Some of our favorite photos from the second half of the men's 4 x 10-kilometer relay on Sunday at the Sochi Olympics, including Sweden's Marcus Hellner literally jumping out of his skis and Russia's Alexander Legkov tebowing after the finish.
Sweden won both the women's and men's relays at the Olympics for the first time since 1972 and the men defended their 2010 title with a miraculous first leg from Lars Nelson and dominant performances from Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and Marcus Hellner, respectively.
Petter Northug of Norway, who was a World Champion last season over the same distance, will not start today's 15 k individual race - and neither will Alexander Legkov and Maxim Vylegzhanin of Russia, Johannes Duerr of Austria, or Maurice Manificat of France. Norwegian and Russian coaches chat about the reasoning.
With a rocket-fast last lap and some unplanned help from Canada's Alex Harvey, Alexander Legkov made Saturday a little less about Dario Cologna, who returned to the World Cup after missing the first half of the season. Legkov won the last distance race before the Olympics, bringing Russia some good vibes before it hosts the Games.
Canadian Alex Harvey skied back onto the Tour de Ski podium, finishing third in the 35 k freestyle pursuit, his third podium of the seven stage event.
With the eighth-annual Tour de Ski starting 24 hours from 8 a.m. EST, we thought we’d give you a rundown of what’s happening when and who’s racing.
Maxim Vylegzhanin and the Russian relay team seized the men's 4 x 7.5 k relay victory on Sunday in Lillehammer, greatly raising their team's expectations ahead of the Sochi Olympics. If Lillehammer made anything clear it's that the men's relay is now dominated by a new Norway/Russia rivalry.
Out of 17 Norwegians in Saturday's World Cup 15 k classic race, Pål Golberg wasn't the favorite. The 23 year old ended up notching his first World Cup victory in Lillehammer, and lesser-known teammate Didrik Tønseth surprised (himself) in third.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby held off Russians Maxim Vylegzhanin and Alexander Legkov in the homestretch to claim victory in the Ruka Triple mini-tour.
Looking back on last season, anyone who watched Johan Olsson ski away from the pack and win the 50 k classic mass start at World Championships would be hard-pressed to forget it. Other inspiring performances include Marit Bjørgen's 30 k win, Therese Johaug's Holmenkollen domination, Petter Northug's individual-start victory, and Alexander Legkov making history at the Tour de Ski.
Petter Northug, Jr., joined rare company on Sunday in becoming the second Norwegian in history to win more than one overall World Cup crystal globe. He kept Alexander Legkov and Dario Cologna at bay with his victory in the 15 k pursuit at World Cup Finals to finish off a memorable season in Falun, Sweden.
The typical plot line never materialized. Norway's Petter Northug was supposed to spend the first several laps back in 25th and then surge to the front for the victory in the final 100 meters at World Cup Finals in Sweden. Instead, Northug's teammate Eldar Rønning salvaged a tough season with a surprise 15-kilometer classic mass start victory, posting a time of 43:26 minutes on the 2015 World Championships course.
Just when spectators thought he might falter, Petter Northug rebounded from a nearly five-second deficit midway through Friday's 2.5 k prologue to win his second-straight race of World Cup Finals by 2.1 seconds over teammate Pal Golberg. Norway showed its strength on the modified course, putting six in the top seven.
On Saturday in Oslo, Norway, Alexander Legkov triumphed on Holmenkollen's notoriously brutal track, persevering through vicious pace changes, 2,000 meters of climbing, and warm, wet conditions to win the prestigious 50 k freestyle by 1.2 seconds over Martin Johnsrud Sundby.
On Sunday in Lahti, Finland, Petter Northug took his second individual victory of the season, this time in the classic discipline, winning in a time of 34:35.6. The margin back to second place finisher Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) was a yawning 31.7 seconds, and to countryman Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) it was 35.1 seconds. "I was hungry again today," Northug told reporters.
Johan Olsson surprised most everyone and held his own for nearly 30 k on Sunday, skiing alone with a relentless drive for gold in the World Championships 50 k classic mass start on a hot-and-slushy afternoon.
Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) put forth an impressive show of strength to take the men's 1.5 k classic sprint on Saturday in Davos, Switzerland. Hometown hero and World Cup overall leader Dario Cologna (SUI) took second; Federico Pellegrino (ITA) secured the final podium position.
Dario Cologna earned his first win of the season, besting a strong group of Russians on the 2014 Olympic skiathlon course.
Taking off near the bottom of the Alpe Cermis climb, Alexander Legkov managed to ski smoothly up the mountain and over the plateau at the top, claiming Russia's first Tour de Ski title. Dario Cologna held on for second, while Maxim Vylgzhanin kept a suffering Petter Northug off the podium.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) skied to his second consecutive Tour stage win, besting the Canadian duo of Len Valjas and Alex harvey in a sprint to the line.Dario Cologna (SUI) moved into the overall Tour lead.