Olympic Cross-Country Skiing 2022: Can Alexander Bolshunov win another medal in Beijing?

Johannes Klebo is the main favourite in the sprint race at the Olympics. Who else will be running for honours at the upcoming Beijing Olympics? We predict that Richard Jouve is one of the main medal contenders.

Johannes Klebo started at the Olympics 2022 with a poor start, but he failed in the sprint, where it's highly unlikely that he'll be the gold medal contender, but it will be a strong fight for other medals. Among the big medal contenders at the Games is Richard Jouve, who looks dominant in the freestyle sprint. He is currently second only to the great Norwegian in the World Cup.

This season the Frenchman has competed in six sprint races, and each time he has been consistently good, winning three times. However, he will be optimally equipped and rested for his favorite sprint, as his main competitors recently finished the 30km event. As a result, we suggest betting on Richard Jouve to be in the top 3 for 3.00.

Alexander Bolshunov is hardly the strongest sprinter in the world, preferring longer distances. We saw this already at the Beijing Olympics when the Russian won the skiathlon title by 71 (!) seconds, which was a fantastic result. Unfortunately, the Bryansk Region native is not doing so well in sprints as he is currently only 12th in the event, having made it to the podium only once.

However, the 25-year-old skier is in fantastic condition in Beijing, and the gold in the skiathlon should give him courage and belief in success, even over a non-core distance. The huge advantage of the previous start makes him optimistic on the eve of the sprint, so there's every reason to take a chance and place a bet on Alexander Bolshunov being among the medalists for 5.00.

Erik Valnes and Sergey Ustiugov often clash in all kinds of races, and in the sprint, we can expect a spectacular battle. Unfortunately for Russian fans, the odds of success in this confrontation seem to be higher for the Norwegian athlete. This season he is much more successful in the World Cup. The Scandinavian is in third place in the overall ranking. The Russian is only in the 12th. The Norwegian is in fifth place in the sprint ranking, and Sergey is in the 15th.

Both athletes did not run in exhausting skiathlon and saved energy for the sprint race, so there shouldn't be any great difference in physical condition. The only advantage of the Norwegian compared to the Russian athlete is a more stable performance during the current season, which is why he can be regarded as the favourite in this pair. With this in mind, it is worth looking at the bet on Erik Valnes finishing above Sergey Ustiugov for 1.53.

• Richard Jouve in Top 3 - Yes for 3.00;
• Alexander Bolshunov in Top 3 - Yes for 5.00;
• Erik Valnes/Sergey Ustiugov - W1 for 1.53.