Kowalczyk wins her fourth Tour de Ski stage
Tour de Ski
Sun, Jan 9, 2011 - By FIS
Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) made an early attack against the other athletes and made a gap together with Therese Johaug (NOR). The two ladies managed to stay in front the entire race working together as a team and keeping the others behind them.
In the last uphill, Kowalczyk made the final attack and got a gap of 5 meters to Johaug which she kept all the way to the finish line. Johaug came in 6.3 seconds behind the winner and could celebrate her first podium in the fifth edition of Tour de Ski. Marianna Longa (ITA) came in third, 55.7 seconds behind Kowalczyk.
There was three main groups competing in the mass start today. The first group consisting of Kowalczyk and Johaug, a second one with Petra Majdic, Marianna Longa, Arianna Follis, Marthe Kristoffersen, Astrig Jacobsen, Marthe Elden and Aino Kaisa Saarinen, and at last the bunch. The middle group tried to keep up with the strong leading ladies but had to give up quite early. Petra Majdic had a rough race today and could not keep up with the second group. Majdic finished 9th in the end.
Kowalczyk, who took today her fourth stage win in this Tour de Ski, has won the Tour sprint standing and is leading clearly the overall. After todays’ race, Marianna Longa climbed up to the second position in the overall, currently 2.08 minutes behind Kowalczyk. Arianna Follis is third, 2.33 minutes behind, Petra Majdic fourth, 3.08 minutes behind and Therese Johaug fifth, 3.20 minutes behind.
After Justyna Kowalczyk, who won 3:05 bonus seconds in this Tour de Ski, Petra Majdic and Arianna Follis completes the podium in the sprint ranking.
In the team ranking, Norway is leading 1:03.2 min ahead of Italy. On third position is there Sweden with a gap of 1:55.4 to Norway.
Quote Justyna Kowalczyk:
“This was a really good race, my skis were perfect, the shape was also good and Therese Johaug was perfect. It was really good to work with her, almost like a Polish-Norwegian team work.
It is really good to have the bonus seconds for the overall standing. Last year, Val di Fiemme was not that good for me, I was quite nervous but I am OK for tomorrow. I will not ski that fast the first 5 km tomorrow, and then we will see what happens. I will be fighting to the end, that is for sure”