The men's team sprint of Cross-Country Skiing 2018 during the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 21 February 2018 in the Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing Centre. With 28 pairs competing, the event was won by Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Martin Johnsrud Sundby from Norway, with Alexander Bolshunov and Denis Spitsov from Olympic Athletes from Russia taking the silver medal and Maurice Manificat and Richard Jouve from France taking bronze.
Format[]
The competition exists out of six laps of 1381 metres in the free technique, alternating between the two competitors in a team. The two fastest teams in each semifinal advance to the final, as well as the six fastest non-qualifiers. The team with the fastest time in the final is the winner of the event.
Preview[]
Twenty-eight pairs qualified for the event with the favorites for the title probably being Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Martin Johnsrud Sundby for Norway. The Norwegians had dominated the men's cross-country events so far, winning three out of four events, including a clean sweep in the skiathlon and a dominating performance in the sprint. The Olympic Athletes from Russia were definitely one of the big challengers, with both athletes having won bronze medals in the previous week. Federico Pellegrino of Italy had won the silver medal in the individual sprint, and he could bring his team to another medal in the short distance, just like Ristomatti Hakola of Finland, who had the fastest time in the individual sprint qualification. The only gold medalist so far who was not from Norway was Dario Cologna, who could try to carry his compatriot to a medal. The teams of Finland, Russia, and Sweden were the defending medalists, but none of the medal-winning athletes competed in this event. Other outsiders could be the teams of Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, and France.
Summary[]
Semifinals[]
In the first semifinal, the Korean athlete Magnus Kim took the lead in the first lap, but the differences between most teams remained small. After the first changeover, Sweden and Austria took a small lead, and were later joined by Germany and the Olympic Athletes from Russia. Halfway through the race, the leading group was caught by the chasers, but after a ferocious climb, the leading group and Finland once again split off from the rest. With Austria not being able to follow anymore, the Olympic Athletes from Russia, Germany, Finland, and Sweden competed for two qualification spots with two laps to go, but this group was decreased to three after Finland dropped back to the first chasers. The two rejoined the leaders right after the last exchange, after which the Czech athlete fell behind again, with the Olympic Athletes from Russia and Sweden ensuring qualification for the final, and Germany, Finland, and the Czech Republic in the waiting room. Great Britain and Belarus finished on 30 seconds from the leaders and would have to hope for a slower second semifinal to still qualify.
Semifinal 1 Results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Team | Time | Info | ||
1 | Olympic Athletes from Russia | 15:58.84 | Q | ||
2 | Sweden | 15:58.99 | Q | ||
3 | Germany | 16:00.55 | LL | ||
4 | Finland | 16:01.41 | LL | ||
5 | Czech Republic | 16:08.78 | LL | ||
6 | Great Britain | 16:30.62 | |||
7 | Belarus | 16:32.31 | |||
8 | Austria | 16:43.69 | |||
9 | Romania | 16:52.38 | |||
10 | Spain | 16:59.83 | |||
11 | Slovenia | 17:24.79 | |||
12 | Lithuania | 17:41.73 | |||
13 | South Korea | 17:56.71 | |||
14 | Turkey | 18:45.78 |
The second semifinal started with a similar pattern to the previous race, with Wang Qiang of China taking the lead in the first lap, but here Maurice Manificat of France made an attempt to attack. In this semifinal, the gap between the teams was already somewhat bigger at the first exchange, with only eleven teams being able to follow the big group. Richard Jouve retained the lead set by his predecessor, and was able to exchange first after both athletes had finished a single lap. The Frenchmen were chased by no less than eight teams, with teams such as China and Slovakia already losing over 15 seconds. Only a single lap later, Norway and the United States were on the brink of catching up on the leader, with the gap to the rest of the chasers already on over 6 seconds, and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo taking the lead from the French for the first time since the first lap. With only two laps to go, the leading group now consisted of seven teams, as the three leaders were joined by Canada, Switzerland, Poland, and Italy. Similar to the first semifinal, the three former leaders escaped the group again, now the United States in the lead and exchanging first for the final lap, followed by France and Norway. Poland, Italy, and Canada were already on over 10 seconds from the Americans, seemingly the three leaders competing for two certain qualification spots. The two direct chasers were in hot pursuit, but were able to catch Hamilton on the last stretch before the finish. In a final sprint, Klaebo was able to beat Richard Jouve and Hamilton, with Italy and Canada on 3 seconds. Switzerland also finished within 10 seconds of Norway, but barely lost out on qualification by just over a second.
Semifinal 2 Results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Team | Time | Info | ||
1 | Norway | 16:03.97 | Q | ||
2 | France | 16:04.45 | Q | ||
3 | United States | 16:04.69 | LL | ||
4 | Italy | 16:07.19 | LL | ||
5 | Canada | 16:07.24 | LL | ||
6 | Switzerland | 16:10.52 | |||
7 | Poland | 16:21.83 | |||
8 | Kazakhstan | 16:30.10 | |||
9 | Estonia | 16:30.30 | |||
10 | Ukraine | 17:32.50 | |||
11 | Slovakia | 17:34.12 | |||
12 | Bulgaria | 17:38.26 | |||
13 | Australia | 17:38.36 | |||
14 | China | 18:11.95 |
Final[]
In the final, Sweden quickly took the lead, but the Olympic Athletes from Russia retook their original position on the next climb. After Denis Spitsov dropped back again, it was the turn for Norway to follow the Swedes. After the first exchange, France positioned themselves between Sweden, Norway, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia, but the ten finalists remained together, even after Erik Bjornsen tumbled halfway through the third lap. However, halfway through the race, the leading group was down to only four, with a small gap behind the Olympic Athletes from Russia, but the gap was negatable. Immediately after the exchange, all finalists were back together. Coming back into the stadium for the last third of the race, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo took the opportunity to attack, taking a small lead, followed by the Olympic Athletes from Russia, Sweden, France, and Italy. The latter team wasn't able to follow and had to let the three others go. With only a single lap to go, Norway had a lead of over 5 seconds to Sweden, France, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia, with Italy and the United States on over 11 seconds. Even though the gap to the Klaebo got smaller, the Norwegian had enough left to win the gold medal, with the Olympic Athletes from Russia winning a close sprint against France and Sweden. Italy and the United States finished on almost 20 seconds, with the Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, and Germany completing the field.
Final Results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Team | Time | |||
1 | Norway | 15:56.26 | |||
2 | Olympic Athletes from Russia | 15:57.97 | |||
3 | France | 15:58.28 | |||
4 | Sweden | 15:59.33 | |||
5 | Italy | 16:14.81 | |||
6 | United States | 16:16.98 | |||
7 | Czech Republic | 16:24.83 | |||
8 | Canada | 16:31.86 | |||
9 | Finland | 16:32.30 | |||
10 | Germany | 16:42.20 |
Results[]
Norway won its fourth gold medal in five men's cross-country events, with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo becoming Olympic champion for the third time. He was also the first athlete to win the individual sprint and the team sprint in the same year, since 2006. Martin Johnsrud Sundby won his fifth Olympic medal in eight years, and won his second gold medal, after winning the relay with Norway. Alexander Bolshunov and Denis Spitsov won their third medals, after both had won a silver medal in the relay and a bronze medal in the individual sprint and 15 km, respectively. Maurice Manificat won his second Olympic medal in Pyeongchang, after a bronze medal in the relay, while Richard Jouve won his first medal. Sweden was not able to win its first men's cross-country skiing medal in Pyeongchang, just like the United States, both finishing just behind the podium. Italy, which finished fifth, had only won a medal in the individual sprint.
Result | Nation |
---|---|
Norway | |
Olympic Athletes from Russia | |
France | |
4 | Sweden |
5 | Italy |
6 | United States |
7 | Czech Republic |
8 | Canada |
9 | Finland |
10 | Germany |
11 | Switzerland |
12 | Great Britain |
13 | Poland |
14 | Belarus |
15 | Romania |
16 | Spain |
17 | Ukraine |
18 | Slovenia |
19 | Slovakia |
20 | Bulgaria |
21 | Lithuania |
22 | Australia |
23 | South Korea |
24 | China |
25 | Turkey |
- | Austria |
- | Kazakhstan |
- | Estonia |
2018 Winter Olympic Games | |
---|---|
Cross-Country Skiing 2018 | |
ā 2014 | 2022 ā |
Men | Women |
15 km | 10 km |
Skiathlon | Skiathlon |
Sprint | Sprint |
Team sprint | Team sprint |
Mass start | Mass start |
Relay | Relay |