Without the big show of Marit Bjørgen in Saturday's classic sprint, Norway's Ingvild Flugstad Østberg rose to the occasion, notching her first World Cup classic-sprint victory and fourth podium of the season.
Three Americans made the quarterfinals on Saturday in the second World Cup classic sprint of the season: Sadie Bjornsen, Simi Hamilton and Andy Newell. None of them advanced to the semifinals, and while it wasn't a bad day, most were left wanting more.
In her first World Cup of the season and best result since the 2012 World Cup freestyle sprint at home in Canmore, Alberta, Alysson Marshall launched back into international-racing action on Saturday and placed 44th in the women’s 1.2-kilometer classic sprint in Otepää, Estonia.
If he hadn’t been a Northug, one might have wondered what that 24-year-old Norwegian was doing in the men's 1.5 k classic-sprint final on Saturday.
Decisions on the World Cup circuit, like when to stop when the going's good or whether to stay in Europe when things aren't going exactly according to plan, aren't easy. But they have to be made. APU Head Coach Erik Flora explains the thought processes behind some recent U.S. Ski Team member moves.
I think I’ve been remiss in mentioning this, but as always thanks go to Jan at worldofxc.com for helping to provide the heat times for these sprint races. Let’s see how the men’s finalists fared first: There were apparently some crashes in this race, as evidenced by the outlying slow times. But in general I’m [...] Related posts:
Devon Kershaw had it in his head. He wanted redemption. The Canadian National Team veteran hadn’t been entirely pleased with his season so far despite finishing fourth in the Tour de Ski two weeks ago. After several top 10 performances this season, Kershaw took a big hit on Saturday, finishing 40th in the World Cup classic sprint after his pole shattered in his hand and he struggled to find a replacement. With one chance to leave...
Justyna Kowalczyk didn’t have to say a word. Marit Bjørgen knew it was on. Kowalczyk, the three-time defending Tour de Ski champion from Poland, had spent the better part of the last two weeks recovering from her most recent Tour victory. Bjørgen, the Tour de Ski runner-up, had done the same, skipping last weekend’s races in Milan, Italy, to prepare for Otepää, Estonia. While the two rivals didn’t face off until the final of Saturday’s...
Before flying to Estonia last January, I didn’t know much about that nation’s cross-country skiers aside from their names—and their medal records. Jaak Mae, Andrus Veerpalu, and Kristina Smigun-Vaehi—between the three of them, seven Olympic and 10 World Championship medals. Not a bad record for a country with a population of 1.3 million, or the same as the state of Maine. But while Scandinavian stars like Petter Northug and Marit Björgen blend a certain appeal,...
FasterSkier’s Nat Herz was able to gather a collection of images of the action today during the pursuit races at the U23 World Championships in Otepaa, Estonia.
A mix of impressive strength, clever tactics and luck took a Canadian man all the way to the finals of Saturday’s U-23 World Championships classic sprint. It just wasn’t the one everyone expected. Instead of the lanky 6’6” frame of Len Valjas gunning for a medal in Otepaa, Estonia, it was the perfectly average one of Jesse Cockney, who showed in a strong outing that what he lacks in height, he makes up with ski...
One year ago, it was an American, Simi Hamilton, who topped the men’s skate sprint prelim at the U-23 World Championships in Germany. In this season’s edition, Canada’s Len Valjas couldn’t quite match that feat, but he came darn close. In Saturday’s classic sprint qualifier in Estonia, he was second, within a half-second of Olympic silver medalist Alexander Panzhinskiy of Russia, the winner. The finish sets up Valjas well for a run at a medal...
Once again FasterSkier’s Nat Herz was trailside today in Otepaa, Estonia at the World Junior Championships. Here are a few moments that he caught during the classic sprints.
The question may not have been burning on Thursday, but at the very least, it was smoldering: Would any of the junior men attempt to double-pole Friday’s classic sprint? At last weekend’s World Cup races on the same course in Otepaa, Estonia, Norway’s Eirik Brandsdal double-poled through his qualifier and all three heats to edge out his teammate, Ola Vigen Hattestad, for the win. Only a handful of others tried the maneuver in the preliminary,...
It was a thrilling day in Otepaa, Estonia at the World Junior Championships and FasterSkier’s Nat Herz was right there in the midst of the action. Here are some photos he caught of the men’s 10km freestyle.
FasterSkier’s Nat Herz was trailside today in Otepaa, Estonia at the World Junior Championships, here is a glimpse of what he saw during the ladies 5km freestyle.
One of the best things about the World Junior and U-23 Championships is the potential for surprises. Sure, sometimes there are upsets on the World Cup, like last weekend’s victories by Eldar Roenning and Eirik Brandsdal in Otepaa, Estonia. But even if those wins were unexpected, they still came from familiar names—both Roenning and Brandsdal are regulars on the circuit. At World Juniors and U-23’s, which kick off Wednesday, there are likely to be title-winning...
Heading into Saturday’s 15 k classic race, it had been more than four years since Eldar Roenning won a World Cup distance race. But even before he left the starting gate in Otepaa, Estonia, the Norwegian knew that it was going to be a solid day. “I had a good feeling—I was feeling that I was good enough for the podium,” he said. Roenning wasn’t just good enough for the podium—he was good enough for...
RUMFORD, ME (Jan. 9) – The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team selected 13 athletes Saturday in Rumford, ME at the 2011 U.S. Cross Country Championsips to represent the U.S. in the 2011 World U-23 Cross Country Ski Championships. The World U-23 Ski Championships will be held in Otepaa, Estonia Jan. 27-31. Athletes from different clubs and colleges, from east to west, will gather in Estonia with hopes of winning a World U-23 title. The U.S....
Jesse Vaeaenaenen sure is a mouthful of a name. Apparently he’s a lot to handle in a classic sprint, too. In Otepaa, Estonia today, Vaeaenaenen (FIN) edged Andy Newell in their quarterfinal by a tiny margin, relegating the American to third place in the heat and ending his day. While it was an unexpected early departure from the rounds for Newell, he wrote in an e-mail that the race didn’t leave him too disappointed. His...