Klaebo cruises Ruka sprint to make it 99 World Cup victories

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) opened the 2025/26 Cross-Country World Cup sprint campaign with a commanding victory in the classic sprint at Ruka, moving his career total to 99 World Cup wins. After winning all nine sprints last season, Klæbo again set the tone in qualifying, where only Finland’s Emil Liekari came within a second of his time.

With several expected challengers faltering early—double Olympic silver medalist Federico Pellegrino did not advance from qualifying and Sweden’s rising talent Edvin Anger exited in the quarter-finals—the most persistent threats came from Norway and France. Erik Valnes tracked Klæbo smoothly through his quarter-final and semi-final, while France’s Jules Chappaz also advanced strongly. Norway’s Ansgar Evensen joined the fray in the final.

In the championship heat, Klæbo took control on Ruka’s distinctive layout—steep out of the stadium, even steeper back in, and a short finishing straight—pulling away with his trademark high-tempo classic running on the last climb. He sealed victory by 1.21 seconds ahead of Valnes, while Evensen snatched third over Chappaz in a photo finish.

“Ruka is always fun and the last uphill is where you really need to be fast,” Klæbo said, noting excellent skis and extra motivation after placing second in the 10 km classic the day before. Valnes called it “a real fight” to reach the podium after a tough qualification, and Chappaz took confidence from fourth despite missing the podium by centimeters.

Klæbo now turns to Sunday’s 20 km mass start freestyle in Ruka with a shot at reaching 100 World Cup victories. The men’s action in Finland continues with that race; full event results are available via FIS.