Halfvarsson seals successive World Cup victories

It was a battle from start to finish for the Swede alongside compatriot Marcus Hellner, but Halfvarsson was able to clinch the win in a time of 23:04.9, just 0.8 seconds ahead of Hellner.

Russia's Sergey Ustiugov completed the podium line-up with his first top three finish of the season, crossing the line 6.7 seconds after Halfvarsson.

With two victories to his name in this season's Nordic Opening Overall tour, Halfvarsson will start Sunday's 15km classic technique pursuit competition with a 28.1 second advantage over Ustiugov, with Hellner in third.

"It was really fun to fight with Marcus until the finish," said Halfvarsson. "My body felt good.

"I felt a little bit tired in the first lap, probably from yesterday's sprint. In the second lap I got better and I could ski really fast on the last uphill."

Hellner added: "I did not have the information about the time between me and Calle.

"It is a good feeling to be on the podium. The body feels good. I have some work to do with my technique, I hope I can get better."

Sportsbeat 2016