While the American men missed their personal marks in Wednesday's 15 k freestyle at World Championships, some, like Kyle Bratrud, were more satisfied with their performances than others.
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Alex Kochon
Alex Kochon (alexkochon@gmail.com) is a former FasterSkier editor and roving reporter who never really lost touch with the nordic scene. A freelance writer, editor, and outdoor-loving mom of two, she lives in northeastern New York and enjoys adventuring in the Adirondacks. She shares her passion for sports and recreation as the co-founder of "Ride On! Mountain Bike Trail Guide" and a sales and content contributor at Curated.com. When she's not skiing or chasing her kids around, Alex assists authors as a production and marketing coordinator for iPub Global Connection.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rydzek Realizes Every Child’s Dream as Nordic Combined World Champ; Taylor Fletcher Leads U.S. in 19th
Alex KochonFebruary 20, 2015
In the first nordic-combined competition of World Championships, Germany's Johannes Rydzek had some of the best timing all day, attacking late to drop his lone rival before the finish: Italy's Alessandro Pittin. The U.S. saw top-20 jumps from Billy Demong and Ben Berend, and Taylor Fletcher skied up from 25th to 19th.
Out of six U.S. Ski Team members who advanced to the heats in Thursday's World Championships classic sprint, Sophie Caldwell and Simi Hamilton went the farthest, making it to the semifinals before finishing 10th and 12th, respectively. Andy Newell placed 17th and rookie Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess led his quarterfinal at one point before ending up 30th overall. Sadie Bjornsen was 19th and Ida Sargent placed 29th.
Bjørgen Seizes First Win of 2015 Worlds, Holds Off Sweden’s Nilsson in Classic Sprint
Alex KochonFebruary 19, 2015
Marit Bjørgen overcame the spectator roars for Sweden's Stina Nilsson to hold off the home-crowd favorite by 0.42 seconds in the women's classic-sprint final on the first official day of 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. Bjørgen captured her 13th World Championships gold, Nilsson notched silver and Norway's Maiken Caspersen Falla took bronze.
Caldwell Leads Four North American Women Into Heats in World Champs Sprint Opener
Alex KochonFebruary 19, 2015
Four North American women advanced to the heats on the first day of medal competition at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, with American Sophie Caldwell leading the crew in 21st in Thursday’s classic-sprint qualifier. Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk won the qualifier by 0.24 seconds, and Kikkan Randall missed advancing by 3.22 seconds in 36th.
Argentina’s Lannes, Now Boulder Nordic Junior Coach, Readies for His Last World Champs
Alex KochonFebruary 18, 2015
Born in Argentina, Carlos Lannes took advantage of every opportunity he could to get on snow before moving to Spain after his teenage years to pursue an international career of competitive racing. He went on to compete at the 2010 Olympics and is entering his fourth-and-final World Championships.
Krogh Comes Up Big with Second-Straight Win, First Distance Victory in Östersund World Cup
Alex KochonFebruary 15, 2015
Finn Hågen Krogh is trying to make a case for himself to race at World Championships, and he did about all anyone could ask on Saturday and Sunday, winning the last two races before the 2015 World Championships begin in Falun, Sweden, later this week.
Canada’s Nishikawa Glad to Be Back on World Cup, 36th in 10 k; Babikov 49th and Somppi 69th
Alex KochonFebruary 15, 2015
It had been almost two months since Emily Nishikawa raced on the World Cup, yet the 25-year-old Canadian National Development Team skier picked up essentially where she left off, collecting her second-best result of the season on Sunday in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle in Östersund, Sweden. “It was great to get racing on the World Cup again today,” Nishikawa wrote in an email after placing 36th in Sunday’s race. “My goals for today were just...
Germany's Arnd Peiffer started late and finished faster than anyone else to win the men's 10 k sprint on the second day of IBU World Cup racing at Holmenkollen, and Nathan Smith and Leif Nordgren hit 95 percent of their targets to finish in the top 30 on Saturday.
Crawford 13th for Canada; Dreissigacker Cleans for Career-Best 16th in Holmenkollen Sprint
Alex KochonFebruary 14, 2015
Belarusian Darya Domracheva took the overall IBU World Cup leader's bib from Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen with a 14.3-second win in Saturday's sprint, and Rosanna Crawford finished 1.6 seconds out of 10th in 13th for Canada. American Hannah Dreissigacker had her best result of the season in 16th with perfect shooting.
Another First for Smith: 12th with 19-for-20 Shooting in Holmenkollen 20 k; Nordgren Notches 20th
Alex KochonFebruary 13, 2015
Nathan Smith shot 19-for-20 for the first time in a 20 k individual race to place 12th on Thursday, and Leif Nordgren did the same to finish 20th, which stood as career-best 20 k results for both. France's Martin Fourcade won the race with perfect shooting, and the top-three men all cleaned.
Mäkäräinen Wins Holmenkollen Individual by More Than a Minute; Dunklee 11th, Heinicke 12th
Alex KochonFebruary 12, 2015
Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen shot 20-for-20 for the first time to win a 15 k, and Canada's Megan Heinicke and Audrey Vaillancourt cleaned as well to place 12th and 30th, respectively. It was Heinicke's fourth top-15 of the season and Vaillancourt's career best, and American Susan Dunklee raced to 11th overall.
Fourth No More, Soule Up to Third Overall in IPC World Cup with Five Medals at World Champs
Alex KochonFebruary 12, 2015
With five medals already in his possession before the last day of IPC World Championships in Cable, Wis., American Andy Soule didn't have to ski the standing, skate course in the mixed relay -- but he wanted to. Not only did it show him what he was capable of, but it allowed "a lot of people to see exactly what is possible for a sit skier, too,” Soule, IPC Athlete of the Month, said last week.