If you’re a male looking for a spot on the Canadian National Ski Team (CNST), you may be in luck, because this season there may be a few open spots. In addition to George Grey retiring, veteran sprinter Stefan Kuhn has opted to step away from his ski racing career. “When I made my comeback, my goal was always the Olympics,” said Kuhn in a recent interview with FasterSkier. “To have succeeded in that goal,...
Successes of Swiss skiers in recent years have strongly increased the importance of Cross-Country skiing in Switzerland. Swiss-Ski wants to boost interest in Cross-Country skiing with high level World Cup competition. “The FIS Tour de Ski represents the most important event in the World Cup calendar. It is the best way, how Cross-Country skiing in Switzerland could strengthen its positions. Our goal is to welcome each year a FIS Tour de Ski stage in Switzerland...
When Emmanuel Jonnier, a thirteen-year veteran of the French national team, announced his retirement earlier this month, it was picked up by every major news source in his home country. But even then, it was nothing compared to the coverage his teammate, Vincent Vittoz, got two weeks prior when he announced his own retirement – which had happened at about the same time that Roberto Gal, the team’s Italian head coach, also declared that he...
When Canadian National Ski Team (CNST) member Dasha Gaiazova finished her season a little less than a month ago, it ended a hectic run of racing for the emerging star. In two years, Gaiazova had notched her first Olympic experience, earned her first World Cup medal, qualified for 5 of 7 World Cup sprints, finished 20th at the World Championships sprint in Oslo, Norway, and finished 31st in the Sprint Cup standings. “It feels good...
A new trial brings up new details of extensive organized doping in Finland even before the 1997 World Championships in Trondheim.
“It’s been an emotional day,” Morten Aa Djupvik, 36, said to Norwegian TV station NRK on Wednesday.
Norway’s government-run TV station NRK admits overstepping privacy boundaries in showing the images and sound track of Northug crying after the 30K pursuit at the 2011 Worlds in Holmenkollen.
Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA) edged out teammate Maurice Manificat at the line to win the second edition of the Tour de Barents, a four-stage mini-tour in the Barents region of northern Europe. On a unique “final climb” Gaillard teamed up with Manificat to catch overall leader Matti Heikkinen (FIN), who started the day with a 13 second lead in Rovaniemi, Finland on Sunday. Heikkinen started the freestyle race quickly, but was unable to hold off...
The tour format adopted over the past few years by the International Ski Federation (FIS) has been credited with injecting some excitement and suspense into cross-country skiing—the idea being that lumping different lengths and styles of races into one big event can lead to prolonged, back-and-forth battles and compelling storylines. But this season’s World Cup Final, a four-day mini-tour in Sweden? A total snoozefest. In the last stage, a handicap start that sent skiers out...
Marit Bjørgen was ahead for almost the entire course, but in the last 50 meters Petter Northug surged ahead and won the show event "Bysprinten" in Mosjøen, Norway.
Matti Heikkinen (FIN), the World Champion in the 15km classic, finished fourth in the third stage of the Tour de Barents, a classic sprint in Rovaniemi, Finland. The result was enough to push him past Frenchmen Maurice Manificat and Jean Marc Gaillard in the overall standings. “This was my best sprint this season, but I think I can do better in the future,” Heikkinen said. Matias Strandval (FIN) won the men’s event ahead of teammate...
“I’m downright annoyed. Andrus Veerpaul is a cheater and an old-fashioned crook,” Odd-Bjørn Hjelmset (NOR) said after Veerpalu’s positive doping tests were confirmed.
The Tour de Barents mini-tour continued with a 10/15km freestyle mass start in the Finnish town of Inari. Petra Majdic (SLO) broke away with Kristin Stoermer Steira (NOR) entering the last of four 2.5 kilometer laps. Steira was unable to respond to Majdic’s subsequent attack, and the tall Slovenian, in the process of wrapping up her final season, skied away to a 30 second victory. Bouyed by her strong performance and the accompanying 24 bonus...
The World Cup is long wrapped up, and it’s time to party. The top racers never pass up a chance to party, and this weekend the party is Bysprinten in Mosjøen, Norway.
The North American elite racing season may be over, but there is still plenty of action to be found in Europe, including the second annual Tour de Barents, a four-stage mini-tour in the Barents region of northern Europe. While fields are not large – just 11 women and 35 men are contesting this year’s event – there is plenty of firepower. Petra Majdic (SLO) leads the women as she wraps up her farewell tour. Majdic...
Gallium wax is apparently so powerful that wax coaches are willing to go to court to keep it from other teams. These days, Japan’s wax coach is threatening to sue Norway’s chief wax coach for letting the secret out.
On March 11th, Olga Zaitseva’s future in biathlon appeared, to all outsiders, to be bright. After competing in four events at World Championships, only the mass start and relay remained, both events in which Zaitseva had won gold in the past. She had also been elected to the International Biathlon Union’s Athlete’s Committee by her peers. With only two men and two women on the committee, it was an honor. As the weekend progressed, things...
Citing an anonymous source, Postimees, Estonia’s largest newspaper is reporting that Andrus Veerpalu, the recently-retired Olympic and world champion medalist, has tested positive for doping. In an article posted earlier this week, Postimees said that an A-sample taken from Veerpalu in January had failed an anti-doping control, but that the opening of his B-sample, which is used for confirmation, has not yet occurred. The details of the report are sketchy, though. No sources are named,...
While many of the top North American skiers were wrapping up a hard week of racing at the SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, and others had already hung up the racing boards for the season, World Champion Alex Harvey (CAN) chose a path somewhere in between. The 22-year-old Canadian star returned to Europe one last time, not to contest one of the big Scandinavian season finales, but to take part in something a little lighter,...
For Therese Johaug (NOR) the season is far from over, and this weekend she’ll be competing for a grand prize, in an uphill alpine hill race.