Cross-country skiing: Gimler cruises to fifth place in Oberhof

Local champion Karl (Zela Melis), who has already impressed with strong performances this winter and claimed her first World Cup win, came only fourth in the quarter-finals, but progressed to the next round as a “lucky loser” on the race track.

However, the Olympic sprint champion was at a disadvantage there, coming in last place by almost four seconds. On the other hand, Gimler managed to reward himself with a place in the final after a millimeter decision that was only decided in the photo final.

The 30-year-old from Oberstdorf managed to maintain his pace until midway through the race, but then had to abandon the favored Swedes. The victory went to Lin Svan from Sweden, who defeated her compatriot Frida Carlsson and Olympic champion Jonah Sandling.

Gimler finished fifth, but was still “incredibly happy. This means a lot to me,” said Gimler, who recently contracted the coronavirus. National coach Peter Schlekenrider added: “You always have to give Laura credit for that. She had a tough time after contracting coronavirus. It's even better that she reached the final today.”

Katharina Hennig, Karl's gold partner from Beijing, had to surrender in the quarterfinals. Oberwiesenthaler recently presented herself in strong form with a podium finish at the Tour de Ski, but like Coletta Rydzek (Oberstdorf) she did not make it to the next round in fourth place.

Among the men, only Jan Stolben (Munderside) qualified for the quarter-finals, but he could not do anything against the best Norwegian riders Johannes Høsflot Klaebo and Erik Valnes. The latter also achieved victory today, ahead of his compatriots Ansgar Evensen and even Northug.