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Iivo Niskanen has clearly nailed his peaking plan for the Olympics. At the 30-kilometer skiathlon on Sunday, the 29-year-old Finn led the entire 15-kilometer classic leg at along with Alexander Bolshunov, and earned the bronze medal in the event.

And after Bolshunov’s crushing victory in the 30-kilometer skiathlon on Sunday, the 25-year-old Russian was the other undisputed favorite heading to the start line for today’s 15-kilometer classic. 

Both sat out the sprint on Tuesday to recover. As predicted, the race turned out to be a two-horse race between the Finn and the Russian. 

However, the race became less of a nail-biter than expected. Niskanen set out aggressively, leading clearly from the first check point at 1.8 kilometers. From there he just increased the time gap. 

Bolshunov, on the other hand, set out at a more conservative pace. Spending his energy wisely, the Russian finished second, 23 seconds behind Niskanen. 

Also in shape for the Olympics, Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo snagged the last spot on the podium. The sprint specialist, who was 40th in the 30-kilometer on Sunday, earned his first major championship medal in a distance event. 

Top 3, 15km classic interval start, men
1. Iivo Niskanen, Finland, 28:06.3
2. Alexander Bolshunov, Russia, +23.2
3. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Norway, +37.5

Complete results

Double fun for the family
On Thursday, Therese Johaug won the women’s 10-kilometer classic event. Iivo Niskanen’s sister, Kerttu Niskanen, earned the silver medal, only 0.4 seconds behind Johaug. 

Check out what the Niskanen siblings are made from. 

The relays are the next events for the cross-country skiers at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. The women’s relay is scheduled for 8:30am on Saturday, February 12, while the men’s relay will take place at 8am on Sunday, February 13. (All times are CET).

FACTS: 2022 OLYMPICS 
What: XXIV Olympic Winter Games (24th edition)
Beijing 2022 – All you need to know 
Where: Beijing, China
Biathlon, cross-country skiing and Nordic events will take place at the Zhangjiakou arena, situated at and above 1650 meters above sea level. 
When: February 4 to 20, 2022
What happens when: 
Complete schedule for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, all sports. 
Who: 53 cross-country teams compete at the 2022 Olympics, each fielding from 1 to 16 athletes. 
All the cross-country ski teams to the Beijing Winter Olympics 
How: Where to watch the Olympics – World Wide

Results, start lists and competition details for all events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics will be posted here

Beijing Olympics homepage