FasterSkier was on-site and live video broadcasting from the Craftsbury Supertour freestyle sprints, where Jennie Bender and Kris Freeman won their respective races. Missed the broadcast? We have the full program here for you to watch.
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Freestyle Sprint
Blackhorse-von Jess 2-For-2 in Nationals Sprints; Kornfield Back on Podium
Lander KarathJanuary 10, 2015
It felt like deja vu in Houghton, Mich. as Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess returned to the podium for his second national title of the week in the 1.5 k freestyle sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships.
Sophie Caldwell won a photo finish in her quarterfinal heat on the way to seventh place in Tuesday's Tour de Ski 1.4 k freestyle sprint in Val Müstair, Switzerland. Meanwhile, Kikkan Randall continues to improve on the Tour stage after taking tenth overall.
Canadian Women Dominate SuperTour Sprint; Bender Narrowly Claims Third
Lander KarathNovember 29, 2014
SuperTour racing began Friday with a 1.5 k freestyle sprint in West Yellowstone, Mont. With warm temperatures and strong winds, two Canadians, Heidi Widmer and Alysson Marshall, were able to top the American women's field led by Jennie Bender.
An Exhausted Harvey Barely Misses Lahti Final; Hamilton Races Through Chest Cold for 20th
Lander KarathMarch 1, 2014
It was a long and tiring journey to Lahti, Finland for Alex Harvey. After suffering cramps in the Olympic 50 k, excessive travel, a lack of training gear, and general exhaustion, the Quebec native bounced back for a top ten finish in Saturday’s 1.5 k freestyle sprint, placing seventh.
At the first World Cup since World Championships, the American men posted two top-30s between the freestyle sprint and 15 k classic in Lahti, Finland. Kris Freeman was 25th in the distance event and Andy Newell placed 27th in the preceding sprint. Neither result was stellar, but it was Freeman's best finish since his top-10 in Canmore.
Sadie Bjornsen notched a career-best ninth-place finish in the Lahti, Finland, freestyle sprint on the same day her teammate, Kikkan Randall, secured the crystal sprint globe for the U.S. "She almost stole the show, in a way," said USST women's coach Matt Whitcomb. Seven American women in all competed on Saturday; Jessie Diggins followed Bjornsen in 25th.
In her 100th career World Cup start in Lahti, Finland, on Saturday, American Kikkan Randall won a photo-finish with Marit Bjørgen in the freestyle sprint and locked down the season-long quest for the crystal sprint globe for the second year in a row. "If you put in the work and stay dedicated then you can be the best in the world. And it’s pretty fun," Randall said afterwards.
Randall and Sargent Pace Seven Americans in Sochi Heats
Audrey ManganFebruary 1, 2013
Seven Americans landed in the heats in the freestyle sprint in Sochi, Russia, on Friday. Kikkan Randall calmly won her third sprint of the season and Ida Sargent was sixth in her first appearance in a World Cup final. La Clusaz is but a distant memory.
Kikkan Randall proved to the world once again that she can overcome any obstacle to reach the top of a World Cup podium. The first Olympic test event of the weekend took place on Friday at the Laura Cross-Country Stadium outside Sochi, Russia, where Randall bested France’s Aurore Jean and Norway’s Celine Brun-Lie to claim her second individual sprint win and ninth podium of the season.
Distance guys made the final, favorites got eliminated early and at the end of it all, Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess (Bend Endurance Academy) drew on the inspiration of an emotional week to pull off his first career national championship. Our photos from throughout the day.
On an overcast morning before the freestyle sprint kicks off at Soldier Hollow, volunteers work hard on course preparation, coaches dial in wax and athletes arrive at the venue for one more nerve-wracking race. Some images from the final hours before the start.
Can anyone touch Torin Koos? Will Sadie Bjornsen be able to keep the ball rolling? Our final set of official U.S. Nationals predictions.
After Making Quarterfinals, North American Men Done In By Narrow Courses In Milan
Chelsea LittleJanuary 14, 2012
The narrow, winding sprint course through Milan’s Parco Sempione was not good to the North American men on Saturday. While three of them made the heats, not a single one advanced to the semifinals, done in by the narrow course which left little room to maneuver. “It was really tight from the gun and with such a monotonous course you’re not going to get a lot of shifting around,” said American Simi Hamilton, who finished...
First Shots at Black Mountain: Day 1 of U.S. Nationals (Photos and Video)
Alex KochonJanuary 3, 2012
RUMFORD, Maine — A look at the freestyle sprint course on Black Mountain, about 1 1/2 hours before the start. The women’s 1.4 k qualifier kicks off at 9 a.m. and the men start the 1.6 k qualifier at 10 a.m. Video: Athletes were busy warming up on the sprint course and some coaches had been testing wax since before dark.
DUSSELDORF, Germany — Kikkan Randall is a World Cup Overall threat. At least, that was the way it felt in the city of Dusseldorf Saturday afternoon, when Randall hammered around the 900-meter manmade loop on her way to her first World Cup victory of the season. In the freestyle sprint, Randall out-gunned Natalia Matveeva (RUS) in the rush for the line, while Laurien Van Der Graaf (SUI) picked up the bronze medal in her first-ever...
One misstep and one mistake, and it was all over for the American women in Hinterzarten. 50 meters into her quarterfinal here, Jessie Diggins found herself on the ground, seeing stars. Sophie Caldwell lasted longer, and was in contention to advance, but she lost crucial ground coming into the final turn that she could not make up in the finishing sprint. Sitting in third on the final downhill, Caldwell swung to the outside of the...
Who the Heck is Tyler Kornfield?
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 3, 2010
Who the heck is Tyler Kornfield? That’s what a sizable portion of the U.S. skiing community was left asking yesterday, as the 18-year-old skied his way to a fourth place finish in the freestyle sprint national championship. Though the name may be unfamiliar to many around the country, Kornfield is known around Alaska as the 2009 state champion in the 7.5k classic race. When he signed to ski at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF),...