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Liz Stephen

Tuesday Rundown: Diggins 2nd, Harvey 4th, Bjornsen 5th in Oberstdorf Skiathlons

FIS Cross-Country Tour de Ski Stage 3 (Oberstdorf): 10/20 k skiathlons Positioned in third heading into the third stage of the Tour de Ski on Tuesday, the women’s 10-kilometer skiathlon, Sweden’s Stina Nilsson made the case that she’s more of an all-around threat than some might anticipate. She contended with early leaders like Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and Finland’s Krista Parmakoski throughout the 5 k classic leg, entering the ski exchange in eighth and 2.5 seconds...

Østberg Takes Tour Lead with 5 k Classic Win; Diggins 8th, 6th Overall

Maybe it was because she wanted redress. Maybe it was because there was less pressure to perform. Or maybe it was because the yellow Tour de Ski (TDS) leader’s bib was with Sweden, calling her Norwegian name. Whatever it was, when Ingvild Flugstad Østberg lined up for the women’s 5-kilometer classic mass start on Sunday in Val Müstair, Switzerland, she was ready to race for the win. After being eliminated in the semifinal of Saturday’s...

Sunday Rundown: La Clusaz, Nove Mesto, Ramsau, Klingenthal, Obertilliach, & Rossland (Updated x4)

Welcome to The Rundown, your quick primer of need-to-know information about the day’s racing. We’ll be updating this digest as the day goes on with additional results, photos and quotes. The Rundown is NOT a race report; stay tuned for complete race reports later today with interviews from the day’s top racers. *** FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup in Klingenthal [UPDATE] Ben Loomis tallied two top 10’s and his U.S. Nordic Combined teammate Ben Berend...

Despite Being in ‘Last Place’ Brennan Battles Back for 22nd; Weng Wins 10 k Skate

A little less than twenty seconds into Saturday’s 10-kilometer freestyle mass start, American Rosie Brennan was facing the wrong way. A collision in the first 100 meters had left her spinning and when she finally came to a stop, all that lay before her was the small section of course she had already covered. A few seconds later — upon turning around and seeing the entire women’s field of World Cup athletes skiing away —...

Saturday Rundown: La Clusaz, Nove Mesto & Rossland (Updated x3)

Welcome to The Rundown, your quick primer of need-to-know information about the day’s racing. We’ll be updating this digest as the day goes on with additional results, photos and quotes. The Rundown is NOT a race report; stay tuned for complete race reports later today with interviews from the day’s top racers. *** IBU World Cup in Nove Mesto: 10/12.5 k pursuits [UPDATE] Third one day, fourth the next. That’s the streak Susan Dunklee (US Biathlon)...

After Hot World Cup Start, Patterson Needs Nationals to Make Lahti Team

Caitlin Patterson of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project had a red-hot start to her World Cup season, finishing 28th in the 10-kilometer classic in Kuusamo, Finland, and thus scoring World Cup points in the very first weekend of racing. But since then, not everything has gone perfectly for last season’s SuperTour leader. In the Lillehammer mini tour, she failed to crack the top 30 in any individual races and finished the tour 42nd overall. “A lot of...

A weekend of World Cup action in Davos, Switzerland, saw two Norwegian women take top honors: Maiken Caspersen Falla in the skate sprint. Here’s all the reporting – and there’s a lot – that didn’t make it into the race reports. On ending up in a sprint heat with your teammate “I picked that heat because it was just the heat with the least amount of people at the time. You never want to be...

Falla Solves Davos Sprint, Diggins Fifth; Beatty 25th in Canadian Breakthrough

DAVOS, Switzerland—After winning the first 15 k World Cup of her career on Saturday, Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg – long considered a sprint specialist – noted that maybe it was sprinting she actually needed to work on. One day later, there’s no doubt that she’s still got it. Østberg finished second behind teammate Maiken Caspersen Falla in the freestyle sprint, and took the overall World Cup lead from another teammate, Heidi Weng. “I will sleep...

Saturday Rundown: Davos, Pokljuka & Sovereign Lake (Updated x3)

Welcome to The Rundown, your quick primer of need-to-know information about the day’s racing. We’ll be updating this digest as the day goes on with additional results, photos and quotes. The Rundown is NOT a race report; stay tuned for complete race reports later today with interviews from the day’s top racers. *** Canadian NorAm/U.S. SuperTour at Sovereign Lake: Classic sprint [UPDATE] U.S. skiers filled the open category podiums on the first fully North American...

Diggins Fourth in Davos: Now I ‘Realistically Expect to Be in the Fight’

DAVOS, Switzerland — Coming off a won the day. “Working on the long distances, it’s still a ways to catch up to the girls at the top,” Diggins said. “But it’s a long season, and we have a lot of belief, a lot of sparkles on our side.” By 10 k into the race, she was up into fifth place, and within a second of the time laid down by Nathalie Von Siebenthal of Switzerland....

Østberg Tops Weng in Davos Duel, Cementing All-Around Threat

DAVOS, Switzerland — Ingvild Flugstad Østberg didn’t plan to start Saturday’s 15 k skate World Cup like a bat out of hell. But by 2.2 kilometers into the course, she already had a 7.9-second lead over Heidi Weng, her Norwegian teammate and the overall leader of the World Cup. That gap widened and closed and widened and closed, and at the finish Østberg had just that: a 7.9-second win over Weng, and her first World...

All Alone, Weng Wins First Mini-Tour Title in Lillehammer; Diggins Hangs On for 8th

Norway’s Heidi Weng started the 10-kilometer classic pursuit in Lillehammer, Norway, on her own, and she finished just the same: alone, and in first place. The 25 year old chalked up her first World Cup mini-tour win on Sunday, after second in the 5 k skate in Saturday. Weng started the day with a 20-second cushion separating her from second-place Ingvild Flugstad Østberg in the mini-tour standings, and extended that lead slightly by the middle...

Queen of 5 k Skate, Diggins Makes It a Habit in Lillehammer

Note: This article has been updated to include American Rosie Brennan’s result. *** There are several different ways to describe Lillehammer’s 5-kilometer freestyle course, complete with at least five notable climbs, one of which takes a World Cup skier about 3 1/2 minutes to conquer. “Fun” isn’t the word most would use, but most aren’t Jessie Diggins. A 25-year-old member of the U.S. Ski Team from Afton, Minn., Diggins rounded the one-lap course with a speed no...

Saturday Rundown: Lillehammer, Östersund & West Yellowstone (Updated x 4)

Welcome to The Rundown, your quick primer of need-to-know information about the day’s racing. We’ll be updating this digest as the day goes on with additional results, photos and quotes. The Rundown is NOT a race report; stay tuned for complete race reports later today with interviews from the day’s top racers. *** U.S. SuperTour opener in West Yellowstone: Freestyle sprints [UPDATE] The U.S. domestic season opened in West Yellowstone, Mont., with 1.3-kilometer freestyles on...

USST Returns From New Zealand Training Camp (with Photo Gallery)

Earlier this month, the U.S. Ski Team returned to New Zealand's Snow Farm for on-snow training and racing. “The primary goal was extended time on snow working on group and individual technique needs,” head coach Chris Grover explained. “Another goal of the camp was to touch base with racing." Ten U.S. skiers started 2-4 races, and several racked up podiums.