Vibeke Skofterud, an Olympic gold medalist and Vasaloppet champ, is opening up about eating disorders which have plagued her career. Thirteen percent of athletes will have disordered eating at some point in their career, but Skofterud asks them to think bigger: "Do not forget why you're doing what you're doing... What is it that really makes you happy?”
Last week, Norwegian national-team staple Kristin Størmer Steira announced her retirement following a dozen years on the World Cup. "I’ve experienced so much as a cross-country skier and I love ski racing, but the time has come to find a new track," she said in a press release. "And that won’t be a ski track."
A year after an energy-draining Olympics, Justin Wadsworth said the energy within Cross Country Canada is palpable. He, for one, is ready to get back to co-coaching the World Cup Team, trading weekends on the road with Louis Bouchard and working with up-and-coming domestic coaches in Europe.
Tor-Arne Hetland, a Norwegian Olympic gold medalist and multiple world champion, will become the Norwegian national team coach this 2015/2016 season after a year as Canada's World Cup Coach.
Norwegian ski star Marit Bjørgen has decided to continue racing for another season. The 35-year-old said at the end of the season that she would have to think long and hard about whether she wanted to continue racing. She was exhausted and couldn’t imagine beginning another 900-hour training year. After thinking, though, she said she’d keep skiing. “I have used the spring to think a little, and I am now sure that I’m a hundred...
Despite having eight different women score World Cup points this season and a record six end up in the Red Group (top 30) after period IV, the U.S. women slipped from fourth to sixth in the Nations Cup standings. Alex Harvey, Andy Newell, and Simi Hamilton were the only North American men to attain Red Group status at the end of the season.
Coming off her European World Cup debut, Craftsbury's Caitlin Patterson reflects on her races and experience in Finland and Norway, her 2014/2015 season in general, and what she's aiming for next year.
A trio of Americans finished in the top 20 of the final women's World Cup race of the season, a 30-kilometer freestyle mass start in Holmenkollen, Norway. Liz Stephen led the U.S. team in ninth, Jessie Diggins took 14th, while Caitlin Gregg capped off an eventful World Cup season with a 19th-place finish.
Marit Bjørgen proved once again why she is the world's best, saving one last attack to skate past Norwegian teammate Therese Johaug to take victory in the Holmenkollen 30 k and make it a clean sweep of the sprint, distance, and overally World Cup titles. Astrid Jacobsen outsprinted Sweden's Charlotte Kalla for third place.
Brian Gregg was surprised, but thrilled, to get a World Cup start for the legendary Holmenkollen 50 k: "If I had to pick one World Cup to do all season, this would be the one that I wanted." He didn't waste his chance, skiing to 35th place. U.S. teammate Noah Hoffman placed 44th.
Alex Harvey hung with the main pack until just a few kilometers from the finish of the Holmenkollen 50 k, then outsprinted Toni Livers of Switzerland for 13th place. With Ivan Babikov placing 27th, the Canadian camp seemed happy with they way their 2015 season finished.
Andy Newell narrowly qualified in 28th, but made it into the semifinals and finished 12th overall in the season's final World Cup sprint. Canada's Lenny Valjas just missed out the semifinals and took 14th overall. Sadie Bjornsen was the lone North American woman to qualify and finished 26th overall after racing in the fastest quarterfinal heat.
Norwegians dominated the podium in the last World Cup sprint of the season on Wednesday in Drammen, Norway, with Eirik Brandsdal taking the win, but finishing behind teammate Finn Hågen Krogh in the race for the overall sprint title.
Maiken Caspersen Falla shook off a slow start and problems with heat selection to win in Drammen, Norway, the last sprint competition of the World Cup season. Norwegian teammate Marit Bjørgen added the Sprint Cup title to her overall World Cup crystal globe, which is already clinched with one competition to go.
After winning two medals at the 2015 World Championships, Alex Harvey finished 17th in Sunday's 15 k freestyle in Lahti, Finland. Meanwhile, Emily Nishikawa led the Canadian women in the 10 k and earned her best World Cup result of the season.
In the last classic-distance race of the season, Sadie Bjornsen placed 14th and Jessie Diggins took 17th on Sunday in the women's 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Lahti, Finland. Erik Bjornsen led the American men in 38th.
Marit Bjørgen topped Norwegian teammate Heidi Weng by 17.3 seconds to win the last classic-distance race of the season and complete her sweep of the World Cup weekend in Lahti, Finland.
Francesco de Fabiani broke through an 18-year barrier for Italy with a World Cup classic-distance win in the men’s 15-kilometer individual start in Lahti, Finland. Also on Sunday, Norway's Martin Johnsrud Sundby clinched his second-straight Overall World Cup title.
American Kikkan Randall finally found her old groove and raced to her best World Cup result of the season, finishing in third in Saturday's freestyle sprint in Lahti, Finland. In a close finish, Marit Bjørgen of Norway won yet another World Cup race, expanding her lead in the overall standings and the sprint standings.
Norway's Eirik Brandsdal stayed ahead to avoid turmoil and seized the win in Saturday's World Cup freestyle sprint in Lahti, Finland, while American Andy Newell won his quarterfinal and finished fourth in his semifinal for his best result of the season.