Tour de Ski 2024/25: Astrid Oeyre Slind takes Stage 3 win as Jessie Diggins toils in Toblach
Slind finished strongly to pip fellow Norwegian Therese Johaug in the 20km freestyle interval start with Diggins back in sixth. Reigning men's champion Harald Oestberg Amundsen won the stage to close the gap on Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo.
Cross-Country Skiing
Astrid Øyre Slind won Stage 3 of the 2024/25 Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy on Tuesday (31 December), as Jessie Diggins suffered a setback to her overall title hopes.
U.S. cross-country hero Diggins, who won both of the opening two stages, started well in the 20km freestyle interval start race but lost time in the second quarter. Four-time Olympic gold medallist Therese Johaug, making her return to the Tour de Ski having retired at the end of the 2021/22 season, was the early pacesetter but had to settle for second behind her fellow Norwegian.
Slind trailed Johaug by nine seconds at the final checkpoint at 15.6km, but worked well with the women around her – including Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones - to take victory by 3.3 seconds. Kerttu Niskanen of Finland was third, 17 seconds further back.
An exhausted Diggins eventually finished sixth, 36.3 seconds off the pace. She keeps her overall lead, but the gap over Niskanen is down to 22 seconds ahead of Wednesday's 15km classic pursuit. Slind is a further 10 seconds adrift.
Reigning men's champion Harald Østberg Amundsen moved up to second in the overall standings with his stage victory. He won by 21.2 seconds from another Norwegian, Simen Hegstad Krueger, with Britain's Andrew Musgrave third.
After winning the opening two stages, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo finished in fifth place with Amundsen now just 16 seconds behind him with four stages remaining.
2024/25 Tour de Ski: Results from Stage 3 - 20km interval start free, Toblach (ITA), 31 December 2024
Men's
1. Harald Østberg Amundsen (NOR) 44:05.3
2. Simen Hegstad Krueger (NOR) +21.2
3. Andrew Musgrave (GBR) +28.4
4. Andreas Fjorden Ree (NOR) +37.4
5. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) +46.4
6. Jan Thomas Jenssen (NOR) +48.3
Women's
1. Astrid Øyre Slind (NOR) 48:54.9
2. Therese Johaug (NOR) +3.3
3. Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) +20.3
4= Victoria Carl (GER), Katherine Stewart-Jones (CAN) +27.8
6. Jessie Diggins (USA) +36.3
Overall Tour de Ski 2024/25 standings can be found here.