Johannes Klaebo opens Tour de Ski with sprint win; Lucas Chanavat fifth

The 20th edition of the Tour de Ski opened on Sunday in Toblach (Italy) with a freestyle sprint, the first of six stages scheduled from 28 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 between Toblach and Val di Fiemme.

Men - Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, overall World Cup leader and the pre‑race favorite, won the opening sprint, repeating his victory from last year’s Tour start. He is aiming for a fifth overall Tour de Ski title. The podium was completed by two fellow Norwegians, Håvard Solås Heggen and Oskar Opsahl Vike, underscoring Norway’s dominance this season. - For France, Lucas Chanavat and Jules Chappaz were the only qualifiers to advance from the prologue. Chappaz was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Chanavat advanced from a stacked semifinal on time after a cautious, energy‑saving strategy. In the final he used a similar approach, moved up mid‑race, but faded on the last climb and finished fifth. The result was bittersweet given that he was second in this event last year, but encouraging after an early‑season tibial stress fracture; he remains the only non‑Norwegian winner this winter thanks to his Davos sprint victory.

Women - Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad won the women’s freestyle sprint, her 13th World Cup triumph, ahead of Germany’s Coletta Rydzek and Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist. France’s Mélissa Gal and Margot Tirloy were eliminated in the quarterfinals as they contest only their second Tour de Ski.

Quotes - Chanavat said he had been ill two days earlier and was unsure he would even start: he was happy to make the final but disappointed to miss the podium, noting he tried a different, more playful tactic by hiding in the pack and launching attacks at select moments.

Context - The Tour de Ski runs over six stages from Toblach to Val di Fiemme, with the season ramping up just 40 days before the Milan‑Cortina Olympic Winter Games.