“Today was definitely a solid team performance,” Tim Burke said after the season-opening race in Norway. “Our entire men's team is at a very high level and we are all very excited to see what we can do in the relay.”
Just as in this race last season, Italy's Dorothea Wierer shot perfectly to top Norway's Tiril Eckhoff - but this year it was closer, with Eckhoff just three seconds back. Susan Dunklee (USA), Megan Tandy (CAN), and Annelies Cook (USA) placed 21st, 23rd, and 25th, respectively.
Though he called his shape 'crappy', Niklas Dyrhaug led Daniel Myrmæl Helgestad and Chris Andre Jespersen in a sweep of the Bruksvallarna 15 k skate. On the women's side, Charlotte Kalla won by more than 35 seconds over Swedish teammate Stina Nilsson.
Which is worse: Petter Northug winning Friday's 10 k classic in Bruksvallarna, Sweden, while wearing the Swedish colors, or him comparing the win to a teenager beating a toddler in a footrace?
Charlotte Kalla met expectations in winning the 5 k classic opener in Bruksvallarna, Sweden, yet her coach pointed out she's exceptionally prepared this year. Then there was Ida Ingemarsdotter, 25 seconds back, and the biggest surprise of the day: Sofia Henriksson in third after nearly a year away from racing.
After several years of investigation yielding wiretaps and other evidence, International Biathlon Union Vice President for Sport has been indicted in an Italian court for aiding his son Daniel in connecting with doping doctor Michele Ferrari (of Armstrong fame) to obtain EPO.
This week, grooming began on the Methow Trails in anticipation of the earliest opening in the nordic center’s history. This kind of start to the season is warmly welcomed by Washington state's Methow Valley community, which endured two consecutive summers of record-setting wildfires.
Devon Kershaw arrived in Beitostølen, Norway, last week without any teammates, team wax or coaching support, and worst of all, no skis. He also didn't have a race suit. “That added to the hilarity of the situation,” the Canadian World Cup Team veteran explained. And then he raced on klister when most everyone else double poled.
Following the World Anti-Doping Agency's report on systematic doping in Russian track and field and the failure of RUSADA, the country's anti-doping agency, biathlon star Tim Burke and U.S. Ski Team head coach Chris Grover want their questions investigated.
The following editorial was originally posted on our “From The Editors” blog. We have decided to re-post it as the World Anti-Doping Agency enters their final two days of meetings. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Executive Committee and Foundation will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday next week in Colorado Springs. The publication of the Independent Commission report on doping in Russian athletics will certainly be a hot topic of conversation. After the publication of the...
While "a high VO2max is never a disadvantage -- ever!” Dr. Dan Heil of Montana State University explains that honing in on upper-body strength may be the way to go. "If [an athlete is] interested in being able to track their training progress, maybe all they need to be able to track is changes in upper-body power."
Eirik Brandsdal was a pretty happy guy after beating Petter Northug by six-tenths of a second on Sunday. "I thought, 'Do not look back. Imagine that you have the devil at your heels,' " he recalled.
For the second time this weekend, a Norwegian was disqualified during a race in Beitostølen, Norway, and missed out on a victory because of it. Maiken Caspersen Falla was first across the line in the women's classic sprint final, but subsequently relegated, leaving Russia's Natalia Matveeva with the win.
Saturday's takeaway: don't tick off Martin Johnsrud Sundby. He will come back with a purpose and has the potential to win big. The 31-year-old Norwegian did so in Beitostølen's 15 k skate FIS race, and France put two in the top five after a somber evening in Paris.
Therese Johaug proved that no amount of hand injuries (two to be precise) can derail the start to her season as she won her second-straight race in Beitostølen, Norway. "I had to dig deep the whole way, but these conditions are my advantage," she said of the heavy snowfall.
Alexei Poltoranin bested the Finns (among others) in Friday's classic sprint in Muonio, but otherwise the home country claimed all the wins: Mona-Liisa Nousiainen in the classic sprint, Sami Jauhojärvi in the 15 k classic, and Kerttu Niskanen in the 8.2 k classic.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby set the fastest time in the FIS-season opening 15 k classic race on Friday in Beitostølen, Norway, and did so with an injured rib, but he was ultimately disqualified for skating. His Norwegian teammate, Sjur Røthe took the win instead, beating the runner-up by 51 seconds.
Therese Johaug rocketed to first in her first race of the season, the FIS 7.5 k classic opener in Beitøstolen, Norway. She did so with the help of perennial rival and teammate Marit Bjørgen, who is due with her first child next month.
FS caught up with one of the most experienced elite female coaches club in the U.S., Pepa Miloucheva. Head coach for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Miloucheva details the path of the program, as well as her own, over the past 20 years.
The international federations for cross-country skiing and biathlon tout that they have done more against Russian doping than the IAAF - for instance, re-testing old samples with new methods, or sanctioning the Russian ski federation. But WADA's report still scared them, and they want more information.