Andy Newell led the US men’s team in 22nd after a crashing Swiss skier ended any hope of advancing out of the quarterfinals. Newell stayed on his feet with impressive acrobatics as Eligius Tombonino came sliding in on a tough left hand corner in Szklarska Poreba, Poland. Newell qualified in an uncharacteristic 26th, just making it through to the heats despite almost catching Emil Joensson (SWE), one of the world’s best sprinters. “I felt good...
School was in session on Saturday in Szklarska Poreba, Poland with Nikolay Morilov (RUS) conducting class. Unfortunately for him, the lesson was of the classic “learn from my mistakes” variety. Morilov, currently ranked third in the Sprint Cup, made a bold move over the top of the lone climb on the 1.6km sprint course, opening a large gap in the skate event. Appeared headed for career-victory number two, Morilov pulled up early to celebrate, only...
Ida Ingemarsdotter (SWE) bided her time, letting Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR) lead the final in the skate sprint in Szklarska Poreba, Poland before using a strong finish to take her second victory of the season. The trail to the top of the podium was hardly easy, packed with star power despite the early exits of Marit Bjørgen (NOR) and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL). In addition to Ingemarsdotter, Falla and Kikkan Randall, the final featured the always...
The US men’s team bounced back from a rough day in the 30k on Saturday for a solid performance in the 4x10km relay in Nové Město, Czech Republic. While finishing 12th out of 15 teams may not seem worth celebrating, especially on the heels of a fifth place result by the women’s squad, given the experience of the team, and the competition they matched up with, the day was better than the numbers demonstrated. Kris...
He may have failed in his attempt to win the Tour de Ski, couldn’t hang in the Marcialonga, and on Saturday, never factored into the 30k, placing 14th. But if there is one thing that Petter Northug can be counted on for, it is sprinting at the end of a mass start event. The men’s 4x10k relay was replete with attacks, counters, epic comebacks, and painful fades, but throughout it all it was hard to...
The Marit Bjørgen (NOR), Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), and Therese Johaug (NOR) show continued in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, as the three packed the podium once again, this time in the 15km classic mass start. The recipe is simple, and easily repeatable. Take the three women listed above, mix together well in any type of distance race format, add in a hearty shake of snow, and bake for 15 to 45 minutes. The result will be...
After a two month hiatus from World Cup racing, Johan Olsson (SWE) demonstrated a complete return to form, pushing the pace from the get-go in the 30km classic mass start in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, before countering a vicious attack from Dario Cologna (SUI), and riding fast skis to victory. Olsson couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2012 season. At the opening 15km skate in Sjusjoen, Norway, he skied to a convincing...
Jessie Diggins bounced back from a crash at the start of the 15km skiathlon in Rybinsk, Russia, continuing to roll on her first World Cup trip, placing 12th at the head of a strong chase group. Her US Ski Team (USST) teammates Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephen, both on the rebound from illness, placed 25th and 26th respectively. Holly Brooks continued her comeback from a broken wrist, placing 35th, while Ida Sargent was just behind...
With consecutive World Cup weekends of season best results, Kris Freeman has turned his year around after a challenging start. The top distance skier on the American men’s team cracked the top-15 for the first time this season, placing 13th in the 30km skiathlon in Rybinsk, Russia, finishing just 1.2 seconds out of the top-10 and 6.1 off the podium. The result came a day after placing 28th in the 15km mass start, a race...
Less than a month into her first World Cup season, the Jessie Diggins story-line has become old news. With a World Cup podium (in the Team Sprint) on her first weekend, and points in four of her first five individual races, Diggins has surpassed all reasonable expectations. And now after following up a finals appearance in the Moscow city sprint (a race in which she qualified first) with a stunning fifth place finish in the...
During the early part of the season, Marit Bjørgen (NOR) skied with a simple strategy—go fast from the start, gap the field, and win by a ridiculously large margin. But with some setbacks due to illness and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) rounding into form, a different approach became necessary. Bjørgen skied a more tactical race in Rybisnk, Russia, letting others drive the pace on a frigid day and attrition slowly whittle down the field. By the...
With frigid temperatures predicted for the weekend, the World Cup races in Rybinsk, Russia have been questionable all week, though current forecasts appear favorable. Earlier in the week, highs for the two-race set on Saturday and Sunday were forecast below the International Ski Federation (FIS) legal limit of -4F (-20C). But Weather Underground now posts a high of 0F for Saturday, warming from overnight lows of -11F, and a downright balmy high of 14F on...
Holly Brooks’ 2012 season was off to a magical start. Building on strong World Cup results at the end of the 2011 season, Brooks took advantage of the start rights provided by her SuperTour title the season before, quickly establishing herself as a consistent points threat in all formats and distances. Heading into the Christmas break, she had placed in the top-30 five times in nine individual starts, putting herself in good position in the...
In just his 12th career World Cup start, and on hallowed Norwegian snow, 23-year-old Russian Evgeniy Garanichev accomplished a feat many spend a career chasing. With clean shooting and fast skiing, Garanichev captured his first World Cup victory, bettering his second place two weeks ago in Antholz, Italy. With rare midwinter conditions gracing the World Cup for a change, skiing was fast, and shooting would be key in the 10km sprint event at the famed...
During the 2012 Tour de Ski, FasterSkier sat down with the head coach of the Swiss National Team, Guri Hetland. A native Norwegian, Hetland had 45 World Cup starts of her own between 1995 and 2001. She earned four top-10 results, all in sprints, but also scored World Cup points in seven distance races. Hetland was named head coach of the Swiss team in the fall of 2010, and is the only female head coach...
Back in her stronger skate technique, Caitlin Gregg (CXC) started fast and didn’t let up while skiing to victory in the second stage of the Tour de Twin Cities. Gregg, who finished third in Saturday’s 5km classic, posted a 17-second win over Chelsea Homes (SVSEF). Maria Stuber (CGRP) was third, another 17 seconds behind Holmes in the 10-kilometer race. Racing in her adopted hometown, Gregg lives just a few blocks from the race venue. “Knowing...
Two weeks after claiming her third Tour de Ski title, Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) shows no signs of slowing down. A day after winning the classic sprint, Kowalczyk, racing in her preferred classic technique, took a page out of Axel Teichmann’s book, mirroring the notoriously slow starter’s strategy and dominating the second half of the 10km individual start in Otepaa, Estonia. Marit Bjørgen (NOR) was runner up for the second time this weekend, with teammate Therese...
On a frosty day in Canmore, Alberta, Emily Nishikawa (AWCA) skied to her third NorAm victory of the season, winning the women’s five-kilometer classic by 5.4 seconds over Alana Thomas (Nakkertok Nordic). Alysson Marshall (Larch Hills/CNT) finished third. With temperatures recorded at -15C (5F) organizers decided to move the classic distance races from Saturday to Friday, swapping with the freestyle sprint. Concerns of cancellation due to cold also motivated a contingency plan that involved a...
Canadians Chandra Crawford and Perianne Jones teamed up to place third in the World Cup team sprint in Milan, Italy on Sunday, joining Americans Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins on the podium. The event marked the first time Canadians and Americans have shared a World Cup podium in cross-country skiing. Crawford has enjoyed a resurgence this year, re-establishing herself as one of the top sprinters in the world. The 2006 Olympic champion in the freestyle...
