With his 10th place finish in Holmenkollen on Sunday, Andy Newell moved into 4th in the overall Sprint Cup standings. He is now just two points behind Petter Northug (NOR), who did not race today. While Emil Joensson (SWE) has locked up the overall, Alexei Petukhov (RUS) in 2nd is still within striking distance, 17 points up. There is only one sprint competition remaining – a classic city sprint Wednesday in Stockholm. As it is...
Oslo, Norway – The Norwegian men may be lacking depth on the distance side, but in the sprint, they are still blessed with an abundance of riches. Anders Gloeersen won the Holmenkollen freestyle sprint in a preview of the 2011 World Championship course, despite being left off the Norwegian Olympic Team. Gloeersen’s Vancouver chances were hurt by the fact that he is a better skate sprinter – one of the best in fact, as he...
Oslo, Norway – Marit Bjoergen (NOR) has been nigh on unstoppable since the beginning of February, and has won every World Cup race since the Olympics. Today was no different though Kikkan Randall nearly pulled off the upset, leading the Norwegian star into the homestretch of the freestyle sprint in Oslo. Bjoergen won both races at the famed Holmenkollen Ski Stadium, and showed no ill effects from yesterday’s 30km. The sprint victory did not come...
Oslo, Norway – Maybe it is ski switching, maybe the courses are harder, or most likely, the skiers are more aggressive. Whatever the reason, the long mass start races that are now standard on the World Cup are becoming more and more consistently exciting. Last year the traditional Holmenkollen 50km was held in Trondheim due to construction at the Oslo venue, and the race set a new standard for a World Cup mass start race....
Oslo, Norway – The Canadian men’s team, just off a record-breaking Olympics, was unable to re-capture the magic. The “Big-4” of Devon Kershaw, Ivan Babikov, Alex Harvey, and George Grey all dropped out of the race, leaving Graham Nishikawa as the sole finisher in 48th place, +19:24. Kershaw was complimentary of his teammate, and very disappointed in his own performance. “Nish is a tough MF’er. Ivan, George, Alex and I pulled the pin. I had...
Oslo, Norway – Norway may be taking criticism for a lack of depth on the men’s distance team. Behind Petter Northug, the talent is considered “mediocre,” which means in Norwegian terms that there is no one else who can consistently place in the top-10. The women, on the other hand, have held up their side of things, today turning in a dominating performance to sweep that podium in the historic Holmenkollen 30k. The freestyle race...
Polish cross-country skier Kornelia Marek tested positive for EPO following the women’s 4x5km relay at the Olympics, according to the Polish Olympic Committee. The Poles finished an impressive 6th in that event, and Marek also placed 11th in the 30km and 9th in the team sprint. The 30km result was the best of her career, easily besting a 23rd earlier this winter in Estonia. She also finished 26th in Canmore, but the fields for both...
Oslo, Norway – The World Cup has moved to Oslo, the site of the 2011 World Championships, and Saturday’s 30/50km freestyle will be a preview of that event. The Holmenkolen Ski Stadium has undergone a major renovation since the last World Cup races here in 2008. The biggest change is the new Ski Jump overlooking the city. The women will race a single 5km lap and then three 8.3km loops. The men will ski the...
Drammen, Norway – While in the US, the story of the day was Andy Newell’s 3rd place finish, Emil Joensson (SWE) and Marit Bjoergen (NOR) both skied to impressive victories in the tough Drammen field. A classic sprint in Norway is a recipe for the strongest field on the World Cup circuit. With Norway holding a number of additional Nations Cup start spots, just getting into the heats is tough. Joensson left nothing to chance,...
FasterSkier had the opportunity to catch up with the US Ski Team’s Andy Newell, who today took third at the Drammen World Cup classic sprint race. A WC sprint in Norway is about as stacked as it can get since the Norwegians are not limited to just four starters like they are in the Olympics. Did you feel like you had something to prove today? Did you have any extra motivation and fire? Definitely, you...
The FIS Nordic World Cup Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway, will be held on 13rd-14th March 2010. Most of the ultra-modern new Holmenkollen National Arena will be in use for the first time. The year-round facility will not only host the traditional Holmenkollen Ski Festival for years to come, but also offer a landmark location for children, young people, professionals and the general public to practice Nordic ski sports. “We are looking forward to welcoming both...
Drammen, Norway – Break time is over, and all the top World Cup skiers are back in action for Thursday’s classic sprint in downtown Drammen. 30,000 spectators are expected to pack the streets along the 1.2km course. The event was last held in 2008 when Boerre Naess led a Norwegian sweep of the men’s podium, and Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) won the women’s race. The course is not flat – as many city sprints tend to...
Lahti, Finland – The Norwegian men and women won the rare World Cup relay events, capping an impressive weekend. The women’s field featured more of the big names, and the race came down to a three-way battle for the victory. The current top four Norwegian women – Mathe Kristoffersen, Therese Johaug, Kristin Stoermer Steira, and Marit Bjoergen, edged out a strong German team at the line. Italy was third, just 1 second out, and Russia...
Lahti, Finland – Maurice Manificat (FRA), along with his teammates, was shut out of the medals in Whistler, the most heartbreaking moments coming when Emanuel Jonnier lost out in the final sprint for the podium in the 4×10 relay. But today Manificat gained a small measure of redemption, outsprinting Lukas Bauer in the men’s 30km pursuit. The two broke away from the field at the 20km mark, and skied clear. Third place finisher Ilia Chernouov...
Lahti, Finland – The Olympics have come and gone, but there is still plenty of racing to be done. The World Cup did not miss a beat, restarting less than a week after the Olympic 50k with a 15/30km pursuit as part of the annual Lahti Ski Games. The fields were competitive, but lacked many of the top skiers who are taking some time to recover after the Games. In the women’s event, the “Queen...
Before the NBC video feed of the cross-country skiing events at the 2010 Vancouver Games reaches a single American household, it must first flow through a cramped, spare, six by eight foot room perched above the bleachers at Whistler Olympic Park. Inside, off two small monitors, is where announcers Al Trautwig and Chad Salmela call the action, with the help of their three producers and researchers. No room for lunchboxes—those are outside the door. Fifty...
As writers and commentators deconstructed the decision to sit Brian McKeever in the men’s 50 k classic on Sunday, the four Canadians in the race got down to business. It wasn’t a good day for Alex Harvey and Ivan Babikov, who were dropped from the lead pack early on. But Devon Kershaw and George Grey had a pair of strong performances, skiing at the front and asserting the team’s status as a force to be...
As much as anyone might begrudge Team Canada coaches Dave Wood and National Inge Braten’s decision to sit Brian McKeever in Sunday’s 50 k classic, it’s hard to disagree with the fact that the two were presented with an agonizing choice. While starting McKeever would have meant making history—the Canadian would have been the first athlete to compete in both the winter Olympics and Paralympics—it also would have meant holding a potential medal contender out...
Saturday’s race at Whistler Olympic Park was about 20 times as long as Kikkan Randall’s best distance. But no matter: the Alaskan more known for her sprinting put in another outstanding performance Saturday in the 30 k classic, finishing 24th—a career-best in the event. It was Randall’s first time competing in the long-distance race at the Games, and only her third time racing over 15 k on the World Cup. Coming into the Games, she...