Harald Oestberg Amundsen secures first Tour de Ski win; Jessie Diggins claims women’s title for the second time.
Harald Oestberg Amundsen of Norway and Jessie Diggins of the USA won the men’s and women’s Tour de Ski championships. Jules Lapierre and Sophia Laukli won their first-ever cross-country World Cups in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Amundsen won the Tour de Ski for the first time in his career, and Diggins added to her victory in 2021.
Jules Lapierre secured his first FIS Cross-Country World Cup win in Val di Fiemme, Italy, while Harald Oestberg Amundsen claimed his inaugural Tour de Ski title. Later, in a day of American success, Sophia Laukli celebrated her first World Cup win, and Jessie Diggins secured her second Tour de Ski crown. In the challenging 10km mass start to conclude the week-long competition, Lapierre made a decisive move on the Alpe Cermis climb, winning by 2.4 seconds.
Hugo Lapalus came in third, with Friedrich Moch of Germany in second place not far behind.
Even though Amundsen did not place on the podium, he finished one minute 19.2 seconds ahead of Moch in fifth position, meaning that he was never in danger of losing the overall championship. Lapalus of France completed the podium.
“It’s an amazing day for the French team – Hugo was on the podium with me and he is also in the Tour de Ski podium, so, what else [could one wish for],” Lapierre stated.
The women’s mass start witnessed an exceptionally close competition, with the top 10 separated by less than four seconds. Despite the tight race, Laukli showcased her superiority, claiming victory with a remarkable lead of 17.1 seconds. Heidi Weng from Norway secured second place, and Delphine Claudel of France took third.
Expressing her disbelief, Laukli stated, “I don’t know if I fully believe it. I was really excited for today, and after being third last year, I thought there’s not a lot of room for improvement, but it would be super cool to win. I didn’t want to have too high expectations, but I really could not be happier for this.”
Jessie Diggins finished in sixth place, securing her second Tour de Ski crown, adding to the one she won in 2021. The overall podium featured Weng and Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen alongside Diggins.