Sjur Røthe becomes World Champion by 0.1 second
Feb 23, 2019·Cross-Countryorway concludes day with another victory in Skiathlon. Only two hours after the triumph of Therese Johaug, Sjur Røthe wins the fight for the Gold medal and can call himself a World Champion.
More than 12,100 spectators cheered along the Skiathlon course in Seefeld. What they followed up was one of the most powerful and spectacular races so far at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld.
Early in the race the strong leaders group managed to set off. Not only led by the later podium finishers, but more over also driven by Finnish Iivo Niskanen and French Clement Parisse, the group clearly set out to fight for the most wanted spots on the podium. After 15km, when the athletes changed into Free technique Parisse was the first out on the track but soon was caught up by the distance experts Bolshunov and Sundby. Until the last uphill in the stadium, Sundby seemingly went for the gold medal. But the decision was made in the final stretch of the 30km race when Sjur Røthe changed the game by attacking in a final sprint, overtaking his team colleague Sundby. Alexander Bolshunov seemed to realize the attack a hint too late but powered immediately towards the finish line still missing the fight for gold by +0.1 second.