Mass Start day at World Juniors: Remi Drolet 4th, Schumacher 5th…Laukli 5th, McCabe 9th (Includes Audio Interview with USST Coach Bernie Nelson)

Wednesday in Oberwiesenthal, Germany World Juniors continued with a 15 k mass start skate for the women. 

Junior Women’s  15 k Mass Start Skate

Norway’s Helene Marie Fossesholm (18) won her second race of these championships by taking the mass start skate in 35:55.6 minutes. Fossesholm also won the 5 k interval start classic race on Monday. Poland’s Izabela Marcisz placed second 1:09.3 back. Marcisz also won a bronze in the 5 k classic. Switzerland’s Siri Wigger skied herself into third (+1:10.6). The theme continues, this was Wigger’s second 2020 championship medal, after placing third in the skate sprint. 

Starting in bib 56, layered well back at the start, was Sophia Laukli (Middlebury) for the U.S. Laukli (19), in her first Junior Worlds, moved up in the pack to place fifth overall (+1:26.5). 

Novie McCabe (MVNST) skied to ninth (+1:33.0) for her best individual Junior World’s result. Mccabe placed 10th in last year’s championship 15 k classic in lahti, Finland. Kendall Kramer (Fairbanks Nordic) was 24th (+2:54.5), and Sydney Palmer-Leger (SVSEF) did not finish. 

Interview with U.S. Ski Team Coach Bernie Nelson

Liliane Gagnon (Skibec Nordique) was the top finisher for Canada in 34th (+3:38.2). Jasmine Drolet (Blackjack Nordic Club) followed close behind in 36th (+3:39.0). Benita Peiffer (Whistler Nordic) placed 49th (+4:43.2), and Elizabeth Elliott (Revelstoke Nordic) skied to 51st (+4:39.1).

Junior Women’s Results 

 

Junior Men’s 30 k Mass Start Skate

The junior men raced a 30 k mass start skate Wednesday with Norway’s Iver Tildhelm Andersen winning in a time of 1:13:39.0. Anderson medlaed in last year’s Junior World’s, placing third in the 10 k skate.

Second place went to Germany’s Friedrich Moch who crossed the line 9.4 seconds back. Moch also placed second in Monday’s 10 k classic. Third place went to Martin Kirkeberg Mørk of Norway, who was 32.8 seconds off the winning pace. 

Scrolling not so far down on the results sheet to places fourth and fifth, respectively, added some excitement for North America; Remi Drolet (Black Jack Nordic) of Canada placed fourth overall (+43.2), and Gus Schumacher (AWS) of the U.S. fifth (+56.1). For Drolet, this was a Junior World’s career best result – he placed seventh in last year’s Junior World’s 30 k mass start skate. 

At 25 k Wednesday, Drolet was positioned sixth overall, 19.4 seconds back on the then leading Moch. He was in a group with Mørk, and Italy’s Davide Graz. Roughly four seconds ahead was Schmacher as their carrot. By 28.8 k, Schumacher had faded slightly, as Drolet moved into fourth.

Schumacher won Monday’s 10 k classic, and with Wednesday’s fifth, nearly matches his fourth place in the 2019 Junior World’s 30 k mass start classic.      

Thomas Stephen (Foothills Nordic) of Canada, placed 17th (+3:35.8), Xavier McKeever (Foothills Nordic) 32nd (+5:43.3), and Michael Murdoch (Whistler Nordic) 45th (+8:23.5). 

For the U.S., Luke Jager placed 19th (+3:46.1), Johnny Hagenbuch (SVSEF) 20th (+3:49.2), and Zanden McMullen (APU) 35th (+6:03.3). 

 

These events conclude individual racing for the juniors at these World Championships. 

Junior Men’s Results