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Dahria Beatty

Rebounding From the Skiathlon, Three Americans Sprint to Top-10 Results (Updated)

Onward and upward. Day two in Oberstdorf, Germany featured a 1.5-kilometer classic sprint with three sharp toothlike climbs. Seemingly riding the edge of their capability inside the tracks, athletes pumped their way up each pitch before wrapping around a bend and descending an equal grade back toward the stadium. After what Matt Whitcomb called an “off day”, the Americans demonstrated their ability to rebound. To not let the sensations or disappointment from one day percolate...

With Arms Raised: It’s a Johaug Win in Oberstdorf – Brennan in 17th, Diggins 22nd

Here at FasterSkier, we do not play the odds. Some contributors we know play Noah Hoffman’s Fantasy League – but we steer clear of rolling the dice on cross-country skiing. But the women’s skiathlon events on the World Cup may not be the biggest payouts since in recent history they have been a lock.  Oberstdorf in Oberstdorf, Germany — the site of next year’s Nordic Ski World Championships — required no crystal ball of an...

Canadian Racing Rundown: Westerns, Pragelato, and Lausanne

Canada took a step back from the World Cup circuit this weekend and focussed attention into development series. As the country tries to build momentum in a post Alex Harvey world, the focus has moved away from World Cup podiums and towards a consistent presence in the top 30. The road to the World Cup goes through local and regional races on the way to national/continental races. One of the development challenges in Canada is...

With the Tour de Ski in the rearview mirror, athletes donned bibs for a city sprint weekend in Dresden, Germany. Like the other bookend in Planica the weekend before it began, athletes who focused on the Tour de Ski — mostly distance skiers and all-arounders — were not in attendance to focus on rest and recovery. This narrowed the field  in Dresden to a sprint-focused lineup. Under grey skies, skiers drag-raced on an icy ribbon...

Caldwell Adds Third Place to Her Davos Resume

(An earlier version of the story mistakenly stated Caldwell had placed second. FIS live timing had Caldwell in second place. Apologies for the error.) When Davos is good, it is good on a global scale. With the Swiss valley blanketed in snow, and a gauze of high clouds keeping the race proceedings just a notch away from perfectly sun-shiny, the World Cup’s 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint was won by twenty-year-old Swede Linn Svahn. According to the...

Rebuilding Canada: Less Europe, More North America

  Canada is moving into a new era in skiing. An era with less World Cup podiums and more emphasis on developing future podium athletes. “Train at what you want to be good at. If its climbing, climb. If it is chess, play chess. Ski training has many elements of course, but in the end the best training to race fast is to race.” — Erik Bråten, National Team Head Coach In the near future,...

United States Overall in Nations Cup Last Year: 5th Women’s Ranking 2018/2019: 4th Men’s Ranking 2018/2019: 11th Americans to Watch: Seven men and nine women will be lining up in stars and stripes for the World Cup’s opening: Finland’s Ruka Triple. Three race series features a classic sprint followed by a two-day distance pursuit. At the top of the ranks, Jessie Diggins (USST/SMS T2) finished the 2019 season 6th in distance and 7th in sprint....

Frozen Thunder – King’s Court Sprints (Press Release)

Nordiq Canada hosted the annual kick-off to the race season at Canmore Nordic Centre on November 13th. The ‘Nordiq Thunder’ races are an opportunity to put on a bib and test fitness and are not being used for trip selection this year. The full press release follows the two winner’s interviews, below. Results for both days are on zone4.ca — Press Release — CANMORE, Alta.—Antoine Briand and Maya MacIsaac-Jones were crowned the king and queen...

Nordiq Canada: Ringing in the Changes

When Cross Country Canada announced last March that they would be rebranding as Nordiq Canada, they were emphatic the new name was a symbol of their readiness to make changes.  Those changes are starting to happen. One holdover from last season is Erik Bråten, the young Norwegian brought in to shape the development pipeline. After one year on the job, Bråten is still enthusiastic and now the sole head coach. Louis Bouchard has stepped down...

Here we are in late August, halfway between the start of the training year in early May and the beginning of the competition season in late November. Volume is the name of the game during the summer and at this time of year, it is not uncommon for top athletes to train 20 to 30 hours per week. Typically, the training logs prescribe athletes to head out on long runs, rides, and rollerskis at a...

Bridging the Gap: Nordiq Canada’s Female Coach Mentorship Program

It is no secret that the lineup of coaches, wax techs, and support staff in high level cross country skiing is predominantly male; while the percentage of female coaches and support staff varies by country, it is far from 50-50 across the board. The degree to which nations are addressing this disparity also varies. On March 20th, the Women’s Committee of Nordiq Canada launched its second iteration of the Female Coach Mentorship program, which provides...

Race Rundown: A Pair of Bjornsen Wins at Super Tour Finals 10/15 k Mass Start Classic

Super Tour Finals continued in the north woods of Presque Isle, ME with the first of the men’s and women’s distance events. Icy conditions caused a delay in racing and left fast classic tracks at the Nordic Heritage Center. The races can be streamed live or replayed on the U.S. Ski Team Facebook page. Men’s 15-kilometer Mass Start Classic In the men’s 15-kilometer race, a pack of six men led by Simi Hamilton (USST/SMS T2)...

Canadian Nationals: Skate Sprint and WCF qualification

This article has been updated with final WCF selections and a video of the sprint A finals. Nationals rolled on at Nakkertok trails with free technique sprints on Saturday. The women raced a 1.3km course while the men added one more hill for 1.4km.  The jury described the conditions as ‘soft icy’, which seems to mean ‘fast spring skiing’ with a soft layer over a firm base. Maya MacIsaac-Jones (CNST) took her second consecutive national...

Canadian Nationals: Two Day Pursuit and WCF Qualification

This article has been updated to correct an interpretation of the selection criteria. Day two of nationals was day two of the pursuit at Nakkertok trails in Gatineau, Québec. The two-day pursuit format (classic interval start on day one, free technique pursuit start day two) was held for the second time at nationals. With both national titles and starts at World Cup Finals in Québec City up for grabs, it was always going to be...

Wednesday Rundown: Canadian Nationals

Canadian Ski Championships, better known as ‘nationals’, kicked off today at the Nakkertok trails in Québec with individual start classic racing. 342 men started the 10km and 293 women started the 5km, both using the same 5km loop on an overcast day at -8C. The field is more stacked than usual, with only two athletes (Alex Harvey and Jack Carlyle) in Europe right now. Lenny Valjas (CNST) won the 10km in 25:09.3, 9.9 seconds ahead...

Peerless Johaug Takes 30 k Skate; Diggins in Fourth

From start to finish on Saturday, Norway’s Therese Johaug commanded the front without missing a beat. By the 5 k mark, the top seven skiers, which included Norwegians Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, Austrian Teresa Stadlober, Sweden’s Ebba Andersson and Frida Karlsson and American Jessie Diggins, as well as Johaug, had a close to 30 second gap on the field’s remaining 41 starters. But for anyone familiar with Johaug, it isn’t enough to...

Saturday Race Rundown: Seefeld’s 30 k Freestyle

FIS Nordic Ski World Championships Seefeld, Austria Women’s 30 k Freestyle Link to the full race report. Saturday closed out the racing for the women with the 30-kilometer freestyle at the 2019 World Championships in Seefeld, Austria. Norway’s Therese Johaug, already the winner of the skiathlon and 10 k classic at these championships, secured her third gold in a time of 1:14:26.2 hours. Her teammate Ingvild Flugstad Østberg placed second (+36.8). Sweden’s nineteen-year-old Frida Karlsson...

An Iconic Women’s Relay as Sweden Holds off Norway; U.S. in Fifth

The beautiful chess match on snow came down to the wire in Thursday’s 4 x 5-kilometer relay at the Seefeld, Austria World Championships. The chaser was Norway’s Therese Johaug, hustling to close an 18.8-second gap to Sweden’s Stina Nilsson. Known as a sprinter who comes to distance events with aerobic chops, Nilsson, who won bronze in the 2018 Olympic 30 k classic mass start, couldn’t be rattled as Johaug lurked ever closer as the 5...

Thursday Race Rundown from Seefeld: Sweden in a Nail-biter

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Seefeld, Austria Women’s 4 x 5 k Relay The race pack held together until the 3.5-kilometer mark of the scramble leg during the women’s World Championship 4 x 5 k relay in Seefeld, Austria. A bit over three seconds separated the top-six teams through the time check. gel voltaren gel By the time the third leg began, Sweden and Norway had surged and defined the race as a two team...

Never a Slow Moment: Johaug and Karlsson in a Generational 10 k Duel

  The race is the spectacle that determines the outcome. And when Norway’s Therese Johaug highlights the start list, her winning outcome seems pre-determined as soon as she skates or strides from the start. On Tuesday in the World Championship interval start 10-kilometer classic, Johaug won gold. In a race where splits are given, Johaug may have only been flummoxed by the close margin between her first place and the resolute chaser in nineteen-year-old Frida...