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Norway Women Win Again, But It’s Closest Relay in Two Years; U.S. Fourth in Nailbiter (Updated)

Norway Women Win Again, But It’s Closest Relay in Two Years; U.S. Fourth in Nailbiter (Updated)

Chelsea LittleJanuary 22, 2017

Another women’s 4 x 5 k World Cup relay, another Norwegian win. Yawn? Not so fast. While the team of Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, Heidi Weng, Astrid Jacobsen, and Marit Bjørgen may have picked up the victory, the women’s race in Ulricehamn, Sweden, was anything but dull. For one thing, it was the closest race in 23 months, going all the way back to the 2014 Olympics where Sweden took gold. The top four teams all...

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After Five Weeks Away, Bjørgen Back on Top in Ulricehamn; Four Americans in Top 25
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After Five Weeks Away, Bjørgen Back on Top in Ulricehamn; Four Americans in Top 25

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 22, 2017

There are a lot of things Marit Bjørgen is not. She is not the only woman on Norway’s national team who knows how to win. She is not in the early stages of her cross-country career — her first World Cup debut came in December 1999. In comparison to many of her Norwegian teammates, she is not young. The average age of Norway’s women competing in Saturday’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Ulricehamn, Sweden, (Bjørgen not included)...

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Toblach Sprint Weekend: Bonus Quotes
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Toblach Sprint Weekend: Bonus Quotes

FasterSkierJanuary 17, 2017

And you thought the weekend after the Tour de Ski would be boring. For fans of North American World Cup cross-country skiers, it was anything but, with Simi Hamilton coming excruciatingly close to a win in the men’s freestyle sprint on Saturday, Jan. 14, and placing second for his first podium of the season, followed by Canada’s first team-sprint victory since 2011 for Len Valjas’s first World Cup win. There was a lot of excitement surrounding two...

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Hamilton Back on Podium in Toblach Sprint; Five Americans in Top 13
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Hamilton Back on Podium in Toblach Sprint; Five Americans in Top 13

Alex KochonJanuary 14, 2017

The feeling was beyond déjà vu. Simi Hamilton remembered the exact moment so clearly: almost exactly Tour de Ski’s first stage in Val Müstair, Switzerland. After leaving the Tour after Stage 2, Hamilton competed in two OPA Cup races last weekend in Planica, Slovenia. There, he won the skate sprint and finished fifth in the 10 k skate. “That definitely increased my confidence and I felt much better about where I was fitness-wise and speed-wise...

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Nordic Nation: Competition Analysis with Grover and Diggins
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Nordic Nation: Competition Analysis with Grover and Diggins

Jason AlbertJanuary 5, 2017

Diggins placed fourth in that race. The FIS Competition Analysis is a tool coaches and skiers can use to see exactly where they skied effectively, and where they may have lost time. In Davos, pretty much Diggins skied fast. FIS Competition Analysis from the Tour de Ski’s stage 4 women’s 10 k freestyle pursuit in Oberstdorf, Germany; Diggins placed fifth and her U.S. teammates had an impressive day as well. Other references: 

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Seven-Stage Tour de Ski Starts Saturday
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Seven-Stage Tour de Ski Starts Saturday

FasterSkierDecember 30, 2016

It’s time for the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) 11th Tour de Ski. The 2017 edition takes place in three countries and four different venues. Racers will compete in seven stages over the course of nine days. The grueling Alpe Cermis — a 9-kilometer freestyle hill climb in Val di Fiemme, Italy — will be featured again as the final race to determine the overall Tour de Ski (TdS) results. Directly leading up to the multi-stage event, currently out...

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Krogh Wins La Clusaz Mass Start; Harvey 7th; Bjornsen 20th
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Krogh Wins La Clusaz Mass Start; Harvey 7th; Bjornsen 20th

Jason AlbertDecember 17, 2016

Sundby is usually the cat, the others his mice. Not today in La Clusaz, France -- site of a 15 k mass start free. Norway's Finn Hågen Krogh beat the master to win the day. Sundby was second, Russia's Alexander Legkov was third. Canada's Alex Harvey was seventh after crashing, while U.S. skier Erik Bjornsen placed 20th -- his first ever skate distance points.

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Despite Being in ‘Last Place’ Brennan Battles Back for 22nd; Weng Wins 10 k Skate
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Despite Being in ‘Last Place’ Brennan Battles Back for 22nd; Weng Wins 10 k Skate

Gabby NaranjaDecember 17, 2016

A little less than twenty seconds into Saturday’s 10-kilometer freestyle mass start, American Rosie Brennan was facing the wrong way. A collision in the first 100 meters had left her spinning and when she finally came to a stop, all that lay before her was the small section of course she had already covered. A few seconds later — upon turning around and seeing the entire women’s field of World Cup athletes skiing away —...

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After Hot World Cup Start, Patterson Needs Nationals to Make Lahti Team
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After Hot World Cup Start, Patterson Needs Nationals to Make Lahti Team

Chelsea LittleDecember 14, 2016

Caitlin Patterson of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project had a red-hot start to her World Cup season, finishing 28th in the 10-kilometer classic in Kuusamo, Finland, and thus scoring World Cup points in the very first weekend of racing. But since then, not everything has gone perfectly for last season’s SuperTour leader. In the Lillehammer mini tour, she failed to crack the top 30 in any individual races and finished the tour 42nd overall. “A lot of...

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Davos Notes and Quotes: The Women

FasterSkierDecember 12, 2016

A weekend of World Cup action in Davos, Switzerland, saw two Norwegian women take top honors: Maiken Caspersen Falla in the skate sprint. Here’s all the reporting – and there’s a lot – that didn’t make it into the race reports. On ending up in a sprint heat with your teammate “I picked that heat because it was just the heat with the least amount of people at the time. You never want to be...

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First Sprint Win of the Season for Ustiugov; Canada’s Valjas 14th Overall in Davos
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First Sprint Win of the Season for Ustiugov; Canada’s Valjas 14th Overall in Davos

Gabby NaranjaDecember 11, 2016

After qualifying 29th in the men's 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint on Sunday, Russia's Sergey Ustiugov made his way to the top of the results, winning his first sprint of the FIS season and besting two Norwegians--Finn Hågen Krogh and Sindre Bjørnestad Skar--in the process. “I knew I had power to win. It is great to win here in Davos,” Ustiugov said.

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Falla Solves Davos Sprint, Diggins Fifth; Beatty 25th in Canadian Breakthrough
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Falla Solves Davos Sprint, Diggins Fifth; Beatty 25th in Canadian Breakthrough

Chelsea LittleDecember 11, 2016

DAVOS, Switzerland—After winning the first 15 k World Cup of her career on Saturday, Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg – long considered a sprint specialist – noted that maybe it was sprinting she actually needed to work on. One day later, there’s no doubt that she’s still got it. Østberg finished second behind teammate Maiken Caspersen Falla in the freestyle sprint, and took the overall World Cup lead from another teammate, Heidi Weng. “I will sleep...

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Queen of 5 k Skate, Diggins Makes It a Habit in Lillehammer
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Queen of 5 k Skate, Diggins Makes It a Habit in Lillehammer

Alex KochonDecember 3, 2016

Note: This article has been updated to include American Rosie Brennan’s result. *** There are several different ways to describe Lillehammer’s 5-kilometer freestyle course, complete with at least five notable climbs, one of which takes a World Cup skier about 3 1/2 minutes to conquer. “Fun” isn’t the word most would use, but most aren’t Jessie Diggins. A 25-year-old member of the U.S. Ski Team from Afton, Minn., Diggins rounded the one-lap course with a speed no...

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USST Returns From New Zealand Training Camp (with Photo Gallery)
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USST Returns From New Zealand Training Camp (with Photo Gallery)

Gabby NaranjaSeptember 20, 2016

Earlier this month, the U.S. Ski Team returned to New Zealand's Snow Farm for on-snow training and racing. “The primary goal was extended time on snow working on group and individual technique needs,” head coach Chris Grover explained. “Another goal of the camp was to touch base with racing." Ten U.S. skiers started 2-4 races, and several racked up podiums.

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