The elite women started five minutes before the elite men and they got caught in St. Moritz when approaching the first sprint point at 15 km. Von Siebenthal was able to follow some male skiers and got a gap over Astrid Øyre Slind (Team Koteng). Britta Johansson Norgren (Lager 157 Ski Team, Fischer skis, bindings and boots) followed a little behind these two skiers. At one point, Øyre Slind was only 13 seconds behind von Siebenthal, but the latter was able to speed up in the final kilometers and finished the race 59 seconds ahead of Øyre Slind. Johansson Norgren was third 1:52 minutes behind the winner. “It was a tough race and the pace was high all the time,” the happy winner Nathalie von Siebenthal declared at the finish. “I’ve got the gap after St. Moritz and I was able to get some help from fast-going male skiers, but I knew that Astrid was chasing me. I’ve got a bit more energy towards the end, and I was able to push hard and win this race.”
In the men’s race the speed was high right from the beginning. The decisive breakaway took place in the only long uphill on the course right after St. Moritz. There were eight skiers in the lead group all the way to the final kilometers where Petter Eliassen (Team BN Bank, Fischer skis, bindings and boots) could not keep up with the remaining seven skiers. Dario Cologna finally was able to find the right lane at the finish area and cross the finish as the winner. He took the Engadinger victory the fourth time in his career and likewise set a new record timeAnders Gløersen (Team Oslo Sportslager – Rustad IL, Fischer skis & bindings) took third place only 0.5 seconds behind the winner. “I didn’t expect the race to be this fast,” Dario Cologna admitted after the race. “Visma Ski Classics skiers wanted to set the pace and we went fast from the beginning. But it suited me well. I was happy to see only seven skiers at the end, but I wasn’t that confident about winning. But I got lucky and had a good sprint at the end.”
