A dress rehearsal for the 2026 Winter Olympics took center stage on Saturday for the cross-country skiers competing in the Tour de Ski.
The competition officially arrived in Val di Fiemme, Italy, where the Games will take place in just over a month. Stage 5 of the Tour de Ski featured the women's and men's sprint classic events, which will also be featured in the 2026 Olympics.
Skiers got their first crack at a very challenging Olympic course in what proved to be a learning experience for many from the qualification races through to the finals.
It was a banner day for Finland's Jasmi Joensuu who took home her first-ever World Cup win. The victory came at the Olympic venue after she sprinted to the finish in 3 minutes, 45.75 seconds.
"This feels perfect. I wanted a good feeling with this course, and I think I managed to do that," Joensuu said after the victory.
Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland grabbed 2nd place after she finished 0.44 seconds behind the Finnish cross-country skier.
Sweden's Johanna Hagstroem claimed the final spot on the podium with a finish 1.94 seconds behind the winner.
Jessie Diggins was edged out of the sprint semifinal but finished 7th on the day. Diggins remains the overall leader in the Tour de Ski and World Cup standings.
In the men's sprint, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo absolutely dominated the competition and glided across the line all by himself in 3:21.28. It was the Norwegian skier's fourth victory of the season, 23rd of the Tour de Ski and 104th of his career. Klaebo remains the overall leader in the Tour de Ski and World Cup standings.
"It was a good day today. Now it's just one more stage and we can rest until the Olympics. It's going to be nice to finish up the whole tour now and start preparing for the Olympics," Klaebo said after the race.
The final two spots on the podium came down to an exhilarating photo finish.
France's Jules Chappaz blew a kiss to the crowd as he crossed the line 3.11 seconds behind Klaebo and just 0.03 seconds ahead of Sweden's Anton Grahn.
The 21-year-old Swedish skier earned his first podium of the year after he claimed 3rd in the race.
The Tour de Ski wraps up tomorrow in Val di Fiemme with the men's and women's 10km mass start free events.