In what has become the norm, the Norweigan men's team dominated the World Cup classic sprint in Stockholm, Sweden. Taking places 1,2,4,6,8,9 Norway combined with host Sweden to take 9 of the top 10 spots.
Jens Arne Svartedal won the event after qualifying in 29th. Boerre Naess, the top qualifier, was second and Emil Joensson gave the hometown fans something to cheer about with his third place finish.
Cyril Miranda of France was the only non-Scandinavian to crack the top 10, finishing 5th.
Torin Koos was the only American or Canadian to crack the top 30. Koos qualified in 20th, but was knocked out in his quarterfinal, finishing 29th on the day.
“Unfortunately, it was a really bad day,” said U.S. Ski Team Sprint Coach Chris Grover. “Kikkan did not have any energy. Andy fell in qualification, and still almost made it in. Torin made it in, but was in the fastest quarterfinal of the day, and couldn't hang on during the final uphill climb to the finish.”
The Royal Palace Sprint is an annual event where snow is placed around the Royal Palace in downtown Stockholm with thousands of spectators lining the streets for the classic technique sprint. It had been persistently raining in Stockholm. Without enough cold to stiffen the snow overnight, athletes were left to ski in less than desirable conditions.
Read coverage of the qualification round, including additional North American results:
Koos, Crawford Advance to Heats in Stockholm Sprint
Read a brief account from Andy Newell and see photos (that snow was dirty!!) on his blog:
blogs.fasterskier.com/andynewell
