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...
The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced Thursday that the first World Cup of the 2011-2012 season, originally scheduled for Beitostølen, Norway, will instead be held a 170 km drive to the east in Sjusjøen, Norway. The venue is situated just 20 km outside Lillehammer, and has never held a World Cup event before, according to Terje Lund, head of the organizing committee. The event schedule will remain the same: 10/15 k on Saturday, November 19 and a...
Whether or not the Beitostølen World Cup
With current temperatures in Beitostølen, Norway hovering a few degrees above freezing, chances are the first World Cup of the season, scheduled to take place November 19 – 20, will be canceled or moved to a new venue. The International Ski Federation (FIS) has until Wednesday to make the call according to competition rules. “I would say the chances for Beitostølen are 10% and for Sjusjøen, [Norway] 40%,” said cross-country race director Jürg Capol via...
The winners of the individual and relay races at the World Cup in Beitostolen last weekend were not subjected to doping tests, according to FIS Anti-Doping Administrator Sarah Fussek. In a telephone interview with FasterSkier, Fussek said that FIS rules required targeted testing of podium finishers only at certain international events selected by the Federation-not at all of them. This has been the case since last year. “We’re not conducting doping controls at every competition,”...
Before this winter, very few ski fans would have recognized the name Ronny Andre Hafsaas. The 24-year-old Norwegian had competed in just a single cross country World Cup in Switzerland, finishing in 36th place. But for the past two years, Hafsaas has been quietly collecting top-tens on the international biathlon circuit, and today, he stamped his authority on the first race of the World Cup season in Beitostolen. Hafsaas beat all of the favorites in the...
(translated from langrenn.com “Marit er i en annen liga” and “Dette gir selvtillit” 11-15-09) Kikkan Randall had a very impressive 4th place finish this morning in the Beitostolen classic, ensuring a bit of variety in the otherwise Norwegian-stacked top 5. Marit Bjorgen won the race with a crushing 23 second lead in the 5km race, which was just over 14 minutes long. This followed her strong win yesterday and prompted her teammate Marthe Kristofferson, 25 seconds back...
(translated from Langrenn.com, 11-14-09 “Rå seier til Northug”,”Bjørgen utklasset konkurrentene”) Marit Bjørgen skied to victory in today’s 10km skate race in Beitostolen. Norwegian teammate Kristin Størmer Steira finished second, 52 seconds behind, while Arianna Follis (ITA) took third. Norway took 5 of the top 10 finishes. The U.S. Ski Team saw two top-thirty finished today as Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola placed 16th and 24th, respectively. In the Men’s 15km skate, Norway’s Petter Northug started...
(translated from Langrenn.com) In response to the article in langrenn.com on Wednesday, “Ulvang mener Northug må få sin del av landslagskaka”, Terje Julusmoen on behalf of Press Team Northug issued a statement saying that Petter Northug’s relationship with the Norwegian Ski Federation was very good, he was happy to have a place on the team, and was also proud to be part of the best team in the world. The press release further stated that Northug would...