At the Nordic Ski World Cup, the next medal dream bursts in cross-country skiing. When the Swedes victory, the German duo with Olympic champion Katharina Hennig in the team sprint only comes in sixth.
It shouldn’t be again. Olympic champion Katharina Hennig clearly missed a medal at the Nordic Ski World Cup in Trondheim in the cross-country skiing team sprint with Laura Gimmler. The German duo came to sixth place on Wednesday in difficult conditions with dew and rainy weather – there were more than 40 seconds.
It was indicated early on that a few grains were missing, especially at Gimmler, after she had to do without the individual sprint due to illness. “Laura’s disease caught us on the wrong foot. She was not in the constitution to run on such a selective course, “said head coach Peter Schlickenrieder in the ARD about the battered Gimmler, who had suffered an infection shortly before the start of the World Cup:” More was not in there. “
Swedes do justice to favorites: Norwegians Patzen
After three 1.4-kilometer rounds, the Sweden Jonna Sundling, who had already won the individual sprint, secured the victory in the classic style, and Maja Dahlqvist. This lived up to the duo of her favorite role. The Swedes won ahead of Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern from the USA (+2.9 seconds) and Switzerland with Anja Weber and Nadine Fähndrich (+9.1).
Germany was 51.9 seconds behind. Norway did not come across seventh place in the home game. In the fourth running decision of the women, gold went to the Swedes for the fourth time – and that in the land of the arch -rival.
After a fall in the prologue, the German duo had to start from quite far back in the morning, while Sundling made a lot of speed. Already on the second round Gimmler had it teared off, the dream of a medal had burst early.
Hennig cannot repeat gold coup
For Hennig it was the second assignment in Trondheim after seventh over 10 kilometers on Tuesday, for Gimmler the first. Because of the infection, the Oberstdorfer had had to do without the individual sprint at the start. Before that, she was in top shape and recently had her first single podium in the World Cup.
Hennig had sensationally won Victoria Carl Gold in the classic team sprint at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In Trondheim, Carl had previously started in all races and had therefore paused with regard to the season on Friday. There the German cross -country skiers have their greatest chance of medal.
The only German medal in the women’s team sprint so far had Evi Thingsbacher stand and Claudia Nystad in 2007 in Sapporo with silver, in 2010 the duo won Olympic gold.