WIth a more experienced team than they've had before the Americans are approaching the next six races at World Championships more calmly than they have in recent years. On the eve of the classic sprint Kikkan Randall said she wants to perform well on Thursday, "but there’s not really big expectations on it. I’m feeling excited to race and see what’s in the tank."
Kikkan Randall was eighth to pace three American women to the top 30 in classic sprint in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday. "It’s the kind of day we wanted to have before going to world championships," said USST women's coach Matt Whitcomb.
In a continued demonstration of the depth on the American women's squad, Ida Sargent and Sadie Bjornsen improved upon their team sprint from Liberec with a fifth place showing in Sochi, Russia, on Friday. They were three seconds off the podium and will leave the Olympic venue on a high note.
Liz Stephen was eighth in the 15 k skiathlon in Sochi, Russia, on Saturday. It was the best regular-season result of her life, but she wasn't quite happy with it. She wants a World Cup podium, and at 25 seconds out of third on the grueling Olympic course she's getting oh-so-close.
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.
Note: This article has been updated. There’s something about La Clusaz. Liz Stephen can’t put her finger on it, but it works for her. A week after her 26th birthday, she notched another career best in the French alpine village -- this time in a classic race.
Oh Liberec, oh Liberec, before we say so long … here’s what didn’t quite fit into last weekend’s recaps of the World Cup classic sprints and team sprints in the Czech Republic. Disclaimer: It’s Canadian- and female-heavy.
Two 22-year-old Norwegians, Maiken Caspersen Falla and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, topped Sunday's World Cup team sprint podium, beating Sweden's Ida Ingemarsdotter and Stina Nilsson by half a second in the 6 x 0.85 k skate sprint. The U.S. women with Sadie Bjornsen and Ida Sargent ended up seventh after hanging in third.
Andy Newell was sixth in Liberec, Czech Republic, on Saturday for his third appearance in a sprint final this season. He was the only American to advance past the qualifier, but as this is the first World Cup since before the Tour for many, his teammates look forward to moving up from here on out.
World Cup Period II starts on Saturday when the Tour de Ski kicks off in Oberhoff, Germany. FasterSkier takes a quick look at the Red Group rankings heading into the next World Cup period.
Kikkan Randall climbed from outside the top 20 to finish eighth in Sunday's 15 k skiathlon, the last race of the Alberta World Cup. Ida Sargent claimed 14th for her best result in a distance race, and Emily Nishikawa led the Canadian women.
Ida Sargent earned her second top-10 result of the 2013 season, setting a personal best in a World Cup skate sprint. She was joined in the heats by teammates Sadie Bjornsen and Sophie Caldwell, both of whom had strong days.
Kikkan Randall turned in her best World Cup classic distance result, placing sixth in the 10 k mass start in Canmore. Teammates Sadie Bjornsen and Holly Brooks joined her in the top 30 while Liz Stephen and Jessie Diggins were late scratches.
Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins made it three weekends in a row with a U.S. podium, winning the team sprint in Quebec City over Germany and Norway. The win was a first in a team event for the American women.
The results keep rolling in. Kikkan Randall placed fifth to lead a quintet of American women in the top 25 of the Kuusamo mini-tour and send the team back to North America riding high.
American Ida Sargent lived up to the hype surrounding her sprinting skills on Friday, placing ninth in the Kuusamo World Cup 1.4 k classic sprint just ahead of teammate Kikkan Randall in 10th. Simi Hamilton and Andy Newell made the rounds and placed 24th and 27th, respectively.
GÄLLIVARE, Sweden – It’s always good to finish a race and be happy with the result. But the icing on the cake is when the entire sport seems to be behind your performance. And for the U.S. women after Sunday’s historic third-place relay finish, that was the case. As one team after another crossed the line behind them, they were hugged and congratulated – even by teams who surely wished the podium spot could be...
Despite two crashes that kept Liz Stephen and Jessie Diggins out of the top ten, today was easily one of the best days in the history of the U.S. women's program. The athletes reflect on how they got here.
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...