Edvin Anger was the best Swede, fourth overall, after the two initial stages of the Tour de Ski.
In the third stage in Toblach, New Year's Eve's 20-kilometer freestyle with individual start, sprint specialist Anger had a tough time measuring up to the very best, as expected.
The young blue-yellow hope started optimistically to gather some "sprint points" and had the fifth-best time at the control after 5.6 kilometers. Then it got tougher, and Anger finished with the 14th-best time, one minute and 14 seconds behind Amundsen – who was in a class of his own.
It was still okay, says Anger to Viaplay.
Klæbo's lead narrowed
Total leader Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (fifth on the stage) lost 46 seconds to teammate Amundsen, who ensured that the tour's overall standings tightened. Klæbo now has only a 16-second lead over Amundsen, while Edvin Anger is one minute and seven seconds behind the Norwegian leader.
The fifth place after three of seven stages is a promising start for the Swede.
I'm still satisfied with it so far. There's a long way to go, but I'll do my best to maintain that position as long as possible, says he to Viaplay.
The course featured an unusual track that was tested for the first time in the tour, with mostly uphill skiing during the first mile and a gentler second mile where it went downhill instead. Anger got company from some other skiers towards the end and could exchange a few words.
It would have been tough to do it alone, says he.
Pursuit start next
The other Swedes delivered relatively pale performances. William Poromaa finished the stage in 18th place, while Jens Burman was 28th. In the interview with Viaplay afterwards, a disappointed Burman noted that the skis were not the best.
On New Year's Day, the Tour de Ski continues with a 15-kilometer pursuit start, based on the times from the third stage.
Corrected: An earlier version incorrectly stated the time difference between Anger and Klæbo in the overall standings.
