In the morning on the Oslo Holmenkollen snowfall and difficult wind conditions prevailed, so that as always in Oslo you needed lots of luck. During the jumping round the most prevailing upwind increased, so that for the last eleven jumpers the inrun length was shortened. But the wind kept turning and was mostly coming from behind, so that the best had problems to reach a good distance. After the jump, Go Yamamoto (JPN, Fischer skis, bindings and boots) was just ahead of the great talent Jens Lurås Oftebro (NOR, Fischer skis, bindings and boots). Favorites such as Akito Watabe (JPN, Fischer skis, bindings and boots) and Jarl Magnus Riiber started cross-country skiing 44 seconds and 52 seconds back. "I'm happy and satisfied, the conditions were not easy, but I'm a happy man. I'll start the race carefully, and when I'm caught, I'll try to follow the group", Yamamoto said.
As expected, he and Oftebro were overtaken by the first athletes after one kilometer, Riiber and Watabe made the connection after the first lap, which Ilkka Herola then also succeeded in the second round. Unusually early then the pace was increased and Herola and Riiber escaped from the others after an attack at the beginning of the last lap. The Finn was the first to enter the stadium, but on the final stretch the Norwegian came out of the slipstream and took the next victory. Thus, he was allowed to shake hands with King Harald V. for the second time after 2016, when he celebrated his first World Cup victory here. After the first disappointment Ilkka Herola was happy about the second place. In the last kilometer, Espen Bjørnstad joined the chasing duo with Akito Watabe and Manuel Faißt (GER), overtaking them immediately and finished third, the Japanese came in fifth ahead of Jens Lurås Oftebro and Maxime Laheurte (FRA, Fischer Ski, Bindungen and boots). Ninth place went to Yoshito Watabe (JPN, Fischer skis, bindings and boots) ahead of Francois Braud (FRA, Fischer skis, bindings and boots).
