Before the six-kilometer mark, Eiduka was last, in 33rd position, but after that the race did not continue. Due to overload, the Latvian did not participate in the first stages of the World Cup, starting the season only with the “Tour de Ski” series.
Last year, Eiduka won a high eighth place in the overall standings.
Norwegian Tereze Juheuga celebrated a convincing victory in the women’s 20-kilometer skiathlon with a finish in 54 minutes and 53.3 seconds. Austrian Teresa Stadlober defeated Norwegian Astrid Slind and Swedish Ebu Andessson in a fierce fight for second place. Stadlober and Slinda had the same finish time (+30.6) up to a tenth of a second, but Andesson was a tenth of a second slower.
American Jessie Diggins was fifth, finishing 55 seconds behind Juheuga.
Norwegian Johannes Klebo won the men’s race, finishing in 49 minutes and 29 seconds. In a close group, the Italian Federico Pellegrino lost 2.4 seconds behind him and the Norwegian Jan Jensen was 3.9 seconds behind.
Wiegants finished four minutes and 11.3 seconds after Klebo, which gave him 44th place in the competition of 59 athletes. Sualītis was overtaken for a lap before completing 14 kilometers.
Juheuga is the leader of the women’s tour, who is ahead of Slinda by 22 seconds, and Diggins by one minute and 47 seconds.
For men, Klebo is the clear leader before the last stage, who is more than two minutes ahead of his closest competitors. Vice-leader Norwegian Eriks Valnes loses two minutes and 18 seconds to his compatriot. Vigant is 16 minutes and 30 seconds behind, the Latvian occupying the 52nd position.
The last stage of the “Tour de Ski” will take place on Sunday in Valdifjemme, where the athletes will go on the track in a mass start of ten kilometers in freestyle, part of the distance skiing towards the mountain.
Last season, Eiduka took the high eighth place in the overall standings of the “Tour de Ski” in the women’s competition.
Vīgants previously competed in the “Tour de Ski” in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons, participating in two and three stages, respectively, while Lauris Kaparkalējs and Saulītis were series debutants.
Last season, Norwegian Harall Estberg Åmunnsen became the winner in the men’s competition, while Jessie Diggins from the USA won the tour in the women’s competition.