On the penultimate day of the Milano Cortina Olympics, the men's 50 km mass start classical race in cross-country skiing is set to take place. Estonians Alvar Johannes Alev and Martin Himma will compete, with Norwegian skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo seeking his sixth gold medal in these Games. Postimees will provide live coverage of the race starting at noon.

In the lead-up to the race, Alev expressed his high expectations, stating that he is not aiming for just a 25th place finish. He has had an agreement with his coach for years about wanting to achieve significant results, emphasizing the intense training he has undertaken to meet those goals. Specifically, Alev wants to finish in the top ten, citing a previous near-miss at the German World Cup event, where he fell short by just seven seconds. After placing 19th at last year's World Championships in Trondheim while coping with illness, he considers that his absolute minimum result.

Alev's recent training performances have not been encouraging, particularly his disappointing results in preliminary distances, leaving him frustrated after a poor showing in the opening leg of the relay. He described it as "catastrophic" and expressed disappointment over the outcome, which has added pressure on him as he heads into such a critical event. Alev's desire is to capitalize on his hard work and achieve a performance that reflects his dedication and preparation, while the anticipation builds for the Olympic showdown in the men’s 50 km race.