Alexey Poltoranin proved that once in a while you just need to muscle your way to first place. He opted to use skate skis and double poled his way to the victory in Wednesday’s 10-kilometer classic race, the fourth stage of the Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy.
Finn Hågen Krogh had reason to believe he cold hold off Norwegian teammate Martin Johnsrud Sundby in Sunday's 15 k classic pursuit, the final stage of the Lillehammer mini tour. And Johnsrud, who won every tour last winter, had a feeling he could catch Krogh, but got a little nervous when it took longer than he expected.
Kazakh star Alexey Poltoranin already started working with Andrus Veerpalu last season. But he's now going one step farther, distancing himself from the Kazakh federation by moving to Estonia and working with famed coach Mati Alavar and three Estonian training partners. After disappointment in Sochi, he's eyeing the 2018 Games.
In the wrong place at the wrong time three months ago when he slipped on ice and tore ligaments in his ankle, Switzerland’s Dario Cologna made sure he was in position to do something stellar on Sunday at the first men's cross-country ski race of the Olympics. He won his second Olympic gold, beating the defending champion Marcus Hellner or Sweden to the line.
Just a few meters ahead coming into the homestretch, Ola Vigen Hattestad stayed ahead and outlunged Alexey Poltoranin of Kazakhstan by a couple centimeters on Sunday, giving Norway I the victory as Kazakhstan placed second and Norway II finished third.
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.
Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk and Kazakhstan's Alexey Poltoranin got off to a strong start this weekend, winning two of three opening FIS races in Muonio, Finland. Americans Kris Freeman and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess made it into the top-30s, and several other North Americans competed.
Athletes concerned with new changes to the Falun World Cup Finals course threatened to boycott the prologue on Friday if changes weren't made, citing safety concerns. Athlete representative Kikkan Randall submitted a formal complaint to FIS on behalf of athletes and the mass start course was readjusted, though not to everyone's satisfaction. Justyna Kowalcyzk has said she won't race, and there will be more meetings between FIS and athlete representatives before the start on Friday morning.
Petter Northug put himself in prime position heading into the final World Cup races of the season, beating Alexey Poltoranin in Wednesday's classic sprint in Drammen, Norway, with one powerful finish.
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.
Nikita Kriukov did it again at World Championships, winning gold for Russia, this time in the 6 x 1.5 k freestyle team sprint with Alexey Petukhov on Sunday. Sweden took second and Kazakhstan was third, edging Canada's defending champs by 0.03 seconds for bronze.
US Ski Team member Andy Newell came one step closer to a World Cup podium on Saturday, placing fourth in the 1.5 k classic sprint in Davos, Switzerland. While he was 3 seconds off the mark, Newell isn't too worried: he's still got World Championships and an overall sprint title to chase. Teammate Simi Hamilton notched a season best of 13th, and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess and Erik Bjornsen learned some lessons.
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.
Petter Northug skied his own race and hung on for dear life at the finish to edge a Russian for the first time in this weekend's Ruka Triple and defend his overall title from Kuusamo last year.
GÄLLIVARE, Sweden – When fans were predicting who might win this opening World Cup at Hellner Stadion, a lot of names came up. Surely it might be a Swede – Marcus Hellner, who trains here and gave his name to the stadium, or perhaps one of his teammates, like Johan Olsson or Daniel Richardsson. Or what about “Super Dario” Cologna, the Swiss star who won last year’s World Cup overall title? Maybe Petter Northug...
After months of training and anticipation, the nordic sports opened their seasons around the world this weekend with races around the world. Established veterans had several dominating performances, but there were new faces on the podiums as well, signaling that when World Cup racing starts next weekend, things could be pretty interesting. In Bruksvallarna, Sweden, the Swedish, Canadian, and Slovenian national teams butted heads in a three-day race series. One of the biggest surprises was...
On a clear, cold morning in Muonio, Finland, time marched one step closer to the World Cup and turned up mounting anticipation for it’s commencement by a few degrees. Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) claimed his second victory of the weekend in the 10 k classic, though the rest Kazakh team was not quite as dominant as it was in Friday’s sprint. Lukas Bauer (CZE) was less than five seconds back from Poltoranin in second place and...
It may have been a relatively relaxed tune-up race, but there was no lack of depth in the field that showed up for the FIS classic sprints in Muonio, Finland, on Friday. Kazakhstan produced an impressive sweep of the podium; Alexey Poltoranin, a traditionally strong sprinter, led the charge while compatriots Nikolay Chebotko and Denis Volotka (KAZ) followed close behind. American Andy Newell, who led much of the final heat, finished fourth after a slight...
Though the men’s 15 k classic mass start in Rogla, Slovenia was contested on a 7-lap manmade loop, the final distance race in Period 1 of the World Cup provided plenty of excitement. Petter Northug (NOR) delivered what is now almost an expected sprint-finish performance, and edged out Dario Cologna (SUI) and Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) to the line with a powerful double pole. Though the last-second victory on Saturday was typical of Northug’s style, the...
FasterSkier tipped ‘Polto’, as he is affectionately known around the office, as the man to watch. The young Kazakh did not disappoint, as bagging a silver medal in the sprint during the Kuusamo mini-tour, before falling to 15th in the overall Tour standings. The following weekend in Davos, Switzerland, he Vladimir Smirnov? We here at FasterSkier aren’t willing to call it quite yet, but we’re convinced he has the skills to be pretty darn successful....