Norway wins both World Cup Sprint Relays today. Marit Bjorgen anchored their Women’s team to victory by using her famous V1 uphill jump skate to get away from Germany’s Kuentzel. Hilde Pedersen was the second skier on Norway’s team. Norway with Tor Arne Hetland and Haavard Bjerkeli came back from last place after crashing on the first leg to overtake Sweden at the finish line. The men's US team did not advance in the semifinal...
Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) finished 1.2 seconds back, tied for sixth place Saturday in a mass-start 30K freestyle race – the best showing by a U.S. skier since 1984 while Carl Swenson (Boulder, CO) overcame a spill starting the sixth and final 5K loop to finish 13th. Eight skiers came together into the finish, after having skied together the entire 30 km course. Sweden's Mathias Fredriksson, the defending World Cup champion, covered the six 5K...
It may be early in the season, but it is already clear who the top female skiers on the World Cup tour are. Kristina Smigun picked up another win in the women's 15K mass start race. Smigun made her move about halfway through the race, and gradually built her lead to 15 seconds. Ukrainian sensation Valentina Shevchenko took second and German Claudia Kuenzel was third. Beckie Scott of Canada was 12th in her first World...
The Norwegian team was far from reaching their goal of a podium finish in last weekend’s 30 kilometer double pursuit race in Kuusamo, Finland. The best Norwegian was Kristen Skjeldal in 11th place and he isn’t even on the National team. The result of this is that only Tore Rud Hofstad from the A-Team (24th last weekend) is racing the upcoming 30 kilometer skate mass-start in Toblach, Italy this weekend. The rest of the team...
Secret instrument behind phenomenal success – puts five skiers among top seven in last weekend’s World Cup race
From US Ski Team: KUUSAMO, Finland (Nov. 29) – Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) moved up six spots to 12th place despite steady rain Saturday in the opening nordic combined World Cup competition of the season while German Ronny Ackermann, the defending World Cup champion, led the jumping and finished a minute ahead of everyone. Ackermann finished 1:00.3 ahead of Finn favorite Hannu Manninen, who posted the fastest 15K time, with Olympic champion Samppa Lajunen,...
Kuusamo, Finland – Sunday November 30th Men's Cross-Country World Cup In the first part of the 15+15km double pursuit, the classical part, all the favorites stayed together. Estonian Andrus Veerpalu led after the 15K classic leg, but he lost the lead early in the skating portion of the two-race race. After the equipment exchange at 15 km, 12 — 13 skiers fought for positions at the front. Not much happened until Sodergren tried to break...
KUUSAMO, Finland (Nov. 30) – Defending World Cup champion Ronny Ackermann of Germany won his second World Cup nordic combined meet in 24 hours Sunday, capturing a sprint event by 22 seconds over teammate Sebastien Haseney. Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) was the top U.S. skier in 16th place. Ackermann again led the 120-meter jumping phase of the competition and kept his lead through the three-lap, 7.5K race. Haseney was seventh in the one-jump portion...
With Smigun and Paruzzi pushing the pace during the classical leg (7.5 km) of the double pursuit race, the field spread out early in the race. At halfway, the lead group consisted of five skiers as they entered the exchange area. Two km into the skate race, Smigun decided to “put the hammer down”, and got a 20 second lead over the next few kilometers. She cruised in to a comfortable victory. Russian Savialova showed...
KUUSAMO, Finland (Nov. 28) – Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) was 20th Friday in a 15K classic technique World Cup race behind Norwegians Anders Aukland and Jens Arne Svartedal on the opening day of the self-styled “Nordic Opening” weekend in light rain and mid-30s weather. “It was quite a good race for Kris. I had him on my [timing] splits at 16th with 2.5 Ks to go,” said Head Coach Trond Nystad. “It was tough conditions...
Ukraine's Valentina Shevchenko, the sensation of the young season, took the women's 10-km CL in 27:14.8 – the first World Cup win by a Ukrainian skier – with Norway's Vibeke Skofterud runnerup (27:28.7). No North Americans competed. World Cup, Kuusamo Finland 10 km Classical Technique, Women Results: 1 Shevchenko Valentina 27:14.8 2 Skofterud Vibeke W. 27:28.7 3 Smigun Kristina 27:30.1 4 Bjoergen Marit 27:44.1 5 Savialova Olga 27:49.4 6 Paruzzi Gabriella 27:57.6 7 Kuitunen Virpi...
Fasterskier.com got a chance to ask US Ski Team coach Trond Nystad a few questions following Saturday's 15 kilometer World Cup skate race Trond, how do view the first race of the season for Kris Freeman, Carl Swenson and Lars Flora? “The race was about like expected. It takes a little time to get used to the time difference and to get over the long travel to come over here. All in all it was a good...
Tore Ruud Hofstad took over Thomas Alsgaard's anchor leg on the Norwegian relay team, but was unable to deliver the victory as Alsgaard usually did. Tobias Angerer The US Team only has three skiers in Beitostoelen and did not compete. In the women's race it was also a battle between Germany and Norway, and this time Norway delivered for its fans. Marit Bjoergen, whose fast start to the race season has many hoping she will...
Fasterskier.com had featured a number of skiers in the week leading up to the World Cup opening. Remember that this is the first race in a long World Cup season. Results will greatly fluctuate as the season progress. A first place today might be traded with a 15th next weekend and a 40th might be improved to a top 20. Those who end up at the top of the list at the end of the...
Tore Ruud Hofstad placed 9th in the Norwegian national opening race last weekend. On Saturday he was 2nd in the 15 kilometer World Cup opening race at Beitostolen. He was only 4 seconds behind the winner Pietro Piller Cottrer from Italy.
Tore Ruud Hofstad – Langrenn.com While these results for Freeman and Swenson are not close to their top-5 finishes from last year's World Championships,it is worth noting that this is their first race of the season (except for a time-trial on the golf course in Park City). Freeman was only a minute behind the winner and some of the Overall World Cup favorites were behind him. Andrus Veerpalu (EST) was 42th, Frode Estil (NOR) 48th,...
The Norwegian Cross-Country teams have high ambitions for the upcoming season. They need results at or close to the top in every competition if they are going to reach their goals. Most ambitious is possibly the sprint team. Sprint coach Ulf Morten Aune needs to get his skiers to reach their maximum performance and potential in order to succeed. The Sprint Teams Goals: Be the best male sprint nation Have one skier win...
National Team coach Svein Tore Samdal made the following evaluation of the members of the Norwegian Women’s Team before the start of the World Cup season: Marit Bjorgen: Should be a little up and down, but I hope she will ski better in the regular races in addition to being the World’s best sprinter. Hilde Gjermundshaug Pedersen: Hilde is a candidate to win the overall World Cup. She has been good in most everything in...
Saturday is World Cup Skating: Classic Specialist Hjelmeset Posts Best Ever Skate Race Norwegian classic specialist Odd-Bjorn Hjelmeset placed 7th in the Norwegian opening 15 kilometer skate race last weekend. He has never skated this fast before and it has given him hope about (possibly) capturing his first ever skate World Cup point in the upcoming Saturday’s World Cup skate race.
How was the travel from USA to Norway for Kris and Carl? How long was the trip – any problems? Trond: â€Both Kris and Carl had a very easy travel – all their bags and themselves arrived safely at Gardemoen, airport in Norway a little ahead (!) of schedule on Saturday afternoon November 15. They left the US on Friday November 14, Carl from Utah and Kris from the East coast. We then packed the...