Sigge’s P’ayak Cancelled Because of Low Snow
BrainspiralFebruary 25, 2015
Home2015
2015 February
Diggins, Gregg React to Historic Double Podium in Falun; U.S. Lands Four in Top 15
Lander KarathFebruary 24, 2015
Americans Jessie Diggins and Caitlin Gregg discuss how they were able to take advantage of the opportunities in Tuesday's 10 k freestyle individual start at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The USST also boasted a day where all of its four starters landed in the top 15 with Liz Stephen in 10th and Kikkan Randall in 15th.
Kalla Untouchable in Snowy World Champs 10 k; Diggins and Gregg Surprise with U.S. Double Podium
Alex KochonFebruary 24, 2015
Charlotte Kalla made for a happy local crowd on Tuesday with a 41-second win in the 10 k freestyle at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. Two Americans joined her on the podium for a historic first in a women's distance race at a World Championships: Jessie Diggins in second and Caitlin Gregg in third.
Nishikawa Cracks Top 30 in Falun 10 k, Jones Tallies Another Distance Best in Last Race
Alex KochonFebruary 24, 2015
With the pressure off, the Canadian women posted some career-best performances on Tuesday in the 10-kilometer freestyle individual start at 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Emily Nishikawa took 30th, and Perianne Jones placed 32nd in what she said would probably be her final international race.
FasterSkier sat down with Alex Harvey on Monday to talk about the two medals he's racked up in his two races so far at 2015 World Championships, and what they mean to him and for Canadian cross-country skiing.
Notes, Quotes and Photos: Pursuit Day at IBU World Youth & Junior Championships
Chelsea LittleFebruary 23, 2015
In a busy day outside of Minsk, Belarus, Sean Doherty finished 11th for the U.S. in the junior men's pursuit, followed by Canada's Aidan Millar in 14th; Millar's teammate Pearce Hanna placed 13th in the youth men's race. We caught up with nine different North American competitors, plus have a gallery of photos by Jake Ellingson and Jane Robertson to share.
Finn Hågen Krogh and Petter Northug teamed up for Northug's second gold in three races at 2015 World Championships, winning Sunday's team sprint by more than five seconds over the Russian defending champs and Italy. Northug now has gold in every World Championships discipline.
The U.S. Ski Team finished Sunday's team sprint in the middle of the pack, as the defending world championship team of Sophie Caldwell and Jessie Diggins skied to eighth and the American men's team of Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton notched seventh.
Cockney, Valjas Miss Falun Team-Sprint Final by Just Over a Second for 13th
Alex KochonFebruary 22, 2015
The Canadians placed seventh in the second men's semifinal at 2015 World Championships on Sunday, missing out on a spot in the final and placing 13th overall. “Everything worked to plan, it was just we were a little bit too far back, a second or two," anchor Lenny Valjas said.
No Bjørgen? No Problem as Norway’s Østberg, Falla Take World Champs Team Sprint Title
Alex KochonFebruary 22, 2015
Longtime friends and teammates Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and Maiken Caspersen Falla, of Norway, were out for some redemption after their fourth-place finish in the 2013 World Championships team sprint, and they got it with a sizeable win over Sweden's Ida Ingemarsdotter and Stina Nilsson, while Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk and Sylwia Jaśkowiec were thrilled with bronze.
Brooks Wins Second Birkie; Bonaldi Takes Men’s Race in Dramatic Finish
Colin GaiserFebruary 21, 2015
The 2015 American Birkebeiner 51 k freestyle marathon on Saturday offered no shortage of excitement, as Italy's Segio Bonaldi outsprinted three French skiers to win his second Birkie by half a second. American Holly Brooks used a hard push in the final kilometers to collect her second Birkie title as well.
Harvey Does It Again with Skiathlon Bronze, Second Medal of 2015 World Champs
Alex KochonFebruary 21, 2015
Alex Harvey approached Saturday's 30 k skiathlon with a winning mindset and came out with bronze, his second medal in as many races so far at 2015 World Championships. "A medal today is as good as gold," Canadian National Team Coach Justin Wadsworth says, "We couldn’t want anything more." Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin outlasted Switzerland's Dario Cologna for his first world title.
Johaug Powers to Skiathlon Victory as Jacobsen and Kalla Battle for Second in Falun
Lander KarathFebruary 21, 2015
When Norwegian Therese Johaug threw down the hammer on Mördarbacken, a.k.a. "murder-hill", in the last lap of the women's 15 k skiathlon there was no hope for the rest of the competition. Using the hill to her advantage, Johaug skied to a World Championships gold ahead of teammate Astrid Jacobsen and Charlotte Kalla of Sweden.
Stephen Leads North Americans in 11th in World Champs Skiathlon Despite Fatigue
Lander KarathFebruary 21, 2015
Liz Stephen was the top North American in Saturday's 15 k skiathlon after she raced to 11th behind winner Therese Johaug. She said the result was unexpected given remaining fatigue from the prior week's training.
Bjornsen Busts Out Season-Best Distance Result in 28th at World Champs, Top U.S. Man in Skiathlon
Alex KochonFebruary 21, 2015
Erik Bjornsen of the U.S. Ski Team and Alaska Pacific University notched his best-distance result of the season on Saturday in his first race of 2015 World Championships. He led the U.S. men in 28th in the skiathlon, while Noah Hoffman placed 44th, Kris Freeman was 48th and Matt Gelso finished 54th.
Oh So Close for Norwegian Rookie Tønseth
Inge ScheveFebruary 21, 2015
FasterSkier’s coverage of the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, is brought to you by the generous support of Kikkan Randall training wear. Norway’s Didrik Tønseth was looking at a podium finish in his very first FIS Nordic World Ski Championships event. Now he’s looking at doing more pushups. Twenty-three-year-old rookie Tønseth was leading for part of the way in the men’s 30-kilometer skiathlon on Saturday. “I was thinking that, ‘This is it. I’m...
U.S. Taps Caldwell, Diggins for Team Sprint; Randall ‘Playing it day by day’
Lander KarathFebruary 21, 2015
The start lists are out and it's official: Sophie Caldwell and Jessie Diggins will be representing the U.S. women in Sunday's freestyle team sprint at World Championships. While it was a tough decision to leave Kikkan Randall off the team, U.S. head coach Chris Grover explains the reasoning behind it.
Conway, New Hampshire, might not be surprised that yet again, Sean Doherty is bringing home a medal in his luggage from a major international competition. But after two years of winning at the youth level, making the podium as a junior is still a big accomplishment. Doherty starts Sunday's pursuit ten seconds out of first place.
Aidan Millar Posts Career-Best with Eighth in World Juniors Sprint; First Canadian Top-10
Chelsea LittleFebruary 21, 2015
Stepping up from youth to junior racing is supposed to be hard - but in doing so, Canmore's Aidan Millar turned in his best result ever in international championship racing. "I’m finding it hard to believe that I was actually able to get that result," he wrote of finishing 8th in the 10 k sprint in Belarus.
What Silver Means for Canada: High-Performance Director Holland Explains
BrainspiralFebruary 21, 2015
A day after Alex Harvey rose to silver in the men's classic sprint on the first official day of 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden, Cross Country Canada Athlete Director Colin Abbott caught up with high-performance director Tom Holland about the significance of silver.