Carl keeps winter fairytale alive despite low performance
Small slip-up, but anything is still possible: Victoria Carls misses out on the semi-finals at the Tour de Ski sprint in Davos, but can still dream of a podium finish. The other German pros are disappointing, Anian Sossau and Jan Stölben at least reach the men's fourth final.
Olympic cross-country skiing champion Victoria Carl remained on course for the podium at the Tour des Ski despite a small dip in performance at the altitude of Davos. Although the Thuringian missed out on a place in the semi-finals of the "night sprint" in the Swiss resort for the first time since the end of November, she is still on course for the first top three finish by a German skier in a stage race.
Carl finished third in her quarter-final at an altitude of more than 1600 meters in Davos - it should have been second place in her six-run race or one of the two other best times for the 28-year-old. However, with 16th place in the final ranking, Carl collected a few more bonus seconds and maintained her good starting position.
US American Jessie Diggins successfully defended her overall lead, reaching the final and finishing third behind Sweden's Linn Svahn and Norway's Kristina Stavaas Skistad.
Two men in the quarter-finals
Like Carl, Sofie Krehl (21st) was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Katharina Hennig, 2022 Olympic champion in the team sprint with Carl, was 36th in qualifying. Sprint specialist Coletta Rydzek also surprisingly finished 31st, missing out on 30th place and a place in the quarter-finals by one hundredth. Pia Fink had to give up the tour in the morning due to an infection.
At the first stop in Toblach, Carl had shone with second place in both distance races, underlining her status as Germany's top skier. She had previously celebrated her first World Cup victory at the Tour dress rehearsal in Trondheim.
In the men's race, Anian Sossau (19th) and Jan Stölben (29th) reached the quarter-finals. As in the first sprint in Toblach, victory went to Frenchman Lucas Chanavat.
The women's (10.45 am) and men's (1 pm) classic pursuit races are scheduled for Thursday in Davos. The Tour de Ski concludes on Saturday and Sunday in Val di Fiemme. The final stage with the ascent to Alpe Cermis high above the Fiemme Valley is extremely difficult and not ideal terrain for strong skiers like Carl.
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Despite her setback in the sprint, Victoria Carl continues to pursue winter sports excellence in Nordic skiing, aiming for a podium finish in the Tour de Ski.In the face of challenging winter sports conditions, Nordic skiing enthusiasts like Carl find motivation in preserving the winter fairytale spirit.
Source: www.ntv.de