Cross-country skiing – Moser 8th in Tour de Ski opener, favorite Klæbo wins

Tyrolean skier Benjamin Moser matched his career-best World Cup result by finishing eighth in the men’s freestyle sprint that opened the Tour de Ski in Toblach. After an assured qualification, Moser won his quarterfinal heat comfortably but was eliminated in the semifinal in fourth place, leaving him just shy of a first-ever final.

“It’s a great start to the Tour, and there might have been even more in it,” said the 28‑year‑old from Maurach am Achensee. “I’m very happy with eighth, but there’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling because I think I was fit enough to reach the final. I positioned myself poorly at the end of the semi, although I still gained a couple of spots on the finishing straight.”

As expected, defending champion Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the opening stage, leading a Norwegian sweep ahead of teammates Lars Heggen and Oskar Opstad Vike. The 29‑year‑old Klæbo celebrated the 102nd World Cup win of his career.

In the women’s sprint, Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad took victory, with Germany’s Coletta Rydzek second and Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist third. Austria’s Magdalena Scherz, tenth in qualifying, crashed in her quarterfinal and placed 26th overall. Fellow Austrian Teresa Stadlober, a distance specialist, was 37th in qualifying but is expected to be competitive in Monday’s 10 km individual start in classic technique.

The result marked stage one of six in this year’s Tour de Ski.