Liberec, Czech Republic – Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN) won the first gold of the 2009 World Championships, skiing to victory in the women’s 10km classic. Sarah Renner placed 9th for Canada, and Kikkan Randall led the US in 26th. Saarinen started fast and maintained the pace, leading at both intermediate check points. This was the first World Championship medal of her career and first gold in either the World Championships or the Olympics. She did...
US and Canadian starters in the Women’s 10km Classic World Championship Race. US Starters Bib Name 7 Morgan Smyth 14 Laura Valaas 35 Morgan Arritola 41 Kikkan Randall Canadian Starters Bib Name 21 Perianne Jones 23 Shayla Swanson 64 Sarah Renner 76 skiers are scheduled to start the race.
Universal Sports will provide same day delay coverage of the entire Nordic World Championships in Liberec. This includes all Cross-Country, Nordic Combined, and Jumping events. The full schedule can be viewed on the
The FIS instituted a new protocol to deal with the large number of entrants in the individual start races at World Championships – a qualification race. These races were run today. 250 men and 150 women registered for the 10/15km classic individual start races. In order to decrease the numbers, FIS required women with more than 120 distance FIS points and men with more than 90 distance FIS points to qualify in special races. The...
Visit the Universal Sports Nordic World Championship page Cross-Country US There will be no surprises here. The US foursome of Kikkan Randall, Andy Newell, Torin Koos and Kris Freeman have been well ahead of the rest of the US for some years, represent the hope for medals. Freeman, suffering from compartment syndrome, can only race classic, limiting him to Friday’s 15km classic individual start and a leg in the relay. The 15km has been Kris’...