Hedegart wins again: 'One of the greatest days of my life on skis'

Last week, rising star Einar Hedegart (NOR) claimed a sensational victory in the Men's 10km Interval Start Free at the Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Trondheim, Norway, beating six compatriots as the host nation claimed the seven top spots.

On Sunday, the 24-year-old showed that his first World Cup triumph was not a fluke as he made it back-to-back wins in the event at the World Cup in Davos, Switzerland.

The former biathlete, who recently hung up his rifle to aim for a spot in Norway's Cross-Country team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, said the victory was a "dream come true". He beat runner-up Harald Oestberg Amundsen (NOR) by 11.7 seconds as Mattis Stenshagen completed the all-Norwegian podium 18.8 seconds behind the winner.

"I am really happy with this race," Hedegart said.

Davos is one of the highest-altitude venues on the World Cup circuit, making Hedegart's fifth World Cup start a new experience. The distance specialist, whose previous World Cup races had been in Norway and Finland, however, was not bothered by that. 

"I've been a lot on altitude but never in a competition, so I was nervous (before the race)," he said.

"But I really felt from the start that this was a great day and didn't really feel the altitude."

Skate specialist Hedegart, with start number 44, crushed the best times before him in the interval start race, crossing the finish line 31.1 seconds faster than Great Britain's Andrew Musgrave in the leader's chair.

After him came a wave of big Norwegian names, among them 2023/2024 Overall World Cup winner Amundsen in bib 46, who beat Hedegart by 2.8 seconds to the 2.7km mark, the current Overall leader Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, looking to make up for a disappointing 17th place in Saturday's Sprint and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, chasing his seventh Distance victory.

But no one came close to Hedegart, who never slowed down. Halfway through the race, Amundsen was 2.3 seconds behind him, and Klaebo in third place, 3.5 seconds after the leader. At the 7.7km mark, the gap to Amundsen had increased to 8.4 seconds as Klaebo, who had gone out for a run to shake off some of the frustration after the Sprint, fell down to fourth place, 25.3 seconds after the leader.

When Klaebo, with starting number 66, crossed the finish line 24.1 seconds after Hedegart, the 24-year-old could relax in the leader's chair and start celebrating a victory that he said meant "the world" to him.

"This is what I've dreamed of my whole life and now I stand here with two World Cup victories." Hedegart said.

Stenshagen, with start number 52, crossed the finish line in third place after a strong finish. At the 2.7km mark, he had only had the seventh best time, and it was first after 6.7km that Klaebo's times started to go below his. The third place is the second individual podium of the career for the 29-year-old, whose last top three finish came in the 20km Mass Start Classic in Canmore, Canada, in February 2024.

"It was amazing. I can't believe it, in 10k at high altitude, I didn't expect it," he said, believing that the result brought him closer to a spot in the Olympic team.

"It's really tight so you need to deliver every week."

Nyenget claimed fifth place, 30.6 seconds after his winning compatriot as Musgrave became the top non-Norwegian in sixth place.

"I was still beaten by too many Norwegians but I'm more in the mix, going in the right direction," the Trondheim-based Great Britain skier said.

"With a little bit of training over Christmas, hopefully I can be at the Tour (de Ski) and try to break up the Norwegian dominance."

Emil Iversen and Andreas Fjorden Ree, seventh and eighth respectively, made it seven Norwegians among the top eight.

Mathis Desloges of France finished in ninth place, his teammate Hugo Lapalus completing the top 10, 42.3 seconds behind the winner.

The World Cup action continues in Toblach, Italy, on 28 December as Tour de Ski kicks off with Men's and Women's Sprint Free.

Click here for full results from the Men's 10km Interval Start Free and here to follow FIS Cross-Country on Youtube.