Norway claimed its seventh gold and eighth medal in 9 World Championship races, skiing away to a clear win in the 4x7.5k relay as Biathlon World Championships continued.
Kowalczyk Dominates Davos Sprint, Back in Form Just in Time
Topher SabotFebruary 16, 2013
Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) skied away to victory, dominating each of her heats and displaying top form with World Championships just around the corner. Marit Bjørgen (NOR) was second and Anne Kylloenen (FIN) took third.
After falling ill with food poisoning for the second time in a month, Devon Kershaw was unable to bring his A-game to the team sprint in Sochi, Russia. He and teammate Lenny Valjas placed 11th.
The U.S. team of Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton had a strong day in Sochi, winning their team sprint semi-final, before just missing out on 4th place after a late crash.
Dario Cologna earned his first win of the season, besting a strong group of Russians on the 2014 Olympic skiathlon course.
Harvey Shows Improvement, Won’t Race in Sochi
Topher SabotFebruary 1, 2013
The prognosis is good for Alex Harvey after a shoulder dislocation, but he will still skip the remaining Sochi World Cup races.
Devon Kershaw skied to his best result of the 2013 season, placing 8th in the freestyle sprint. On the Canadian women's side, Dasha Gaiazova placed 12th, a season-best in a skate sprint.
Martin Fourcade led team France to victory, besting Russian Dmitry Malyshko in the final leg of the men's 4x7.5km relay. Austria placed third, and the U.S. 12th.
Strong Skiing and Solid Shooting lead German Women to Biathlon Relay Victory, Americans Season-Best 10th
Topher SabotJanuary 20, 2013
The German women skied away form Russia at the end of the women's 4x6km biathlon relay for the win with France taking third. The U.S. team placed 10th and Canada 11th.
Iverson and Brennan Take Stage 1 of Tour de Twin Cities
Topher SabotJanuary 19, 2013
Note: This article has been updated. The SuperTour is back and the Tour de Twin Cities underway. Rosie Brennan and Mark Iverson won the first stage in Minneapolis, taking the top spots in the 5/10k individual start skate.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) used a superior finishing kick to overtake Alexander Bessmertnykh (RUS) at the line and claim victory in the 15km classic mass start in La Clusaz, France. Dario Cologna (SUI) was third and a surprising Didrik Toenseth (NOR) finished fourth.
Russian Nikolay Morilov used impressive closing speed to secure victory in the freestyle Team Sprint in Liberec. Norway I and Russia II crossed in second and third in a tight race that featured little action for the bulk of the six legs.
Flying High, Babikov 2nd on Final Climb to Wrap Successful Canadian Tour
Topher SabotJanuary 6, 2013
Ivan Babikov posted the second fastest time of the day while skiing up to 7th in the overall Tour de Ski. Babikov ended the Tour with his highest overall result, and a string of personal bests. Teammate Devon Kershaw finally showed strong form and Lenny Valjas ended his own successful Tour well within the points.
Three stages remain in the 2013 Tour de Ski, including the grueling Final Climb up Alpe Cermis, but three-time defending champion Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) overcame what may have been her biggest challenge of the seven race event. She held off an impressive Charlotte Kalla (SWE) to keep the top position with just three races remaining.
Canadian Men Continue Improvement as Home Snow Beckons
Topher SabotDecember 2, 2012
Showing signs of emerging from a slow start to the season, the Canadian men placed their big three of Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey and Ivan Babikov in the the top-30 for the first time this season, just in time for the trip home to Canada.
Marit Bjørgen (NOR) continued to show excellent early-season form, skiing away from the field in the final of the classic sprint in Kuusamo, Finland. Russians Evgenia Shapovalova and Anastasia Dotsenko rounded out the podium.
Canadian Chandra Crawford wrapped up her pre-season tune-up in fine form, placing second to fellow World Cup sprint star Ida Ingemarsdotter (SWE) in the Bruksvallarna, Sweden skate sprint. Crawford qualified in 7th, three seconds down on Stina Nilsson (SWE) before placing second to Katja Visnar (SLO) in the first quarterfinal, in the process bumping teammate Dasha Gaiazova, who was third in that heat. In the semis, Crawford returned the favor, besting Visnar as both women...
Elliott Takes Over Castle Crown, Bests O’Brien
Topher SabotSeptember 15, 2012
FasterSkier would like to thank the last summer when he nearly bested Canadian National Team Biathlete Marc-Andre Bedard in the grueling Spartan Beast Race in Killington, Vt. — though Bedard got the win when Dorais doubled back on the course to tackle several missed obstacles. However, one should not expect Dorais to round out a World Championship relay team any time soon. While his performance is still impressive impressive, the 34-year-old was aided by quick rolling...
After a one-year hiatus, the Russian Sprint Tour is back, bringing a unique combination of events to elite spring ski racing. First held in 2007, the event has twice been won by Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) and Emil Joensson (SWE), and has often featured a number of top World Cup skiers. The 2012 edition consisted of two days of racing in Yugorsk, a small city of 35,000 on the western edge of Siberia. After the 2011...
While both Kikkan Randall and Andy Newell are currently in Craftsbury, Vt., for SuperTour Finals, just a few days ago they were mixing it up in the skier-cross style event that is Red Bull NordiX, in Oslo, Norway. Randall and Newell stayed on in Europe at the conclusion of World Cup Finals just over a week ago to take part in several additional events, wrapping up with the first Red Bull NordiX to be held...