OBERSTDORF, Germany (Feb. 24) – Norway defended its men's 4x10K relay title Thursday at the World Nordic Ski Championships, but Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) looked as though he was finally ready to chuck whatever has kept him mired this season in the worst slump of his career as he had the U.S. Ski Team in fifth place most of the first leg. The American men finally finished 11th in the 17-team field.
“I'm not all the way back yet,” Freeman said, “but there was some redemption in today's race.”
Norway won in 1:39.04.4 with Germany taking the silver medal (1:39.22.1), thanks to a final surge from Axel Teichmann – who was in fourth place, nearly 40 seconds away from a medal to start the final 10Ks. Russia was bronze medalist in 1:39.23.1 while the U.S. foursome finished in 1:43.22.2. Andrew Johnson (Greensboro, VT) was fifth-fastest on the third leg, the first skating leg.
“It was a really encouraging race all around, no question,” said Coach Pete Vordenberg. “Kris skied a great first leg, especially compared to the rest of how his season had gone – it's a total sign he's coming back, skiing like the Kris Freeman we know; no reason to panic…and then Dave [Chamberlain – Bethel, ME] laid it all on the line; he was awesome against some of the toughest guys out there – [France's Vincent] Vittoz [the Worlds pursuit gold medalist] and [Austrian Mikhail] Botvinov, [Russian Vassili] Rotchev [the sprint champion], [Italy's Fulvio] Valbusa [15K freestyle silver medalist]…”
Freeman, whose fifth – and sixth-place finishes a year ago were the best by a U.S. skier in more than two decades, has struggled this winter, but was encouraged with his solid opening 10K (classic technique) leg. “I started really conservative, trying to use the draft as much as I could to keep my legs straight because I've just been lactating up like anything,” Freeman said. “I think it's some kind of muscular virus that just saps all the storage I have in my muscles. I don't know when it's going to pass but hopefully it does; it feels like it's getting better.
