Need-to-Know Basics: Eighth Annual Tour de Ski
FasterSkierDecember 27, 2013
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.
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Val di Fiemme
Tchekaleva Fueled by Birth of Son: ‘It was a Very, Very Strong Feeling to Start Training Again’
Alex KochonMarch 22, 2013
Just over a year ago, Yulia Tchekaleva had her first child, and while she enjoyed the pregnancy and much-needed break from training, she entered 2012/2013 with a new kind of drive. Without an individual World Cup medal before this season, she's now got four, including one from World Championships.
The classic races of World Championships took place in Val di Fiemme: interval start, relay, marathon. Biathletes competed in Oslo, Americans held their own in Slavic Cup action, and Swedes (and everyone else) gave it their all in the Vasaloppet. Summaries of the action, along with links to reporting and results.
Johan Olsson (SWE) skied what has already been dubbed the greatest 50 k of all time to close out the 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships on Sunday in front of a packed stadium. Skiing by himself for well over half the race, the performance drew admiration from his competitors and everyone present in the stands to witness it. Our images from the day.
Alex Harvey hung with the group for the first half of Sunday's 50 k, but dropped out of contention and didn't have the skis or the body to catch back up in the final race of the 2013 World Championships. He finished 28th, Graham Nishikawa was 48th and Ivan Babikov pulled out halfway through.
Johan Olsson surprised most everyone and held his own for nearly 30 k on Sunday, skiing alone with a relentless drive for gold in the World Championships 50 k classic mass start on a hot-and-slushy afternoon.
After Skiing with the Leaders, Hoffman Paces U.S. with 27th in 50k Classic
Audrey ManganMarch 3, 2013
Noah Hoffman skied with a breakaway on the first lap of the 50 k classic on Sunday at World Championships and eventually faded to a 27th-place finish to lead the American men on the final day of racing in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Kris Freeman was 37th, Tad Elliott finished 40th and Erik Bjornsen placed 52nd.
When you’ve already got 11 World Championship golds, it takes something really special to bring you to tears for the 12th one. Marit Bjørgen was overcome with emotion after winning Saturday's 30 k classic mass start, a race she had been focusing on for the last few years.
Marit Bjørgen earned her twelfth World Championships gold medal on Saturday with her victory in the 30 k classic in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Even with so many titles to her name, it was still an emotional win for the 32-year-old Norwegian star. Our photos from the race.
The World Championship 30 k wasn’t the perfect race for the American women, but all things considered Liz Stephen and Ida Sargent were satisfied with the effort it took to ski a race that was dictated by slow, saturated snow, 50-degree heat and tricky waxing conditions. Stephen was 16th and Sargent finished 25th. Jessie Diggins DNF after an early crash and Kikkan Randall did not race.
Canada fell short of its expectations in Friday's 4x10 k relay, placing 12th of 18 teams and 2:39.3 behind the winners.
Petter Northug played a main role in what turned out to be a nail-biting final leg of Friday's 4x10 k relay, which didn't get interesting until the last kilometer. The Norwegian attacked and proved too strong for his contenders, beating Sweden, Russia and Italy in a sprint finish.
Ivan Babikov had one of the best races of his life on Wednesday with a career-best fourth in the World Championships 15 k freestyle. After a slow start, the man affectionately known as the Canadian "Bulldog" raced to one of the best finishing times, about 30 seconds off the podium.
Coming off a disappointing team sprint, Petter Northug decided to start Wednesday's 15 k freestyle at World Championships to see what could happen. The Norwegian ended up winning the individual start, not usually his best event, to capture his eighth world title.
Petter Northug, in an impressive rebound from two disappointing races this week at World Championships, finally got the gold he was looking for on Wednesday in the 15 k individual freestyle. The effort took everything he had; he began to collapse before he even crossed the finish line to take over the lead from Johan Olsson. Our photos from the finish and the high point of the course.
Noah Hoffman executed his race plan perfectly in the 15 k freestyle at World Championships on Wednesday, moving from 40th on the first lap to 15th by the finish line. It cut his previous best from Oslo two years ago nearly in half. Tad Elliott was 34th and Erik Bjornsen was 48th for the American men.
Looking For Something New After Disappointing World Champs, Biathletes Hit Top 15 in Val di Fiemme
Chelsea LittleFebruary 27, 2013
Miriam Gössner of Germany got lots of attention when the biathlete finished fourth in Tuesday's 10 k skate, just half a second from the podium - but she wasn't alone in making the jump between sports. Friends Kaisa Makarainen of Finland and Selina Gasparin of Switzerland also acquitted themselves well, and offered light-hearted insight on the difference between the sports.
Behind Stephen’s 10k Personal-Best, U.S. Women Satisfied With Top-30s
Audrey ManganFebruary 27, 2013
Liz Stephen’s performance undoubtedly headlined the day for the Americans in the women's 10 k, but further down on the results her teammates felt only “not great” to “satisfied” about their top-30s. Jessie Diggins placed 23rd, Holly Brooks finished 27th and Kikkan Randall was 30th. Still, they expect to feel fully recovered for the 4x5 k relay.
Canadian Women Take World Champs 10 k for What It’s Worth
Alex KochonFebruary 26, 2013
Dasha Gaiazova, Emily Nishikawa and Brittany Webster represented Canada in Tuesday's two-lap 10 k freestyle individual start at World Championships, and while none were ecstatic about their results, most saw the value in racing at the highest international level.
Photo Gallery: World Championships Women’s 10k Freestyle
FasterSkierFebruary 26, 2013
On the first sunny day of racing all week at World Championships, Norway's Therese Johaug skated to a 10-second win in the 10 k individual freestyle over teammate Marit Bjørgen. Our images from the race.