This FasterSkier series will examine the growing challenge to the national team model by privately funded ski teams and independent sponsorship agreements. Will national teams be able to support themselves in the future, or will corporate teams take over cross country skiing? This first article in the series will look at Petter Northug’s record deal with Coop and the implications it has for the Norwegian National Team and the sport as a whole.
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.
Petter Northug of Norway, who was a World Champion last season over the same distance, will not start today's 15 k individual race - and neither will Alexander Legkov and Maxim Vylegzhanin of Russia, Johannes Duerr of Austria, or Maurice Manificat of France. Norwegian and Russian coaches chat about the reasoning.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby led the final stage of the Tour de Ski and never looked back as he skied to his, and Norway's, first victory in the event's history. Sundby, who has skied in every Tour de Ski, called his feat a "dream come true" and, overcome, said, "I have a great feeling, deep into the soul." Chris Jespersen of Norway, skiing in his first Tour de Ski, captured second place. Of his effort on the big climb, he said, "towards the end I thought, 'Now I die.'”
The Norwegian men swept the top four spots in the penultimate stage of the 2014 Tour de Ski. Led by Petter Northug's first victory of the season, Norway moved closer to capturing the nation's first Tour title. Overall Tour leader Martin Johnsrud Sundby was second in the 10 k classic race, and Chris Jespersen was third.
Canadian Alex Harvey skied back onto the Tour de Ski podium, finishing third in the 35 k freestyle pursuit, his third podium of the seven stage event.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby took off like a rocket on Friday and never looked back. The 29-year-old Norwegian had a 32 second headstart in the 5th stage of the Tour de Ski, a 35 k freestyle pursuit race, and he took full advantage of it.
With the eighth-annual Tour de Ski starting 24 hours from 8 a.m. EST, we thought we’d give you a rundown of what’s happening when and who’s racing.
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.
Out of 17 Norwegians in Saturday's World Cup 15 k classic race, Pål Golberg wasn't the favorite. The 23 year old ended up notching his first World Cup victory in Lillehammer, and lesser-known teammate Didrik Tønseth surprised (himself) in third.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby held off Russians Maxim Vylegzhanin and Alexander Legkov in the homestretch to claim victory in the Ruka Triple mini-tour.
The most recognizable name in cross-country skiing and the 2013 overall World Cup champion has decided to ski independently of the his national team next season. Petter Northug, Jr., held a press conference on Wednesday with Norwegian National Team cross-country head Åge Skinstad to announce that he would not sign a contract with the Norwegian Ski Federation in 2013-2014.
Norwegian superstars Marit Bjørgen and Petter Northug, Jr., skied away with this year's top honors in the International category.
Looking back on last season, anyone who watched Johan Olsson ski away from the pack and win the 50 k classic mass start at World Championships would be hard-pressed to forget it. Other inspiring performances include Marit Bjørgen's 30 k win, Therese Johaug's Holmenkollen domination, Petter Northug's individual-start victory, and Alexander Legkov making history at the Tour de Ski.
Petter Northug, Jr., joined rare company on Sunday in becoming the second Norwegian in history to win more than one overall World Cup crystal globe. He kept Alexander Legkov and Dario Cologna at bay with his victory in the 15 k pursuit at World Cup Finals to finish off a memorable season in Falun, Sweden.
The typical plot line never materialized. Norway's Petter Northug was supposed to spend the first several laps back in 25th and then surge to the front for the victory in the final 100 meters at World Cup Finals in Sweden. Instead, Northug's teammate Eldar Rønning salvaged a tough season with a surprise 15-kilometer classic mass start victory, posting a time of 43:26 minutes on the 2015 World Championships course.
Just when spectators thought he might falter, Petter Northug rebounded from a nearly five-second deficit midway through Friday's 2.5 k prologue to win his second-straight race of World Cup Finals by 2.1 seconds over teammate Pal Golberg. Norway showed its strength on the modified course, putting six in the top seven.
Petter Northug sheltered himself from the wind then surged to the front when it counted, winning each of his heats and ultimately Wednesday's final for his first sprint victory in Stockholm. The win put him ahead of Alexander Legkov and Dario Cologna in the overall World Cup standings and in prime position for the rest of the World Cup Finals.
On Saturday in Oslo, Norway, Alexander Legkov triumphed on Holmenkollen's notoriously brutal track, persevering through vicious pace changes, 2,000 meters of climbing, and warm, wet conditions to win the prestigious 50 k freestyle by 1.2 seconds over Martin Johnsrud Sundby.
Petter Northug put himself in prime position heading into the final World Cup races of the season, beating Alexey Poltoranin in Wednesday's classic sprint in Drammen, Norway, with one powerful finish.