KUUSAMO, Finland (Dec. 1) – Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT), sidestepping high-speed trouble, picked off his first World Cup top-5 of the season Saturday, finishing fourth in a 1.2K classic technique sprint.
“I'm happy, but it was just one of those days where I felt good enough and should have been on the podium. It's one thing to get fourth and you feel you could've been 15th, but today I should've been on the podium,” the no-excuses Vermonter said.
</font></center></p><p>Johan Kjoelstad of Norway led the six-man final heat for the third win of his career with Newell not far behind. Newell survived a tricky moment on the final uphill, he said, as two skiers – tired from charging the hill in the prologue and a couple of finals heats – blocked his way. Newell changed lanes twice, but he lost time on the three leaders.</p><p>“I almost went into the woods on the downhill. I was taking a very aggressive line around a fast corner, trying to lock into the track on the corner and the G forces almost threw me into the woods,” he said. “Overall, I'd give myself an A-minus for the day. I'm feeling strong, feeling like my classic sprinting is where it needs to be.”</p><p>Said Kjoelstad, “It was an amazing day! My last time on the podium was in Nove Mesto 2005 — so today is like my birthday. I was not so fast at the start and in the uphill I was just skiing behind Emil, I had a good speed there and saw that Emil was getting tired. I will be going to Rybinsk and then my dream is to ski the Tour de Ski. If I couldn’t manage the qualification I will try to be in top shape for the races in Canada.”</p></div><div class=)
(Photo Credit: Fischer Skis)</font></center></p><p>Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA), coming back from a cold which slowed him throughout the week, was 22nd. </p><p>Petra Majdic of Slovenia won the women's sprint ahead of Astrid Jacobsen, Norway's sprint world champion. Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK) was 16th. </p><p>“I was running in the today’s race for my aunt Maria,” said Majdic. “She passed away two days ago — I dedicate this victory to her. It was a perfect race for me. The qualification didn’t go well, it was very slippery. But afterwards I started to wake up and raced better and better during the heats. In the Final I used the same tactics as last year – I started behind and I didn’t push too hard before the final climb – then I attacked.” </p><p><center><img decoding=)
 (Photo Credit: Fischer Skis)</font></center></p><p>“It was a pretty good day,” Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. “Andy got stuck behind a couple of dudes at a key moment on that last uphill, but he skied well. Kikkan skied well, too, and for being sick most of the week, Torin skied 98 percent of really well and then died. But Torin laid it out there, and for someone only a little while out of bed, it was an outstanding effort.”</p><p>The men have a 15K CL race Sunday while the women face a 10K event.</p><p>Related on FasterSkier:<br />
<a href=http://www.fasterskier.com/racing4782.html)
Newell 4th, Randall 16th in World Cup Sprint</font></center></p></div></div></div><div class=)