When news broke last week that 14 Russian cross-country skiers may have doped at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, stakeholders in the sport reacted around the globe. Some, like Canada's then head coach Justin Wadsworth, essentially predicted that two years ago at the Games. Others, like French skier Robin Duvillard, tried not to get too caught up in it, but he might by default.
There were no Norwegians on the podium Saturday in Falun, Sweden. Russia secured the top two with Maxim Vylegzhanin in first and Alexander Bessmertnykh in second, and France’s Maurice Manificat finished third. American Erik Bjornsen to a second-best 21st, a minute out of first.
Fifty kilometers might seem like plenty of time to ease into a race, but especially in a World Cup race like Holmenkollen, those days are over. “It’s a battle from the start now," Canada's Devon Kershaw explained. His teammate Alex Harvey led the North Americans in 20th, Kershaw placed 23rd, Noah Hoffman of the U.S. was 24th, Graeme Killick of Canada 30th, and U.S. skier Scott Patterson 32nd.
Picture little Martin Johnsrud Sundby, "nine years old and tenting in the forest." That's when he knew he wanted to win in Holmenkollen. After four podiums in the world-famous 50 k mass start, he won the classic race outside his hometown on Saturday and set a record in the process.
Never count Petter Northug out of a ski race. In the final race of the 2015 FIS Nordic World Championships, the Norwegian never cracked the top-10 of the 50 k until the last kilometer where he out-sprinted the competition to take his fourth victory of the Championships.
Alex Harvey stayed at the front of the pack for most of Sunday's 50 k classic mass start, the final race of 2015 World Championships in Falun, but he couldn't quite get into the position he needed before a four-man finishing sprint -- which he was just behind. Also for Canada, Graeme Killick notched a career-best 19th, and Ivan Babikov placed 30th after leading as well.
Alex Harvey approached Saturday's 30 k skiathlon with a winning mindset and came out with bronze, his second medal in as many races so far at 2015 World Championships. "A medal today is as good as gold," Canadian National Team Coach Justin Wadsworth says, "We couldn’t want anything more." Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin outlasted Switzerland's Dario Cologna for his first world title.
Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin outsprinted the field, and Switzerland's Dario Cologna, to win Sunday's 30 k skiathlon in Rybinsk. Finland's Matti Heikkinen placed third, and Russia took six of the top eight.
In the big leagues this season, Finland's Iivo Niskanen, 22, not only notched his first World Cup podium on Sunday, but he won the men's 15 k classic individual start in front of a packed stadium in Kuusamo. Two Finnish skiers made the top three, and Norway's Martin Sundby took second.
Already forget what happened in Sunday's 50 k freestyle mass start? The photos tell a lot of the story from start to finish, including Alexander Legkov leading the way for a Russian sweep.
Sunday's 50-kilometer freestyle mass start was the kind of race Russia had been dreaming of since it won the bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics nearly six years ago. For the first time in Olympic history, the Russians swept the podium, and for the first time in 78 years, a single nation took all three medals in the 50 k.
A rookie and veteran teamed up to claim a gold medal for Finland in the men's Olympic team sprint, after a finish that was marred by a crash in the lead pack.
Some of our favorite photos from the second half of the men's 4 x 10-kilometer relay on Sunday at the Sochi Olympics, including Sweden's Marcus Hellner literally jumping out of his skis and Russia's Alexander Legkov tebowing after the finish.
Sweden won both the women's and men's relays at the Olympics for the first time since 1972 and the men defended their 2010 title with a miraculous first leg from Lars Nelson and dominant performances from Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and Marcus Hellner, respectively.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby held onto his medal from Sunday's skiathlon -- his first at an Olympic Games -- while the Russian ski association attempted to make a second appeal on the grounds that Sundby cut off Maxim Vylegzhanin.
In the wrong place at the wrong time three months ago when he slipped on ice and tore ligaments in his ankle, Switzerland’s Dario Cologna made sure he was in position to do something stellar on Sunday at the first men's cross-country ski race of the Olympics. He won his second Olympic gold, beating the defending champion Marcus Hellner or Sweden to the line.
Missed the action this weekend? Don't worry! FasterSkier has compiled all the top stories to make sure that you stay up-to-date with the latest in the nordic ski world.
Fog blanketed the hillsides of Szklarska Poreba, Poland, as the men of the World Cup lined up for the start of the 15 k. In a field that lacked the esteemed Scandinavian racers, the predictions of who might win were about as unclear as the visibility on course.
Twenty-five days before the Olympics open in Sochi, Russia, Nikita Kriukov couldn’t have timed Sunday’s 6 x 1.6-kilometer team-classic sprint victory much better. The 28-year-old Russian’s execution was right up there as well. Meanwhile, Simi Hamilton and Andy Newell teamed up for one of the best U.S. men's team-sprint finishes in recent memory.
Maxim Vylegzhanin and the Russian relay team seized the men's 4 x 7.5 k relay victory on Sunday in Lillehammer, greatly raising their team's expectations ahead of the Sochi Olympics. If Lillehammer made anything clear it's that the men's relay is now dominated by a new Norway/Russia rivalry.