Ivan Yakimushkin – FasterSkier.com

Bolshunov collects third gold medal while Krüger rebounds to bronze post-COVID; Patterson historic 8th place for USA

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 19, 2022

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. There were a number of stories to unpack during the men’s 50-kilometer mass start free, which was changed last minute to 28 k due to extreme weather conditions in Zhangjiakou....

News Olympics Racing

Organizers cut Saturday’s Olympic ski marathon in half. Now they’re facing a backlash.

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 19, 2022

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA — The 28 kilometers that Alexander Bolshunov raced Saturday was only enough to take him just past the halfway point of the race he’d entered at the Winter Olympics. But Bolshunov, who competes for Russia, is still going home with the gold medal. That development is the result of a decision by race organizers to shorten the Olympics’ iconic 50-kilometer marathon event in the face of brutal wind and cold. But they’re now...

Racing World Cup

Norway Takes the Relay Win at Home in a Close Match; United States I Team Races to 9th, Canada 10th

Ian TovellDecember 5, 2021

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. Most-often the champions of the event, the Norwegian men’s program has been waiting for another crack at the 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay on home turf for the last two...

Racing World Cup

Bolshunov and Russia Sweep, Schumacher in 14th: Stage 4 of the Tour de Ski

Jason AlbertJanuary 5, 2021

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. Stage 4 of the Tour de Ski introduced a change of scenery on Tuesday with the flanks of the Dolomites sinking from sky to valley floor in Tobalch, Italy....

Racing World Cup

Bolshunov Skis Big and Bold, Dario Cologna Sneaks in for a Podium

Jason AlbertJanuary 2, 2021

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. Val Müstair, Switzerland and its snowfall were again the idyllic backdrops for the Tour de Ski (TdS) where the men raced a 15-kilometer classic mass start to kick...

Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Bolshunov Four for Four in Distance Wins; Norris Earns Season Best Result in 24th

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 9, 2020

Around and around they go. Due to lack of snow in Falun, Sweden, the men again wheeled their way around a manmade ribbon of snow, skating six icy 2.5-kilometer laps. Reduced from 30 to the 15 k distance and without the long, steep climb for which the course is usually known, how athletes would fare was yet to be determined. Along the way, two sets of 15 bonus points were available for the top ten...

Racing Tour de Ski

Bolshunov Steals the Show and the Overall Leader Bib in Stage 4

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 1, 2020

The hunter becomes the hunted. Looking back on previous tours, Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov has not worn the leader bib going into the pursuit stage except for the 2016/2017 tour in Oberstdorf, Germany. That year, Ustiugov won six of the seven stages, placing second in the mass start classic in Stage 6, but still raced up the final hill climb with a significant buffer for the overall victory. This year, Ustiugov was the man to beat....

Racing Tour de Ski

Ustiugov Regains Control as Russia Sweeps the Podium in Stage 3

Rachel PerkinsDecember 31, 2019

New day, new venue, almost a new decade. The 2019/2020 Tour de Ski continued in Toblach, Italy with a 15-kilometer interval start skate. In the war of attrition that is the tour, the first stages set the tone. Hopefuls for the overall win seek to establish their position near the top without expending too much energy to hold up for the long haul. We saw this in the first stage, where the men’s field remained...

Racing World Cup

Ustiugov Closes with a Fury as Russia Goes 1-2 in Lillehammer Relay

Aleks TangenDecember 8, 2019

Call it what you want: national pride, national bias, flag-waving: the team relays elicit nationalistic tendencies. In Lillehammer, Norway, you might think and maybe expect it’s your birthright to see the hometeam crush. That’s been the recent norm almost without exception. Here’s the quick stats to either dispel or reinforce those tendencies: Norway has won nine of the last 11 relay races on the World Cup. Russia won the other two. In fact, Russia took...

Biathlon Continental Cup Juniors News Racing

Friday Race Rundown: World Juniors, IBU World Cup, and Super Tour (Updated 2x)

FasterSkierJanuary 25, 2019

2019 U23 World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland 15 k/30 k Classic Mass Start Link to Doug Stephen’s images from Lahti. Of the four Russian athletes starting the 15-kilometer classic mass start in Lahti, Finland three placed in the top four. Anna Zherebyateva won in 40:31.4 minutes as she was able to stretch her nine-second gap at 10 k to 23.5 seconds by the finish. Also from Russia, Lidia Durkina placed second (+23.5), Germany’s...

General Juniors News Racing

Wednesday Race Rundown: U23 Worlds from Lahti, Finland

FasterSkierJanuary 23, 2019

Four U.S. skiers began the U23 women’s 10 k skate individual start at the 2019 U23 World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland on Wednesday, all four finished in the top-30 after Russia’s Mariya Istomina claimed the win in 25:57.3 minutes. Fnland’s Evelina Pippo was second (+2.0), and Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng third (+29.6). Istomina and Pippo are scheduled to compete at this weekend’s Ulricehamn, Sweden World Cup and have concluded their competition schedules at U23...

Monday Race Rundown: U23 Worlds Classic Sprint (Updated)

FasterSkierJanuary 21, 2019

FIS Junior World Ski Championhips U23 1.4 k/1.6 k Classic Sprint Link to U23 classic sprint photo album from Doug Stephen. Monday, the second day of racing at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland the U23 women raced a 1.4-kilometer classic sprint. Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng set the standard in qualification. Her 3:26.52 minute time placed her in bib 1 for the heats. Three U.S. skiers qualified for the heats. Julia Kern qualified...

Continental Cup General Juniors News Other Racing

Friday Rundown: U23 Worlds Skiathlons; Eastern Canadian Champs

FasterSkierFebruary 2, 2018

(Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Americans Lauren Jortberg and Ian Torchia.) U23 World Championships (Goms, Switzerland): 15/30 k skiathlons On the final day of U23 World Championships racing in Goms, Russia stole the show in the women’s and men’s skiathlons. Anastasia Sedova led them in the first race of the day on Friday, the women’s 15-kilometer skiathlon, which she won in 44:03.6 minutes. Russia swept the podium and had four...

General Juniors News Other Racing

Wednesday Rundown: U23 Worlds 10/15 k Classic (Updated)

FasterSkierJanuary 31, 2018

(Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Americans Lydia Blanchet and Ian Torchia.) U23 World Championships (Goms, Switzerland): 10/15 k classic Russia put two in the top three in both the women’s and men’s races on Wednesday at U23 World Championships in Goms, and for the second-straight race, Canada’s Monday’s skate sprint), finishing third, 29.6 seconds behind Kirpichenko. In Monday’s sprint, Kirpichenko qualified fourth and ended up fifth in the final. She is...

General Juniors News Racing

Another Top 12 for Good, Ogden Repeats in 13th and Torchia 15th as Junior Worlds Conclude (Updated)

Alex KochonFebruary 26, 2016

The final set of competitions, the team events, on Friday wrapped up the weeklong U23/Junior World Championships in Rasnov, Romania, with the U.S junior women skiing to eighth. The day before, three Americans landed in the top 15 at Junior Worlds: Jasper Good (nordic combined), Katharine Ogden and Ian Torchia.