U23 World’s 15 k / 30 k Mass Start Rundown

Jason AlbertMarch 5, 2020
Ebba Andersson of Sweden in bib 1 and placing first at the U23 World’s 15 k skate. (Photo: Doug Stephen)

U23 Women’s 15 k Mass Start

Sweden-Sweden-Sweden: Ebba Andersson, Moa Lundgren, and Emma Ribom went 1-2-3 for the all Sweden podium. If one thing is certain from our race coverage this season, we know Sweden is ready for World Cup podiums now. The U23 sweep in Oberwiesenthal, Germany at these U23 World Championships likely means more to come. Andersson crossed the finish line alone in 35:44.4. Lundgren came across 37.1 seconds back, Ribom 45.2 seconds behind.

In bib 5 Emma Ribom, and bib 4, Moa Lundgren, both of Sweden, during the 15 k mass start. (Photo: Doug Stephen)

For Andersson, a World Cup regular, this was her second win of these Championships – she won the 15 k classic on Tuesday. One third through the race, at 5 k, Adersson had stamped her authority on the masses, and has pulled away solo with a 11 second gap. That expanded to 17.5 seconds at 7.5 k, with the eventual doubling of that time-spread by the finish. 

Skiing for the U.S., Haliey Swirbul (APU) was the top team finisher in 15th overall (+2:16.0)., Julia Kern (SMST2) placed 27th (+3:34.2), Sarah Goble (MTU) 39th (+4:52.2), and Alexandria Lawson (Middlebury) 46th (+6:38.6). 

In bib 2, Hailey Swirbul of the U.S., and Johanne Hauge Harviken (bib 25) of Norway: U23 15 mass start skate. (Photo: Doug Stephen)

Canada’s Laura Leclair (Chelsea Nordiq) skied to 22nd (+2:49.9), Hannah Mehain (Sovereign Lake) 38th (+4:51.8), Annika Richardson (Lappe Nordic) 43rd (+5:15.3), and Laurence Dumais (Fondeurs Laurentides) 50th (+7:28.3). 

Women’s Results

Men’s U23 Mass Start

The U23 men’s 30 k mass start skate became six skier affair by the mid-point at 15 k. With 5 k remaining, the three skiers constituting the eventual podium had separated for good. Norway’s Harald Østberg Amundsen won in 1:12:42. Russia’s Sergey Ardashev placed second (+7.4), and Håvard Moseby of Norway third (+40.5). 

Norway’s Harald Østberg Amundsen winning the U23 World’s 30 k mass start skate. (Photo: Doug Stephen)

Amundsen and Ardashev flip-flopped their results from Tuesday’s 15 k classic in which the Russian bested the Norwegian by over a minute. 

Canada’s Philippe Boucher (Commission de ski Nordique) was the top North American in 12th (+3:15.2). Antoine Cyr (Skinouk) placed 18th (+4:46.8), and Sam Hendry (Canmore Nordic) did not start. 

Philippe Boucher of Canada skiing to 12th overall in the U23 men’s 30 k mass start skate. (Photo: Doug Stephen)

Zane Fields (Ford Sayre), for the U.S., placed 22nd (+5:28.2), Hunter Wonders (APU) 24th (+5:41.2), Finn O’Connell (UVM) 44th (+9:53.8), and Zak Ketterson (APU) did not start. 

For the U.S., Zane Fields (bib 39), and Hunter Wonders: U23 World’s 30 k mass start skate. (Photo: Doug Stephen)

Men’s Results

The U23’s conclude their racing with a 4 x 5 k mixed relay on Saturday.

Jason Albert

Jason lives in Bend, Ore., and can often be seen chasing his two boys around town. He’s a self-proclaimed audio geek. That all started back in the early 1990s when he convinced a naive public radio editor he should report a story from Alaska’s, Ruth Gorge. Now, Jason’s common companion is his field-recording gear.

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