Gabby Naranja – Page 7

Classic Combo: Bronze for Bjornsen & Diggins; Gold for Norway in World Champs Team Sprint

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 26, 2017

LAHTI, Finland — Statistically speaking, most might have bet on the Swede — particularly if it came down to a lunge to the line. After all, that’s how Sweden’s Stina Nilsson 2017 sprint world champion Maiken Caspersen Falla. On two other occasions, Nilsson has skate sprinted to the win in a photo finish — once during freestyle sprint in Falun, Sweden. Perhaps most memorably, it’s also how the Swede gold at the 2013 World Championships in Val...

General News Racing

Sundby Stumbles, Ustiugov Surges to Win Lahti Skiathlon; Harvey 5th

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 25, 2017

LAHTI, Finland — A collective gasp fell through the stands. Flags bearing Norway’s iconic red, blue and white symbol, previously waving, went limp. With half a kilometer left in the men’s 30 k skiathlon at the 2017 Nordic World Championships in Lahti, Norway’s race favorite Martin Johnsrud Sundby had fallen. A half a second earlier on Saturday, the Norwegian’s shot at the win was still within sight. He and Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov had broken away from the...

Interviews Multimedia News US Ski Team Video

After The Medals: Video Interviews with Silver and Bronze Medalists Diggins & Randall

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 24, 2017

LAHTI, Finland — FasterSkier had an opportunity to interview Women |

Canadian National Ski Team News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Finally a World Champion: Pellegrino Comes Up Big in Lahti Sprint

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 23, 2017

LAHTI, Finland — Up until the final 100 meters of Thursday’s race, it looked as if the 2017 Nordic World Championships sprint title belonged to Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov. In fact, Ustiugov had won the qualifier in a time of 3:11.72 minutes, a commanding 2.7 seconds over Norway’s Finn Hågen Krogh. The Russian reigning Tour de Ski champion placed second in his quarterfinal by a mere 0.19 seconds. He was second again in his semifinal in a three-way...

General Multimedia News Photo Gallery Racing World Cup

Lahti Qualifiers, Press Conferences, Pre-Sprint Stats, and Photos

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 22, 2017

LAHTI, Finland — Yesterday’s lick of blue sky winter sun was fleeting, as Lahti woke to overcast skies and buzz that new snow was imminent. Race time temps hovered around 24 degrees Fahrenheit, but with 78-percent humidity and a brisk wind — some would say ripping — blowing out of the west, it felt wind-brief cold. Wednesday’s kickoff events were an opportunity for volunteers, camera crews and even hundreds of local Finnish school children who...

General News Para Nordic Racing

Golden Biathlon Breakthrough for Masters, Second Gold for Arendz and McKeever of 2017 IPC World Champs

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 21, 2017

The 2017 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Nordic Skiing World Championships concluded this past weekend Feb. 18-19 in Finsterau, Germany with a biathlon sprint and a middle-distance cross-country event. Claiming their second gold medals of the week were Oksana Masters, of the U.S., and Canada’s Mark Arendz. Race recap and results below. *** The U.S. Paralympics Nordic Team’s Oksana Masters is plenty used to winning cross-country events. She ended last season undefeated in every cross-country race and...

General News Para Nordic Racing

Another Gold for Masters; Historic Relay Medal for Canada; McKeever Wins 20 k at IPC World Champs

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 17, 2017

After a rest day, Paralympic athletes returned to the nordic venue in Finsterau, Germany, for Days 3, 4, and 5 of the 2017 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Nordic Skiing Championships. Long-distance biathlon races took place Tuesday, cross-country relays on Wednesday and individual cross-country races on Thursday. *** At the finish of Tuesday’s 15-kilometer individual biathlon race, Canada’s Mark Arendz could only think about one thing: his miss. But later, with his Canadian Para-Nordic Skiing press release. “But...

Interviews News Racing

Masters Claims First IPC World Champs Title, Second Time Around for Arendz, Silver for Soule (Updated)

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 14, 2017

The 2017 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Nordic Skiing Championships kicked off Saturday, Feb. 11, in Finsterau, Germany. Day 1 included middle-distance biathlon events for both genders, with Canada’s Mark Arendz earning his second-career IPC World Championships title. On Day 2, both genders competed in a cross-country sprint, where American Oksana Masters raced to her first world title and her U.S. Paralympics Nordic teammate Andy Soule claimed silver. Complete results and race recap below. *** There’s no better way to start...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Sargent Edges Stephen for 3rd; Sweden Tops PyeongChang Team Sprint

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 5, 2017

It was a sprint course that catered to climbers. For those tuning into the televised event, it might have even been mistaken as a final-stage climb, with two back-to-back, 20-meter-long uphills taking most of the competition screen time. Maybe that’s why during all three of her legs in Sunday’s 6 x 1.4-kilometer freestyle team sprint, American distance specialist Liz Stephen stole the front-runner spotlight. Even with the shallower World Cup field competing in PyeongChang, South...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Stephen Back on Podium in 2nd, Patterson 4th in PyeongChang Skiathlon

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 4, 2017

Multiple race warmup and cool downs, managing hydration and caloric intake, moving at her max sprinting speed — more than once. It’s not often that American Liz Stephen feels the lingering effects of a World Cup sprint day. Her most recent memory was three years ago, when she qualified 22nd in Szklarska Poreba, Poland. But this weekend’s three-day competition series in PyeongChang, South Korea, challenged the distance specialist once again. With a smaller World Cup...

General Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Win No. 105 for Bjørgen; U.S. Put 4 in Top 30 in Falun 15 k Classic

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 29, 2017

*Note: this article has been updated to include comments from U.S. women’s head coach Matt Whitcomb as of Monday, Jan. 30. After sealing her 105th individual World Cup victory on Sunday, and her yesterday’s sprint winner — and Finland’s Krista Pärmäkoski. Also within firing range was American Jessie Diggins, skiing in seventh, along with Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen and Maiken Caspersen Falla, and Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla. However, within another four kilometers, the Norwegians had broken away, a close...

General News Other Racing

Need for U.S. Technical Delegates Rises as Current TDs Approach Retirement

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 26, 2017

At Norway’s 2015/2016 season-opening International Ski Federation (FIS) weekend, defending World Champion Martin Johnsrud Sundby was in for a surprise. The final starter to hit the deteriorating tracks in the 15-kilometer classic individual start, the Norwegian initially posted the fastest overall time, only to later be an obstruction of competition“, switching lanes before completely clearing his competitor’s skis. While being the athlete in either of the above situations is never easy, difficult too is the position of technical delegates (TD) who...

News Racing World Cup

A Maple-Leaf ‘Miracle’, Canada Races to Historic 3rd Place in Ulricehamn Relay

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 22, 2017

Looking up from the finish line on Sunday, Canada’s Len Valjas saw something he would never forget. Amidst a sea of waving Swedish flags, a trio of men ran toward him. Their arms were outstretched and a chorus of cheers escaped all three as they charged toward their teammate. Just a week ago, Valjas had celebrated his Johnsgaard, of Canada’s U25 Team, maintained his position within the middle of the lead pack. “Alex tagged me off...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

After Five Weeks Away, Bjørgen Back on Top in Ulricehamn; Four Americans in Top 25

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 22, 2017

There are a lot of things Marit Bjørgen is not. She is not the only woman on Norway’s national team who knows how to win. She is not in the early stages of her cross-country career — her first World Cup debut came in December 1999. In comparison to many of her Norwegian teammates, she is not young. The average age of Norway’s women competing in Saturday’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Ulricehamn, Sweden, (Bjørgen not included)...

Canadian National Ski Team Continental Cup General News Racing US Nationals

Cockney Leads ‘North of the Border’ U.S. Nats Prologue Podium

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 13, 2017

MIDWAY, Utah. — Most were swallowed in seconds, the steady stream of snowflakes on Thursday serving a magician-like purpose: a curtain of snow through which the first five starters all appeared, only to disappear once again. All except one. A speck of red bobbing through the Soldier Hollow’s (SoHo) new sprint course, sporting bib 5 and the Canadian national team suit, Jess Cockney did not go unseen. The 27-year-old member of Canada’s World Cup B-team lost nothing to...

Continental Cup News Racing US Nationals

Wasting No Time, Holmes Works Hills Hard for 20 k Title

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 11, 2017

MIDWAY, Utah. — As she headed up Soldier Hollow’s infamous Hermod’s Hill for her fifth and final time, there wasn’t another skier in sight. At least none of the ones she started with. Chelsea Holmes, of Alaska Pacific University (APU), was fine with that. She never liked sprints to the finish, and on Tuesday, Holmes would have it her way. Of course, there was still the possibility that she would slip and skid to a...

General News Racing US Nationals

Bender Bags Another Classic Sprint Title, ‘What I Really Wanted to Do Here’

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 9, 2017

MIDWAY, Utah — There was a dampness in the room, and an odor that clung to the walls like plastic. Yet athletes continued to enter, with one after another pulling open the doors to the Soldier Hollow venue (SoHo) volunteer building. Once inside, many made a beeline for the race committee’s makeshift front desk. Race bibs and start lists, however, were not what they sought. Close to an hour had passed since the final female...

Continental Cup General News

Up and Over, Gregg Gets Going At U.S. Nationals with 10 k Skate Win

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 8, 2017

MIDWAY, Utah — With four grueling uphills per lap, the new U.S. Cross Country Championships women’s 10-kilometer nine years. Maybe flats are easier to find on Gregg’s Twin City turf than the hills that abound in SoHo. But the 36 year old still considers herself a climber. Gregg proved a point after she won by 2.2 seconds in the women’s 10 k freestyle on Saturday, the first day of nationals: put a hill, any hill, in front of her and...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

A New Dawn for Diggins: Learning to ‘Do it for myself’

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 5, 2017

A little more than four years ago, a group of women clad in all black race suits and bib 3 huddled in an athlete warming room. The muffled voice of an announcer speaking in Swedish could be heard broadcasting outside, an English translation relaying the same message: 10 minutes to start. The quartet departed the building, four blondes — one highlighted pink — headed for the start gate. A pass through a patch of sunlight revealed a second...

General Racing

Ustiugov Continues to Sweep; Harvey Clings to 3rd in Stage 4 Pursuit

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 4, 2017

Could Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov be the first cross-country skier to perform a seven-stage sweep? He’s certainly well on his way, after collecting his fourth Tour de Ski win in a row on Wednesday in the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle pursuit in Oberstdorf, Germany. Ustiugov’s four-stage streak alone is unprecedented. Until this year, no other nordic skier in the International Ski Federation (FIS) has been able to complete such a feat during the Tour. Not even Norway’s defending overall World...

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