Nordic Nation: Wadsworth’s Two Cents on Period 1

In this episode of Nordic Nation, we review November and December racing on the World Cup with Justin Wadsworth.  

A former U.S. Olympian and coach as well as Canadian head coach, Wadsworth will be doing on-air commentary during the 2018 Olympics for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

This season, there’s much to discuss with Wadsworth.

Ten races into the World Cup, the racing so far has seen an unsettled women’s side and a lopsided men’s field. Charlotte Kalla has renewed the premise that Sweden can produce a formidable nordic-ski powerhouse as she leads the overall World Cup standings by 98 points over a quartet of Norwegians — specifically, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, Heidi Weng, Marit Bjørgen and Ragnhild Haga, respectively. Americans Jessie Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen follow in sixth and eighth.

Kalla remains a beacon of blue-and-yellow Swedish hope as she won the Ruka Triple, the Lillehammer skiathlon, and the 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Toblach.

On the men’s side, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is the story. The upstart Norwegian has entered eight races and won seven — a record number of races won by a male World Cup skier before Jan. 1. Early on, it appears to be Klæbo’s Crystal Globe to lose in a season where it might just be in with the new and out with the old.

Yup, the Tour de Ski is about to begin on Saturday, Dec. 30, time to brush up on what went down during World Cup Period 1.

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