While Kikkan Randall fell in the sprint final (see our Full results
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World Cup
The cream of the crop. The best in the world compete all winter long on the World Cup. We follow them at every stop with article and results. We also post occasional reports from North America’s best as they travel the globe.
Falla Wins in Rogla, Crawford Back on World Cup Podium While Randall Undone By Fall
Topher SabotDecember 18, 2011
It has been three-and-a-half years since Chandra Crawford has graced the podium in an individual World Cup race, but that drought has come to an end as the 2006 Olympic Champion powered her way to second on a short yet challenging sprint course in Rogla, Slovenia. Crawford finished right on the tails of Norwegian Maiken Caspersen Falla, who laid claim to her first individual World Cup win. Ida Ingemarsdotter (SWE) finished third. Sprint Cup leader...
For the umpteenth weekend in a row, the U.S. Ski Team (USST) women turned in a set of firsts on the World Cup. In the 10 k classic mass start on Saturday in Rogla, Slovenia, Kikkan Randall led the way for the U.S. in 11th (+1:13.2), her highest career classic finish. Holly Brooks, Liz Stephen and Ida Sargent had their best-ever classic distance finishes with 19th, 22nd and 38th, respectively (Sargent tied her Kuusamo classic...
Kowalczyk Back In Front At Rogla 10k Classic
Audrey ManganDecember 17, 2011
After struggling to match her form from last winter, Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) was finally back on top of the World Cup podium on Saturday in Rogla, Slovenia for the 10 k mass-start classic distance. Throughout the beginning of the five-lap race, Kowalczyk traded the lead on and off with Therese Johaug (NOR), who ended up fading to second at 22.1 seconds back. Her teammate Vibeke Skofterud (NOR) made a late-race challenge for silver, but ended...
Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw (CAN) posted the best North American results on Saturday with 10th and 16th, respectively. Andy Newell earned his first career distance points by skiing in 24th. The game plan for the Canadian men on Saturday in Rogla, Sweden was to be near the front and contest the bonus points on the third lap of the course. They’d never gone for intermediate premiums before, but wanted to experiment with the option...
Though the men’s 15 k classic mass start in Rogla, Slovenia was contested on a 7-lap manmade loop, the final distance race in Period 1 of the World Cup provided plenty of excitement. Petter Northug (NOR) delivered what is now almost an expected sprint-finish performance, and edged out Dario Cologna (SUI) and Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) to the line with a powerful double pole. Though the last-second victory on Saturday was typical of Northug’s style, the...
Snowy Trails and Packed Fields Make a Barnburner in Hochfilzen; Le Guellec, Hakkinen Top-Ten in Pursuit
Chelsea LittleDecember 17, 2011
There were a lot of unusual things about the World Cup biathlon races in Hochfilzen, Austria on Saturday. First, there was the inch of snow that fell during the men’s 12.5 k pursuit. Then, there was the fact that the field was incredibly compressed thanks to some strange weather in the original sprint race. “The snow storm that stopped [mid-race on Thursday] had a bigger effect than I expected,” U.S. biathlete Jay Hakkinen told FasterSkier....
The 2012 World Cup season is already a month old, and there has yet to be a mass start. That changes on Saturday in Rogla, Slovenia when women ski a 10km classic and men 14k. The races feature intermediary sprints for World Cup points—once for women at 5.2k and twice for men at 5.2k and 11.2k. In a new twist, points will be awarded to the top-10 at the intermediary marks, instead of just the...
Brooks Unofficially an Official Member of 2012 Tour de Ski Team Last month FasterSkier reported that Holly Brooks (APU) had been given the opportunity to race the 2012 Tour de Ski pending continued strong results and good health. With just one weekend left in the first World Cup period, Brooks has fulfilled her end of the bargain, posting a career-best 13th in the 15km freestyle in Davos, Switzerland. According to US Ski Team Head Coach...
Un-Retired Zaitseva Picks Up First Win of Season; Imrie Notches Personal-Best 25th in Hochfilzen Sprint
Chelsea LittleDecember 16, 2011
Remember all those Russian shenanigans about returned to biathlon, because recently she’s been on a tear. The 33-year-old Moscow native picked up her first win of the season on Friday in a 10 k sprint in Hochfilzen, Austria, to go along with two podium finishes from last weekend. She’s now finished on the podium four times in seven starts, and that’s the way she likes it. “I would like to be on the podium in...
Points Necessary For Randall To Podium In The WC Sprint Standings
JoranDecember 16, 2011
Housekeeping note: Posting may be a tad delayed and/or sporadic this weekend and into the beginning of next week since the Statistical Family has increased in size by 50%. I’ve engaged in a bit of speculation about the likelihood that Kikkan Randall may be able to win the WC Sprint overall title this coming season. [...] Related posts:
Canadian Women “Stoked” About Newfound Depth and Consistency on Biathlon World Cup
Chelsea LittleDecember 14, 2011
Lowell Bailey may be getting a lot of attention these days, but the American biathlete isn’t the only one to have found success in the early days of the 2012 World Cup season. Quietly, the Canadian women have upped their own profile – and their first two weeks of racing culminated in a ninth-place relay finish in Hochfilzen, Austria, tying the U.S. men’s performance. Team member Zina Kocher, who has been racing in senior-level international...
Weekend Recap: December 9 – 11
Audrey ManganDecember 12, 2011
In case you weren’t glued to your computer screen this weekend, here are links to our coverage of elite racing that’s happened around the world over the past few days, all in one place. Cross Country World Cup | Davos, Switzerland Saturday 15/30 k Freestyle Men: Canadian Report | Results Women: American Report | Race Report | Results Women: North American Report | International and Race Report | Photo Gallery Women: Results | Race Report...
When a starter of the men’s sprint final in Davos, Switzerland asked Devon Kershaw (CAN) what lane he’d like to take, he didn’t think the official was serious. “I was like, ‘Are you sure I get to pick second?’” said Kershaw. He didn’t know he’d won his semi-final, and had to double check the starter had the right guy. After deciding on a start lane, Kershaw finished 4th, which is one of the best World...
Davos Recap
JoranDecember 12, 2011
North Americans Each weekend seems to be an interesting mix of results for the North Americans. Starting with the women (Davos result circled in blue): Compared to this season, that was an off day for Kikkan, but compared to last season that was pretty typical. Part of me wonders if she dialed it back a [...] Related posts:
Led by Randall’s Win, American and Canadian Women Have Banner Sprint Day
Audrey ManganDecember 12, 2011
American and Canadian women have become a World Cup force to be reckoned with. It seems there was something to the North American Women’s Training Alliance after all. Kikkan Randall (USA) won her second individual sprint in as many weekends. Canada did something it’s never done before in Davos and sent all three women to the heats. U.S. Ski Team (USST) Head Coach Chris Grover probably put it best with his take on the American...
Davos, Switzerland — The Russians are coming. On a beautiful blue-sky day in Davos, Switzerland, Russian sprint-specialist Alexey Petukhov picked up his first win of the season in the 1.5 k sprint freestyle World Cup. Petukhov skied clear of the competition, leaving Swedes Teodor Petersen and Emil Joensson scrambling for second and third, respectively. While Petter Northug (NOR) crushed the field by nearly a minute in the 30 k on Saturday and was considered by many...
With three men who have placed in the top twenty so far this World Cup season and one more who was the hero of last year’s World Championships relay, the U.S. had high hopes for Sunday’s 4 x 7.5 k relay, the first of the season. The team chose Lowell Bailey, who has finished as high as fifth in these first two weeks of racing, as their leadoff leg. And in some ways, he lived...
Davos, Switzerland — Marit who? At least that’s how it appeared in the World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, on Sunday, during the 1.5 k freestyle sprint, as it was American Kikkan Randall who destroyed the field rather than the usual Marit Bjoergen devastation. The Alaskan native blasted her way to her second consecutive World Cup sprint victory of the year, skiing away from the other five women in the final, leaving Russian Natalia Matveeva to grab...
Davos World Cup Sprint Live Chat
FasterSkierDecember 11, 2011
Readers asked for it, and here it is. Join the live chat to discuss the sprint races as the action unfolds! Click the link below to open a pop-up window with the chat interface.