News – Page 61 – FasterSkier

Race Suits of the Olympic Games: Men’s Relay Edition

Gavin KentchFebruary 17, 2022

FasterSkier previously surveyed the national-team uniforms from last year’s World Cup fashion season, starting with more traditional nordic powers (Norway, Russia, et al.) but also taking a look at some more outré ski countries (Brazil, Nigeria, Thailand). We didn’t run a comparable article at the start of this season, as there was relatively little change in most nations’ World Cup kit from last year to this year. But when the Olympics arrive, however, all bets...

Canadian National Ski Team Community News Olympics Racing

Cyr and Ritchie faked it til they made it – to the best classic team sprint finish in Canadian men’s history

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 17, 2022

During the opening weekend of World Cup racing in Ruka, FIN back in November 2021, Canada’s Antoine (Tony) Cyr popped an 11th place finish in the first distance race – a tough 15-kilometre classic won by Finland’s Iivo Niskanen, now a gold medalist in the event. After the race, Cyr wrote to FasterSkier that the course had suited him with its long uphills and frigiddig conditions; temperatures were near zero degrees Fahrenheit ( -17 C)....

Job Postings News

Nakkertok Nordic Seeks High Performance and Development Coaches

FasterSkierFebruary 17, 2022

Nakkertok Nordic is a community ski club in Gatineau, Quebec, the Ottawa-Gatineau region with 1800 members. We have been the Canadian National Club Champions for 10 years in a row. Among others we have developed notable skiers to Training Centre and College programs, such as Katherine Stewart-Jones who is in Beijing with the Canadian team, Pierre Grall-Johnson who will represent Canada at the U23 World Champs (17th in 2021), and 2 skiers that are obtaining...

Doping News Olympics Racing

Testing agency says Ukrainian Olympic cross country skier tested positive for steroid, stimulant

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 16, 2022

A back-of-the-pack women’s skier competing for Ukraine at the Beijing Olympics has tested positive for banned drugs, according to the agency that’s overseeing testing at the Games. Valentyna Kaminska tested positive for a banned steroid and stimulants on the day she finished 79th in the 10-kilometer classic event, the International Testing Agency said in a statement Wednesday. Kaminska has been provisionally suspended until the case is resolved and is banned from participating in further Olympic...

News

Fischer’s New Speedmax Proved to be the “GO TO” This Season

FischerFebruary 16, 2022

You have probably seen a lot of yellow skis in the early World Cups and Ski Classics if you have been streaming races this year. What are those skis? They are the new family of Speedmax skis with some interesting and effective variations. FISCHER’s NEW SPEEDMAX PROVED TO BE THE “GO TO” THIS SEASON. The “go to” workhorse for the broadest range of conditions is still the highly vetted Speedmax with the proven 610 Mold. ...

Community General News Olympics Racing World Cup

Ukraine tensions could scuttle World Cup finals in Russia, but FIS says no changes yet

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 15, 2022

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHN — International Ski Federation officials say they’re exploring backup options for season-ending races in Russia amid fears of a war between that country and Ukraine, though they’re still planning on holding the event as scheduled next month unless circumstances change. The final races of the top-level World Cup are scheduled to be held in Tyumen, Russia, in an oil-rich area in Siberia — about 1,000 miles away from the border with Ukraine, where American...

Community News Olympics Opinion Racing

Opinion: “Her! I do the same sport as her!” Jessie Diggins won a Medal, Who She Is Goes Way Beyond That

Ben TheyerlFebruary 14, 2022

Diggins’ historic accomplishment was glanced over by the giants of American media, falling back into harmful tropes that are all-too-common regarding women athletes. Reflecting on it re-centered how meaningful her vulnerability in sharing her struggle to overcome an eating disorder was to the skiing community, and was a source of strength for me. The Olympic sprint race on Tuesday in Beijing was perhaps one of the most nuanced and complex races in Olympic history. We...

Community Feature General News

The Chinese Ski Team’s Path to Beijing (Part 2)

Pasha KahnFebruary 13, 2022

You can find the introduction to this three-part series on the development of the Chinese ski program here. Creating a Generation of Skiers China, pursuing Olympic medals on home snow, signed deals in 2018 to train Chinese skiers in Norway and Finland. The first hurdle would be filling these programs with potential skiers. To that end, a talent building program was initiated and young professional athletes in the second tier of rowing, kayaking, and running...

News Olympics Racing

Double Gold: ROC Dominates Men’s 4 x 10 k Relay in Lengthy Race; USA 9th, CAN 11th

Ella HallFebruary 13, 2022

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. After a thrilling women’s relay event on Saturday, it was the men’s turn to compete, each athlete skiing the laps of 3.3-kilometers for a total of 4 x 10 k....

Community News Olympics Racing

“Burmania”: Swedish xc skier’s snack-sampling video goes viral in China

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 12, 2022

A clip of Jens Burman tasting Chinese snacks on his vlog racked up hundreds of thousands of views on a Chinese social media platform. The sport of cross-country skiing has not, exactly, become a sensation in China during the Winter Olympic Games. In spite of the country’s massive investment in training cross-country skiers and biathletes, none has cracked the top 10 in Beijing, and Chinese journalists complain that athletes have dodged them after races. What...

News Olympics Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Niskanen with the golden stride in 15 k classic, while North American men hold strong on tough tracks

Ben TheyerlFebruary 11, 2022

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. In the sport of cross country skiing, the Olympic 15-kilometer individual start classic might be considered the “granddaddy of them all.” The technique was classic, as was the...

Community Feature News Olympics Racing

Athletes weigh in on NY Times statement that Diggins looks like a “sprite” relative to her competition

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 11, 2022

On February 8th, cross country skiing made the New York Times headlines as Jessie Diggins collected an historic bronze medal in the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint. No American woman had ever won an individual medal in cross country skiing, and no American cross country skier of either gender had won multiple Olympic medals. Diggins had earned gold in 2018 racing the freestyle team sprint with partner, and current NBC analyst, Kikkan Randall. Normally, attention given to...

News Olympics Racing

(Results Brief) Niskanen strides away with gold medal; Bolshunov 2nd, and Klæbo 3rd; Patterson top US skier in 38th

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 11, 2022

In what might be the rematch of the games, Finland’s Iivo Niskanen faced Alexander Bolshunov of the Russian Olympic Committee in the 15-kilometer individual start classic event. In the opening event of the Games, the 30 k mass start skiathlon, Niskanen and Bolshunov raced together to set the pace well off the front of the men’s pack for the first 15 k, raced classic, but Niskanen could not hold the effort in the freestyle half....

Multimedia News Resources Video Waxing

Watch Pioneer Midwest’s Jeremy Hecker’ Marathon Wax Clinic

Pioneer MidwestFebruary 10, 2022

Jeremy Hecker leads a waxing clinic ahead of our 2022 marathon racing season!

Community News Olympics Racing

U.S. coaches face “impossibly hard” choices for women’s relay selection

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 10, 2022

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA — American cross-country ski coaches face a high-stakes dilemma over the next 24 hours as they choose which members of their deep, talented women’s team will race Saturday’s four-person relay at the Beijing Olympics. The U.S. women have a fair shot at a medal in the event, in which each woman skis a five-kilometer leg. But don’t envy the American coaches, who are still pondering which of six athletes will fill the last two...

$For Patterson, 11th-place Olympic finish caps “insane” recovery from late summer wrist fracture$

Community News Olympics Racing

For Patterson, 11th-place Olympic finish caps “insane” recovery from late summer wrist fracture

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 10, 2022

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA — Even Scott Patterson wasn’t totally certain he was the right guy for the American Olympic team in Beijing. The veteran Alaska cross-country skier broke his wrist in August, derailing his training and throwing his participation in the Games into limbo. When he finally made it to Europe to race on the top-level World Cup circuit, he placed fourth-to-last in his first event back. “I was a little bit questioning,” said Patterson. “The last...

News Olympics Racing

Johaug Wins Second Gold in a Close Race; Diggins Leads Americans in 8th

Ella HallFebruary 10, 2022

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. Thursday morning saw the third women’s cross-country race in the Zhangjiakou stadium. On the docket, a 10-kilometer individual start classic with two laps of a challenging 5 k course. After a...

Community Doping General News Olympics Racing

Bolshunov has never tested positive. But the shadow of Sochi still hangs over his Olympic win.

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 10, 2022

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA — Russia, and its flag, are officially barred from the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, a ruling that stems from continuing doping violations following a massive, state-sponsored scandal at the 2014 Games in Sochi that included cross-country skiers. But other Russian cross-country skiers are still competing here, under the flag of their country’s Olympic committee. And on Sunday, in their first race of the Games, Russian men took the top two places. Star Alexander...

News Other News

How to Bring Skiing in from the Cold and Make it a Mainstream Sport

FasterSkierFebruary 10, 2022

Skiing is a competitive, adrenaline-fueled sport. Anyone that competes, trains or watches from the sidelines knows this. However, for those that don’t, it’s often seen, at best, as a sport that’s only relevant every four years or, at worst, a novelty. Indeed, for all the skill, talent, and entertainment all types of competitive skiing provide, it’s not considered to be a mainstream sport. Casual viewers will tune in during the Winter Olympics, but they probably...

News Olympics Racing

Klæbo Defends Olympic Gold as Americans Soar to New Heights in the Freestyle Sprint

Ben TheyerlFebruary 8, 2022

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. During the American broadcast of the 30-kilometer Skiathlon on Sunday, NBC Analyst Chad Salmela made the comment that race represented the “old-school” of long-burn, grind-it-out ski racing. That...

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