Johannes Høsflot Klæbo edged by Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget in Ruka World Cup opener: an early warning shot before the Olympics

The men’s World Cup season opened in Ruka with a dramatic 10 km interval start that turned into a Norwegian-led thriller.

Mattis Nyhagen set an early benchmark before home favorite Iivo Niskanen crossed the line one second faster. Erik Valnes then finished just one hundredth behind the Finn, only for Austria’s surprise package Mika Vermeulen to take over the lead by eight seconds.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo appeared on track to overhaul Vermeulen after the final intermediate, maintaining a slim cushion into the closing kilometers. However, unlike last weekend’s domestic opener at Beitostølen, Klæbo did not top the podium. Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget had launched a blistering start, lost most of his advantage at the last split, but summoned a final push to win by 2.1 seconds over the multiple world champion from Trondheim. Commentators on the international broadcast called it “an early warning shot before the Olympics.”

Norway placed six athletes in the top eight, with Alexander Fjorden Ree in fourth and Didrik Tønseth in eighth. Edvard Sandvik, selected ahead of Emil Iversen, finished 13th, one spot ahead of Harald Østberg Amundsen.

In the women’s race, Heidi Weng signaled promising Olympic form at age 34, finishing second, 10.5 seconds behind Sweden’s Frida Karlsson, marking the Norwegian’s 139th career podium. Julie Bjerg Drivenes followed up her breakout the previous weekend with 11th place, while Kristin Austgulen Fosnæs was sixth and Karoline Simpson‑Larsen eighth. Among other Norwegians, Tiril Udnes Weng was 22nd and Anne Kjersti Kalvå 26th.

Ruka’s opening weekend continues with sprint races on Saturday and freestyle mass starts on Sunday, as athletes eye form ahead of the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Olympics.