HomeCategory

General

All other miscellaneous news.
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacing

Canadians Host, But Americans Storm Podium in Sovereign Lake Skate Races

Inge ScheveDecember 12, 2010

While Sunday’s Haywood NorAm 10 and 15 k freestyle races were held in Canada, it was the Americans who took the top step of both podiums – and convincingly. The men’s race started in sloppy conditions – approximately 20 centimeters of snow fell overnight, and continued right up until the start of the men’s race, resulting in ankle deep snow in some places. The men skied three loops of 5 k, and each one contained...

CONTINUE READING
Weather Wreaks Havoc on World Cup Biathlon Relay; U.S. Has “Worst Race Possible”
BiathlonGeneralResults

Weather Wreaks Havoc on World Cup Biathlon Relay; U.S. Has “Worst Race Possible”

Chelsea LittleDecember 12, 20101

At the first handoff of the men’s World Cup biathlon relay in Hochfilzen, Austria on Sunday, it looked like Norway might not be able to turn in the performance that everyone expected of them. Then Ole Einar Bjorndalen took over, and things went back to normal. Alexander Os, Norway’s first-leg skier, can be forgiven for turning in a less-than-perfect performance. Conditions were stacked against him, with huge wind gusts that held the range’s indicator flags...

CONTINUE READING
GeneralNewsRacingUS Ski TeamWorld Cup

Randall Takes Second Straight Skate Podium, as Bjoergen’s Run Continues – Updated

Nathaniel HerzDecember 12, 20106

With 100 meters to go in Sunday’s skate sprint in Davos, Kikkan Randall flew into the stadium in fourth place. A few strong strides brought her close to even with third, and second place even seemed to be within reach. Enter Justyna Kowalczyk—the wiry Pole with a reputation for provocative statements and questionable tactics. Just as Randall was about slide past, Kowalczyk made an aggressive move to her right, forcing the American to switch lanes...

CONTINUE READING
Canadian National Ski TeamContinental CupGeneralNewsRacing

Jones Tops Sovereign Lake Classic Sprint Over Bjornsen, Bender

Nathaniel HerzDecember 11, 2010

After struggling to crack the top-30 on the World Cup last season, Canadian Perianne Jones knew she needed some time on the domestic circuit this year to get her feet back under her. “I’ve raced on the World Cup the last two seasons before Christmas—especially last season, I didn’t feel like I belonged,” she said. “I want to feel like I’m ready to race the World Cup when I’m on the World Cup.” If Jones...

CONTINUE READING
BiathlonGeneralResultsUncategorized

Henkel and Germany Take a Victory Lap in Women’s Biathlon Relay – Updated

Chelsea LittleDecember 11, 2010

Last weekend, if you had asked which country had the best female biathletes, the answer probably would have been Sweden. Anna Carin Zidek and Helena Ekholm both graced the podium multiple times at the World Cup openers in Ostersund, Sweden. But last weekend, Magdalena Neuner wasn’t racing. In Hochfilzen, Austria, things are different. In Saturday’s 4 x 6 k relay, Neuner was Germany’s second skier. She took the tag in third place, twenty seconds behind...

CONTINUE READING
Boe Cruises to Victory in Pursuit, Leaving Field to Battle for Second
BiathlonGeneralResults

Boe Cruises to Victory in Pursuit, Leaving Field to Battle for Second

Chelsea LittleDecember 11, 2010

As Alexis Boeuf of France told IBU News on Friday, “You know, in biathlon one day you can be on the podium and the next day be last.” That wasn’t quite true on Saturday, although Sergui Sednev of the Ukraine, who finished second in Friday’s sprint, dropped to 29th in the next day’s pursuit. No, what is more noticeable is that the stars of last weekend’s World Cup openers in Ostersund, Sweden, haven’t shone as...

CONTINUE READING
In a Class by Herself, Bjoergen Wins in Davos – Updated
GeneralNewsRacingUS Ski TeamWorld Cup

In a Class by Herself, Bjoergen Wins in Davos – Updated

Nathaniel HerzDecember 11, 20105

Rocket boosters? Tiny electric motors? Cutting the course? The World Cup women’s field is going to have to come up with something, because it’s pretty clear that plain old training and technique isn’t going to be enough to beat Norway’s Marit Bjoergen any time soon. In Saturday’s 10 k classic in Davos, Switzerland, Bjoergen won for her fourth time in five races this year, skiing to a 30-second victory over her Polish rival Justyna Kowalczyk....

CONTINUE READING
Studebaker Career-Best 26th In Hochfilzen
BiathlonGeneralResults

Studebaker Career-Best 26th In Hochfilzen

Chelsea LittleDecember 10, 2010

Sara Studebaker was the only woman the United States Biathlon Association had enough confidence in to pre-select for the first period of World Cups this year. And after last weekend’s racing in Ostersund, Sweden, some people were wondering why: she finished 72nd in the individual race and 88th in the sprint. But in Ostersund, Studebaker had water-borne parasites to contend with. When the World Cup moved to Hochfilzen, Austria this week, she was ready, and...

CONTINUE READING
GeneralNewsRacingWorld Cup

Pankratov Lawyer: FIS Procedures Flawed, Evidence Insufficient

Nathaniel HerzDecember 10, 20101

After three months of silence, the lawyer for Nikolai Pankratov, the Russian cross-country skier accused of breaking anti-doping rules, has gone public. In comments first made to the German press and confirmed in an e-mail to FasterSkier, Markus Höss, the Stuttgart-based attorney representing Pankratov, has refuted the charges against his client, and accused the International Ski Federation (FIS) of conducting a flawed legal process. Sidebar: The Pankratov Files WADA’S PROHIBITED LIST – This document shows the...

CONTINUE READING
Fourth Straight Norwegian Win in Biathlon, but It’s Not Who You’d Expect
BiathlonGeneralResults

Fourth Straight Norwegian Win in Biathlon, but It’s Not Who You’d Expect

Chelsea LittleDecember 10, 2010

For the fourth straight race, a Norwegian biathlete stood atop the World Cup podium. Was it 36-year-old veteran Ole Einar Bjorndalen? Or perhaps the overall World Cup leader, Emil Hegle Svendsen? Those would be smart guesses, but they’d also be wrong. Instead, it was their teammate, 22-year-old Tarjei Boe, who was the second-fastest skier on Friday and shot clean. Boe has never graced a World Cup podium before, much less won a race. But in...

CONTINUE READING
BiathlonGeneralNewsOlympicsRacingUS Ski TeamWorld Cup

Biathlete Burke Says He’d Race XC Relay for U.S.

Nathaniel HerzDecember 9, 20108

After the U.S. men’s performance in the season-opening World Cup relay in Sweden, which had Andy Newell, Kris Freeman, and Noah Hoffman hanging with the leaders through nearly three full legs, the question hung in the air: Who would be the skier to fill the void in the fourth spot? The answer seemed to lie back at home, in the form of a rising star like Tad Elliott, who could be ready in time for...

CONTINUE READING
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacingWorld Cup

Flora and Brooks Mull Lonely Trip to Eastern Europe

Nathaniel HerzDecember 8, 20104

As a cross country skier, it’s tough to turn down a free trip to World Cups in Estonia, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Unless, of course, you’ve got a shot at racing at World Championships in Norway later on in the winter. That’s the case for Alaska Pacific University’s (APU’s) Holly Brooks, the current women’s SuperTour leader. Along with her teammate Lars Flora, Brooks’s finishes at the November races in West Yellowstone earned her start...

CONTINUE READING
What Was He Thinking?! World Cup Athletes and Coaches on D-Dorf Team Sprint
GeneralNewsRacingWorld Cup

What Was He Thinking?! World Cup Athletes and Coaches on D-Dorf Team Sprint

Nathaniel HerzDecember 7, 201011

Stupid, nonsensical, and “completely in the wrong.” Those were the descriptions by elite cross-country skiers and coaches of German sprinter Josef Wenzl’s actions in the Dusseldorf team sprint on Sunday. Wenzl’s his own Wenzl-esque kamikaze attack against Swedish skier Marcus Hellner. “I moved in on him, when there was absolutely no reason to—and we both went down,” Kershaw wrote in an e-mail on Monday. “I had qualified first, and was poised to perhaps slot into...

CONTINUE READING
Kornfield Nips Soederstrom and Norris In Fairbanks Sprint
GeneralNewsOther NewsRacingRegional / Local

Kornfield Nips Soederstrom and Norris In Fairbanks Sprint

FasterSkierDecember 6, 2010

Tyler Kornfield nipped Alaska Nanook teammates David Norris and Erik Soederstrom in the second race of the 15th Annual Flint Hills Resources Town Race Series, the Fairbanks Youth Sports Classic Sprint, Saturday, December 4, in the late-afternoon dusk at Birch Hill Recreation Area. Kornfield’s photo-finish victory gained him a measure of revenge agains Soederstrom, who last year at the USSA National Championships in Anchorage pipped Kornfield in the Men’s Final. For a little club race,...

CONTINUE READING
BiathlonGeneralNewsRacingWorld Cup

Bjoerndalen Bests Svendsen in Thrilling Ostersund Pursuit

Nathaniel HerzDecember 5, 20104

The first big chinks in Ole Einar Bjoerndalen’s armor showed up at the 2010 Olympics, where his two-medal performance was eclipsed by the three podiums collected by his Norwegian teammate, Emil Hegle Svendsen. Bjoerndalen, 36, was charitable at the time, as befitted a living legend with nearly three-dozen World Championships medals to his name. And there was no sense that he felt threatened by Svendsen—after all, the three medals that Svendsen won in Vancouver represented...

CONTINUE READING

Newer Posts

Older Posts