 k, Klaebo began inexorably to pull away. Klaebo’s choice to start slower and build his speed seemed to be proving the smartest strategy. Valnes, Nyenget, and Amundsen also slotted in front of Anger at 7 kilometers. Norway was on the rise.
Wearing bib 46, Anger crossed the line with a considerable gap over all earlier starters, but Norway was bearing down on him. Nyenget, Klaebo, Valnes, and Amundsen wore bibs 54, 56, 58, and 60 . . . and Klaebo was inside the final kilometer, breaking out his once-famous high-running “moose step” up the final hill.
Anger would claim fourth, ahead of a despondent Nyenget who caught an edge and fell on the tight corner just before the final downhill to the finish. Nyenget was up quickly, but his momentum had been spoiled. He would finish fifth, .2 seconds behind Anger, and 2.6 seconds behind third place, Amundsen.
In post-race interviews, Klaebo was asked if he had any message for the Swedish men—or the Swedish fans—regarding the dominance of Norwegian skiers on World Championship podiums thus far. He didn’t take the bait . . .
“I think Edvin (Anger) was doing a good race today,” said Klaebo. “He is for sure gonna be tough tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll see some Swedish color further up on the list as well. All of us want to have them up there to fight for podiums . . . I hope it’s gonna be some cool fights the next couple of days.”
Klaebo would take the lead at the finish, standing 14.2 seconds ahead of Anger. The Swede greeted Klaebo politely in the finish area where both awaited the finishes of Valnes and Amundsen.
Valnes powered up the finishing straightaway, plowing through the accumulated snow in an excruciating surge to the line. But he was 8.2 seconds too late to claim the win. Klaebo would remain in the leader’s chair, with Anger dropping to fourth after the arrival of third place Amundsen.
The defending World Champion, Simen Hegstad Krueger (NOR), finished an eyebrow-raising 46th. He may have suffered the very worst day of his career, or he may have seen the handwriting on the wall in the early splits, and decided to shut down his effort to better preserve his chances in the 50 k Mass Start later this week.
The very best skiers often find the ways needed to claim victory on the biggest stages. There is no bigger stage for them than the World Championships in Trondheim where, this week, Klaebo is proving himself to be the very best.
“We had amazing skis, and my body feels pretty good,” said Klaebo in post-race interviews. “I felt like I have gotten in good shape for this championship. Just can’t wait for the race again tomorrow.”
It’s beginning to look like an all-Klaebo World Championship week—and in Klaebo’s hometown—but let’s let him enjoy this hard-won Distance racing victory before we begin counting up the additional medals he could still claim in days to come.
World Championships 10 k Classic RESULTS
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.
