Despite a fall in the exchange zone Canada's Ivan Babikov led the North Americans in the 30 k skiathlon in Sochi, Russian, on Saturday in snowy, challenging conditions. American Noah Hoffman had a tangle of his own but managed to claw his way back to the top 26.
Dario Cologna earned his first win of the season, besting a strong group of Russians on the 2014 Olympic skiathlon course.
Kristin Størmer Steira went with her instinct on Saturday and decided to go for it shortly after the halfway point of the pre-Olympic 15 k skiathlon in Sochi. The 31-year-old Norwegian stayed ahead and won by nearly 20 seconds for her first individual World Cup victory in four years.
Seven Americans landed in the heats in the freestyle sprint in Sochi, Russia, on Friday. Kikkan Randall calmly won her third sprint of the season and Ida Sargent was sixth in her first appearance in a World Cup final. La Clusaz is but a distant memory.
The prognosis is good for Alex Harvey after a shoulder dislocation, but he will still skip the remaining Sochi World Cup races.
Kikkan Randall proved to the world once again that she can overcome any obstacle to reach the top of a World Cup podium. The first Olympic test event of the weekend took place on Friday at the Laura Cross-Country Stadium outside Sochi, Russia, where Randall bested France’s Aurore Jean and Norway’s Celine Brun-Lie to claim her second individual sprint win and ninth podium of the season.
Devon Kershaw skied to his best result of the 2013 season, placing 8th in the freestyle sprint. On the Canadian women's side, Dasha Gaiazova placed 12th, a season-best in a skate sprint.
Petter Northug got down to business Friday at the Sochi Olympic venue's first World Cup, winning the 1.8 k freestyle sprint ahead of Dario Cologna, Italian David Hofer and best of all to him, three Russians.
After a bad crash while training in Sochi, Alex Harvey dislocated his shoulder and will not be competing in the upcoming World Cups Friday through Sunday. The Canadian national team member will take four to five days off, but should be OK for World Championships.
In a season filled with personal-bests and historic finishes for the American women, the 4 x 5 k relay in La Clusaz, France, was a reminder that not every race can be a wild success. They finished ninth out of nine teams on Sunday.
Andy Newell got the U.S. men's relay off to a strong start Sunday, tagging off to Noah Hoffman in fourth. Hoffman rose to second, but two crashes on his last lap proved too much to overcome and the Americans finished 10th, a season best that left the team wanting more.
Things almost looked scary for Norway when Heidi Weng fell and broke a pole in the first kilometer of the 4 x 5 k relay in La Clusaz, but even the tangle couldn't stop Marit Bjørgen from finishing with a 27-second gap on the field. Finland finished second and Norway II took third.
Norway's Sjur Røthe proved Sunday he, too, can beat Sweden's Marcus Hellner -- even if his last-second move was controversial -- as the Norwegians topped the Swedes in the 4 x 7.5 k relay in La Clusaz, France.
Note: This article has been updated. There’s something about La Clusaz. Liz Stephen can’t put her finger on it, but it works for her. A week after her 26th birthday, she notched another career best in the French alpine village -- this time in a classic race.
Proving once again that he can hold his own in a distance race, Andy Newell’s led the way for the U.S. men on Saturday in La Clusaz, France, with a season-best 28th place in the 15 k classic mass start. He was the only North American in the points; teammates Noah Hoffman and Tad Elliott were 68th and 69th, respectively.
Sometimes the wrong wax call can be disastrous. The Canadian men were reminded of that in La Clusaz, France, on Saturday during the mass start 15 k classic, when they chose a mixture of hard wax and klister on a day that ended up better suited for hairies. Ivan Babikov posted the top Canadian finish in 39th.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) used a superior finishing kick to overtake Alexander Bessmertnykh (RUS) at the line and claim victory in the 15km classic mass start in La Clusaz, France. Dario Cologna (SUI) was third and a surprising Didrik Toenseth (NOR) finished fourth.
Marit Bjørgen rose above an irregular heartbeat and a month out of World Cup racing to top Norwegian teammate Therese Johaug and Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk in the 10 k classic mass start Saturday in La Clusaz, France.
Oh Liberec, oh Liberec, before we say so long … here’s what didn’t quite fit into last weekend’s recaps of the World Cup classic sprints and team sprints in the Czech Republic. Disclaimer: It’s Canadian- and female-heavy.
After the Tour de Ski, cross country skiers took a rest while the sprinters returned to the fore, with perennial favorites Teodor Peterson (sprint) and Maiken Caspersen Falla (team sprint) taking wins in Liberec; new faces also rose to the top, like Mona-Liisa Mahlvaleto of Finland in the women's sprint. In biathlon, Martin Fourcade is back to himself and Tora Berger won the mass start on the same course she took her World Championship title last year. Domestic racing was on pause.