The first real test of the cross-country winter belonged to Germany's sprinters. At the FIS race in Muonio, Finland, Laura Gimmler won Friday's classic sprint ahead of team-mate Coletta Rydzek. In the men's race, Norway's Erik Valnes made a perfect return after months out, narrowly beating Austria's Benjamin Moser.
Gimmler repeats last year's win
The 32-year-old Gimmler controlled the day from start to finish. She topped the prologue ahead of Finland's Jasmi Joensuu and Rydzek, cruised through her quarter-final and semi-final, and then held on in a tight three-way battle for victory. She crossed the line in 3:19.45, with Rydzek 0.16 seconds back and Joensuu third at 0.18. It is Gimmler's second straight win in the Muonio sprint.
Theresa Fürstenberg completed a strong German showing, advancing twice as a lucky loser and finishing fifth in the final. Italy's Iris De Martin Pinter (4th) and Nadine Laurent (6th) filled the other final places. Katharina Hennig Dotzler, Sofie Krehl, Verena Veit and Heidi Bucher all went out before the final.
Valnes back after 276 days
The men's race was all about Erik Valnes. The 30-year-old had not raced since 10 February. He fell ill before the Olympic sprint in Italy, started anyway and finished last in the final, then called time on his season. In Muonio he won in 2:53.88, 0.19 seconds ahead of Benjamin Moser, who was once again right at the front. Finland's Niilo Moilanen, fastest in the prologue, took third at 0.33.
It is already Valnes's third sprint win in Muonio after 2023 and 2024, and it comes at the right moment: a week later, the Norwegian season opener at Beitostølen follows, where World Cup places are also at stake. Austria's Lukas Mrkonjic narrowly missed the final in seventh, while Germany's Jan Stölben placed 14th.
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The race was notable for more than the results. For the first time since 2021, Russian skiers lined up in Muonio – four athletes under a neutral flag, according to NRK. The most prominent returnee was Natalia Terenteva, formerly Natalia Nepryaeva, the 2022 Olympic champion and overall World Cup winner, who had not raced internationally since 2022. She was around nine seconds behind Gimmler in the prologue, made the quarter-finals and went out there. Sergey Volkov came through his quarter-final but did not feature in the semi-finals; according to German site xc-ski.de he was relegated after contact in the finishing sprint.
For many Russians, Muonio may prove a one-off for now. Finland will deny Russian athletes entry from Monday, 16 November, and Norway followed suit hours later. On Friday afternoon Sweden also said it was looking for ways to keep Russian athletes out regardless of existing visas, with an eye on the Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun in February 2027.
Racing in Muonio continues on Saturday with a 10 km classic, followed by a 10 km freestyle on Sunday. The World Cup season opens in Ruka from 27 to 29 November.
