Norway's Martin Loewstroem Nyenget claimed victory in the men's 10km interval start classic at the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, on Sunday. He finished 13.8 seconds ahead of Finland's Iivo Niskanen, with teammate Erik Valnes taking third. The win marks Nyenget's second of the season.
The cross-country skiing World Cup weekend in Oberhof concluded with the men's 10km interval start classic under sunny conditions. Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, a 33-year-old Norwegian from Lillehammer Ski Club, paced his race expertly to secure the win in 21:09.1. Starting with bib 52, he conserved energy in the first lap, trailing early leaders by 2.3 seconds at the 5km mark, before surging ahead after 7.6km to build a 14.5-second lead by the finish.
"It’s fantastic," Nyenget said. "The longer I keep going in Cross-Country skiing, the more fun I have racing. The training part is not great anymore. So it’s great to be here in Oberhof and with great conditions and weather, it’s fun to race."
This victory is Nyenget's second of the winter, following his win in the same format at the season opener in Ruka, Finland, and his seventh overall on the World Cup circuit. He had skipped recent races to focus on intensive training ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, where he will make his Olympic debut.
Finland's Iivo Niskanen, the 2022 Olympic champion in the 50km classic, earned second place, 13.8 seconds back, marking his first podium of the season. "I was quite close after 6k, but Martin was really strong in the last three-four kilometers," Niskanen said. "It's better than nothing, right. I was quite sick in December but I have been feeling better, step by step."
Erik Valnes, who led until the 7.6km point, held on for bronze, 14.5 seconds behind Nyenget—his first distance podium this season. Italy's Elia Barp finished fourth, 17 seconds off the pace, in his best World Cup result. Sweden's Calle Halfvarsson, returning after a break, placed fifth, strengthening his case for an Olympic team spot.
Norway's Edvard Sandvik achieved a career-best seventh place, 31.8 seconds behind the winner. The race highlighted preparation for the Olympics, with the World Cup continuing in Goms, Switzerland, next weekend.
