Edvin Anger has been so close so many times. On Saturday, everything fell into place: skis, form, tactics. The 22-year-old secured his first World Cup win in the classic sprint in Les Rousses. Yet now, the Swede is angry.

At the moment of victory, Anger was overjoyed with his first individual triumph. However, one blemish on his joy was the absence of Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. The lack of competition from the world’s best sprinter and skier undeniably casts a shadow over the victory.

The day after, the win left a bitter aftertaste: Anger received a warning for a technical violation.

“I saw the situation, and I think it’s really harsh,” Anger told Expressen.

The rule violation occurred in the quarterfinals, where Anger placed second in his heat behind Erik Valnes.

“I was switching lanes and trying to put my ski back into the track but missed slightly, which caused a skate step. It’s a shame to get a yellow card for that,” said the 22-year-old.

Impacts the Rest of the Season

Now Anger is furious, as the yellow card will have significant consequences for the rest of his season, especially at the World Championships in Trondheim.

“It has huge repercussions because if I get another yellow card, I’ll be disqualified. That’s something I now have to constantly think about,” Anger said.

The Swede feels the penalty is unfair and believes the jury should have taken a closer look at the situation.

“I got really annoyed when I saw it yesterday. It’s harsh to give a yellow card for something like that. If they had looked closely, they’d see I didn’t do it on purpose,” Anger said.

After the quarterfinal, where he received the yellow card, Anger went on to win both the semifinal and the final, beating Ansgar Evensen. Erik Valnes finished third, with Even Northug in fourth place.

Edvin Anger is currently third overall in the World Cup standings and leads the U23 World Cup by nearly 250 points.

Next weekend, three World Cup races await in Engadin, where Norway is expected to field a top team once again.

Read More: Cross-Country World Cup standings after Les Rousses