Tag: Cogne Italy

Bolshunov Bests Niskanen In Cogne 15 k Classic; Harvey 10th, Bjornsen 16th

Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov (c) after winning the men’s 15-kilometer classic individual start on Sunday in Cogne, Italy. Finand’s Iivo Niskanen (l) placed second and Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh in third. (Photo: FIS screenshot)

If there’s anyone on the hunt to dethrone Finland’s Iivo Niskanen of the 15-kilometer classic kingship–Niskanen was the gold medalist in the 2017 Lahti World Championships 15 k classic and is certainly looking to repeat the feat at this year’s World Championships 15 k classic in Seefeld, Austria–it’s Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov.

On Sunday in Cogne, Italy, the 22 year old Bolshunov raced to a decisive win over Niskanen, besting the Finn by 43.7 seconds with his time of 34:48.4. Sunday’s result comes exactly eleven months after Bolshunov’s first-career World Cup win, which he achieved in last season’s 15 k classic at World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden.

Between his victory in Falun and Cogne, Bolshunov has reigned at the top of the podium two other times–taking back-to-back victories in the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) opening races in Ruka, one of which happened to be a 15 k classic.

With the 2019 World Champs slated to start next Wednesday, Feb. 20 and the men’s 15 k classic scheduled for Feb. 27, Bolshunov could be on his way to his first World Championships gold. On paper, one skier definitively stands in his way. And if anyone can hold off a Russian attack, it’d be a Finn.

Niskanen has been a force in the 15 k classic for the past five years; seven of his nine World Cup podiums are in the 15 k classic event and all of his wins on the World Cup have come in the discipline. Along with his World Champs gold medal, the 27 year old has two World Cup wins from Kuusamo, one in 2014 and one in 2016 and four weeks ago, he also claimed the men’s 15 k victory in Otepää, Estonia.

The Finn and the Russian were in close quarters for the first half of Sunday’s interval start, with Niskanen trailing Bolshunov by 6.5 seconds at the 3 k mark, then 9.8 seconds by the 7 k mark.

In another 3 k, the Finn, who had started 12 bibs behind the Russian in bib 53, was down on Bolshunov by 24.9 seconds. Bolshunov’s pace for the remaining 5 k proved too fast for Niskanen and the Russian put another 18.8 seconds into the Finn by the end of the race.

Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov (l) on his way to winning the men’s 15-kilometer classic individual start on Sunday in Cogne, Italy. (Photo: NBC screenshot)

“With every minute the snow got softer and softer and one really needed some good ski’s today,” Bolshunov said according to a FIS press release.

Following Bolshunov and Niskanen, Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh took third, finishing 55.9 seconds behind the race winner.

Canadian Alex Harvey was the top North American male finisher on Sunday, placing 10th, 1:40.7 seconds behind Bolshunov. Harvey started in bib 65, four bibs ahead of Sunday’s final starter, Didrik Tønseth of Norway.

With Bolshunov still in the leader’s chair by the time he got on course, Harvey pressed to the front and he also pushed others back. At the 2 k mark, he was ranked ninth and 14.6 seconds down on Bolshunov, with that gap widening to 44.2 seconds at the halfway point. An early charge from Tønseth put the Norwegian ahead of the Canadian by 0.2 seconds at the 2 k and later 7.6 seconds at 7 k, but by the finish, Harvey had the Norwegian beat by 16 seconds.

The result is Harvey’s fourth Top 10 this season. At the age of 30, he is about to enter his sixth World Championships, and is one of Canada’s strongest hopefuls for hardware in Seefeld.

The next North American to finish on Sunday was the U.S. Ski Team’s, Erik Bjornsen in 16th (+1:54.8). The result is Bjornsen’s best individual finish this season and in the 27 year old’s eyes, came just at the right time.

“Today’s race went well. It’s exactly the boost of confidence I needed heading into Seefeld,” Bjornsen wrote in an email to FasterSkier.

While some U.S. athletes spent last weekend at a training camp in Davos, Switzerland, Bjornsen raced the World Cup individual sprint and team sprint competitions that took place in Lahti. The transition from low altitude to racing in the Italian Alps “made yesterday’s sprint really difficult,” Bjornsen explained. Sunday’s distance course, he added, “suited me better.”

“I didn’t feel extremely good or anything, but I think I was able to pace it well and use my double pole power on all the gradual climbs,” Bjornsen said. “I did much more strength training this summer and I’m still trying to get some of my endurance back. We had a great camp in Sweden a couple weeks ago and I put in a lot of volume. Hopefully that’ll pay off now.”

American Kyle Bratrud scored his first World Cup points on Sunday, finishing in 26th (+2:21.1) just 1.2 seconds behind Switzerland’s Dario Cologna in 25th (+2:19.9).

Prior to Sunday, Bratrud had competed in one other World Cup race, the Östersund 15 k back in 2015 where he finished 84th. He qualified for his first World Championships that same year and has qualified for every World Champs since then. In Lahti two years ago, he finished 33rd in the 15 k classic, 20.7 seconds outside the Top 30.

“I wish I could say I have some formula for making World Championship teams every other year but in truth I just seem to be healthy every other year,” Bratrud wrote in an email to FasterSkier on Sunday. “This year I also joined Stratton and have made great strides with this extremely professional program.”

Though initially unsure if he would race in Cogne on Sunday, Bratrud’s decision to do so turned out to be the right call.

“Today was awesome. I wasn’t sure I would even race since I was in bed with a cold two days ago but I felt good yesterday and woke up this morning feeling fine so I decided to send it,” Bratrud wrote.

“It was an interesting race course in the sense that it wasn’t very hilly but there was a lot of work and we are at altitude,” he added. “There were stretches were I was hoping for more hills and stretches where I was thankful to have recovery but all in all I’m very happy with the result leading into Seefeld.”

Earlier this season, Bratrud garnered his third U.S. National title at U.S. Cross Country Championships in Craftsbury Vt. and is currently the Continental Cup leader. Thanks to that, most of his trip to Austria for World Champs is covered by FIS.

Kyle Bratrud racing to a win in the men’s 15-kilometer classic race at U.S. nationals in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby)

“I got to Davos on February 5th and spent some time at altitude training and acclimating before Cogne which really helped,” he wrote “I’m looking forward to head a bit lower for Seefeld!”

Also competing for the U.S., was American David Norris in 33rd (+2:52.2). Norris finished 9.3 seconds outside of Sunday’s Top 30 and is also on the 2019 World Championships Team bound for Seefeld next week.

Two more U.S. skiers competed on Sunday, with Scott Patterson finishing in 43rd (+3:36.8) and Adam Martin in 50th (+3:56.3). Canadians Evan Palmer-Charrette and Scott James Hill placed 56th (+4:17.0) and 58th (+4:20.6), respectively.

February 17, 2019
Niskanen Wins Cogne 10 k Classic; Brennan 21st

From left to right, Nadine Fähndrich (SUI), Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) and Natalia Nepryaeva (RUS) on the podium for the women’s 10 k classic race in Cogne, Italy. (Photo: Screenshot FIS/NordicFocus)

World Cup racers in the Cogne, Italy 10-kilometer classic individual start enjoyed blues skies and sunshine on Sunday, the temperate weather seeming to have carried over from Saturday’s sprint. Winning the women’s race was Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen in a time of 27:24.8. The victory is Niskanen’s second individual World Cup win–her first came five years ago in the Lenzerheide, Switzerland 10 k classic.

With Sunday’s 10 k the final World Cup regular season race before World Championships, which is set to kick-off next Wednesday, Feb. 20 in Seefeld, Austria, Niskanen explained in a post-race interview with the International Ski Federation (FIS) that she feels ready for the upcoming World Champs competitions.

“Some weeks ago, I felt like Seefeld was too far away. I was so tired at the beginning of the season and I had to totally rest,” Niskanen told FIS. “It was not an easy time, watching the TV when others skiers were racing. So, now I feel good and I’m happy to travel to Seefeld.”

Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen is all smiles after her win in Cogne, Italy (Photo: Screenshot FIS/NordicFocus)

Starting in bib 22, Niskanen was chasing down the times of Switzerland’s Nadine Fähndrich, who started in bib 16, and Sweden’s Frida Karlsson who started in bib 20. By the time Karlsson came through the halfway point, she was up on Fähndrich, who came through four bibs earlier, by 3.1 seconds. Niskanen, who came through two bibs after Karlsson, was down on the Swede by 3.9 seconds.

By the 8 k mark, however, Karlsson’s pace had fallen back and Fähndrich’s time led hers by by 10.6 seconds. Niskanen had also gained steam. At 8 k, she was down on Fähndrich by a mere 0.8 seconds. In the next 2 k, Niskanen managed to outpace the Swiss skier, besting Fähndrich by 3 seconds for the win. According to the FIS database, Sunday’s second place finish is Fähndrich’s first individual Top 3 on the World Cup circuit–although she posted the fastest time in Saturday’s sprint qualifier.

Following Fähndrich, Russia’s skier, Natalia Nepryaeva, finished third today, 12.6 seconds behind Niskanen. Nepryaeva, who started in bib 52, was 13.2 seconds down on the race leader, Karlsson at the halfway point. By 8 k, she had the third fastest time and maintained that position until the finish. Including Sunday’s result, Nepryaeva has landed on the podium seven times this season, four of those in the 10 k classic discipline.

Russian skier, Natalia Nepryaeva skiing to a third place finish on Sunday. (Photo: Screenshot FIS/NordicFocus)

The top North American finisher on Sunday was Rosie Brennan who placed 21st (+1:19.6) Brennan has had 11 individual finishes in the World Cup Top 30 this season, her strongest result being 11th in the Lillehammer 10 k freestyle back in December. In bib 26, Brennan was skiing outside of the Top 30 by 1.5 seconds at the 2 k mark, though by the halfway point, she was ranked with the 17th fastest split. With 2 k to go, she was 10 seconds away from being in the Top 15.

“The course was very unique with lots of twists, turns, and transitions which isn’t always a strength of mine so I think I didn’t ski those sections as well as I would have liked,” Brennan wrote to FasterSkier in an email. “I love racing at altitude so I wanted to push the pace early on to see what was possible. I think I did that well but struggled with my skis a bit and struggled to keep pace on the transitions.” In today’s reality, getting a so-called "casino bonus" – is quite easy. Licensed platforms themselves will offer nice gifts as a thank you for your play! To find out more about the best bonuses on modern online gambling platforms, the service https://ranking-kasyn-online.net/bonusy-kasynowe/ will help. Thanks to it, you can not only look at the current casino bonuses on the market, but also understand which online gambling platforms offer the best conditions for you!

Finishing 13.4 seconds outside of scoring World Cup points in 33rd (+1:44.6) was Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones.

“Yesterday’s sprint was rough, my legs felt heavy and body felt tired so I was surprised with how much better I felt today” Stewart Jones wrote in an email on Sunday. She competed in Saturday’s sprint and finished 51st.

“My skis were awesome so that definitely gave me a boost of confidence,” Stewart-Jones continued. “I am feeling fit and healthy so I am super excited for World Champs. I am mostly looking forward to the 10 km classic and the relay.

“Distance classic races are my strongest event but the relay is always the most fun, there is something special about being able to race for the teammates you train with all season,” she added. “We have a really strong women’s team this year and we are all looking at improving our result from World Champs 2 years ago.”

The next North Americans to finish were Caitlin Patterson, Rosie Frankowski and Julia Kern skiing for the U.S., with Patterson placing 36th (+1:49.6), Frankowski 37th (+1:55.2) and Kern 39th (+1:59.2). Canada’s Cendrine Browne placed 48th (+2:49.0), while the U.S.’s Ida Sargent finished just behind her in 49th (+3:12.3). Canadian Emily Nishikawa started Sunday’s 10 k race but dropped out after the 8.2 k mark.

“I was really excited for today’s race, the course had long gradual climbs and was well suited for power striding which I like to do,” Kern wrote in an email to FasterSkier. “I was feeling pretty good in the warm up, but felt a little tired in the race and also I was the first starter so I didn’t have anyone to chase. I ski best when I am chasing people or skiing with people, but I still tried to push hard. I didn’t have the race I hoped for, but it was really nice to get another race effort in before world champs and it is leaving me hungry for more!”

Results

February 17, 2019
Sunday Race Rundown: Cogne, SoHo & Minneapolis

Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen (c) after winning the women’s 10-kilometer classic individual start on Sunday in Cogne, Italy. Switzerland’s Nadine Fähndrich (l) placed second and Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva third. (Photo: FIS Instagram screenshot)

FIS Cross Country World Cup 10 k/15 k Classic Individual Start Cogne, Italy

World Cup athletes returned to the Cogne race venue on Sunday for a men’s and women’s classic interval start race. In the women’s 10 k, Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen, won in a time of 27:24.8. Finishing just 3 seconds behind her for second place was Swiss skier, Nadine Fähndrich. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva claimed third, 12.6 seconds behind the winner.

Racing for the U.S., Rosie Brennan led the way in 21st (+1:19.6) followed by Caitlin Patterson in 36th (+1:49.6), Rosie Frankowski in 37th (+1:55.2), and Julia Kern in 39th (+1:59.2).

Finishing just 13.4 seconds outside of the Top 30 and World Cup points was Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones in 33rd (+1:44.6).

Cendrine Browne, also racing for Canada, placed 48th (+2:49.0), while the U.S.’s Ida Sargent finished just behind her in 49th (+3:12.3). Canadian Emily Nishikawa started Sunday’s 10 k race but dropped out after the 8.2 k mark.

Results: Women’s 10 k

Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov (c) after winning the men’s 15-kilometer classic individual start on Sunday in Cogne, Italy. Finand’s Iivo Niskanen (l) placed second and Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh in third. (Photo: FIS Instagram screenshot)

In the men’s 15 k classic, Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov won in a time of 34:48.4. Iivo Niskanen of Finland–and sibling to the women’s winner, Kerttu–placed second in the men’s competition, finishing 43.7 seconds behind Bolshunov. Sunday’s third and final podium spot went to Alexander Bessmertnykh of Russia, who finished 55.9 seconds back from his teammate and the overall winner.

Alex Harvey of Canada finished 10th (+1:40.7) and American Erik Bjornsen 16th (+1:54.8), 14.1 seconds outside of the Top 10.

Also skiing for the U.S. and scoring World Cup points was Kyle Bratrud in 26th (+2:21.1).

American David Norris finished 9.3 seconds outside of the Top 30 and World Cup points in 33rd (+2:52.2). Two more U.S. skiers competed on Sunday, with Scott Patterson finishing in 43rd (+3:36.8) and Adam Martin in 50th (+3:56.3).

Canadians Evan Palmer-Charrette and Scott James Hill placed 56th (+4:17.0) and 58th (+4:20.6), respectively.

Results: Men’s 15 k

Single Mixed relay winners, Lukas Hofer and Dorothea Wierer of Italy. (Photo: IBU Instagram screenshot)

IBU World Cup Soldier Hollow (Midway), Utah: Single mixed relay

IBU athletes returned to the Soldier Hollow race venue in Midway, Utah, on Sunday for a single mixed relay event. The Italian pairing of Lukas Hofer and Dorothea Wierer claimed the victory in a time of 35:27.9. In the first leg, Hofer missed two shots (0+1 0+1) clocking in at 7:41.2. Wierer completed the next leg in a time of 16:06.0 after one miss. In the third leg, Hofer again missed two shots and tagged off to Wierer at 24:02.6. In her final leg, Wierer once again missed one shot (0+1 0+0). https://newswire.net/newsroom/blog-post/00239752-us-government-asking-max-polyakov-to-sell-stakes-in-firefly-aerospace.html

Finishing 22.9 seconds back from the winners was Austria’s pairing of Lisa Theresa Hauser and Simon Eder in second place, with a team total of two penalties (0+0 0+2).

Third place went to the French team of Antonin Guigonnat and Julia Simon, who finished 50.2 seconds back from the winners with a team total of nine missed shots (0+3 1+5).

Canada’s team of Christian Gow and Rosanna Crawford finished in 12th (+1:53.6) with 12 misses (0+5 0+7). Racing for the U.S., Sean Doherty and Susan Dunklee were 14th (+2:03.1) after skiing a total of 15 penalties (0+6 2+7).

Results

February 17, 2019
Pellegrino and De Fabiani Go 1-2 on Home Soil; Hamilton 4th

Italy’s Federico Pellegrino (c) after winning the men’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint on Saturday in Cogne, Italy. His teammate, Francesco de Fabiani (l) placed second and France’s Lucas Chanavat third. (Photo: FIS Instragram screenshot)

The sun illuminated the alps in Cogne, Italy, the final World Cup stop before the FIS World Championships in Seefeld, Austria. Nestled in the mountains, the Aosta Valley is home to both Federico Pellegrino and Francesco De Fabiani, who seized the opportunity to delight the home crowd. The 1.6-kilometer freestyle race was also a chance for Pellegrino to earn his 12th individual freestyle sprint victory, tying for the second-most overall for any World Cup athlete with Kikkan Randall and Sweden’s Stina Nilsson. Marit Bjørgen of Norway holds the most with a remarkable 24 skate sprint victories.

Pellegrino won the qualifier in a time of 3:10.57, followed by Lucas Chavanat (+0.20) and Richard Jouve (+1.65) of France, Sergey Ustiugov of Russia (+2.12), and Simi Hamilton of the United States (+3.83).

While no Americans made the heats in Lahti last weekend, four placed in the top 30 on Saturday in Cogne. After Hamilton, Logan Hanneman qualified in 15th (+5.44), Andy Newell in 27th (+8.38), and Kevin Bolger in 28th (+8.42).

Federico Pellegrino carries the Italian Flag as gives his countrymen a thums up after winning the 1.6-kilometer freestyle race in Cogne. (Photo: Screenshot FIS/Nordic Focus)

When the heats began, it seemed that Murphy’s Law began to take effect, as numerous crashes took out many hopefuls for the final round. In the first heat, Ustiugov led the pack to a fast start, positioning himself in front through the early climbs. Pellegrino marked the Russian, staying close to his tails and maneuvering past him on a curve at the end of the course’s long descent. While cresting a roll just after Pelligrino’s move to the front, Ustiugov caught a ski and crashed, losing contact with the remainder of the men in the heat.

From there, Pellegrino took control through the finish, leaving himself time to stand up before the line. Behind him was a close fight for second place between Baptiste Gros of France, Russell Kennedy of Canada, Mathias Rundgreen of Norway, and Karl-Johan Westberg of Sweden. Gros took second, while Westberg and Kennedy were eventually able to advance to the semifinals as lucky losers thanks to the heat’s fast times.

In Hamilton’s quarterfinal, the fourth of five, a tangle between Jouve and Alexander Bolshunov of Russia took place just in front of the American, who had tucked himself in toward the back of the pack for the first half of the race (Bolger had been slated to race Quarterfinal 4, but did not start). Luckily for Hamilton, he was quick on his feet and dodged their skis as he maneuvered between them unscathed, moving into second position amidst the men left standing. With a hard press back to the pack from Jouve it was the American and the Frenchmen in a duel to the finish behind Sweden’s Marcus Grate. Grate took the quarterfinal win, while Hamilton snagged the automatic advancing spot by 0.1 seconds ahead of Jouve.

“I think the course caught everyone off guard,” Hamilton explained. The course itself featured a single long climb long sweeping descent and a few gut punching rollers before a sharp corner to the finish.

“At least for the guys especially, I think people thought it would spread out a little bit more because it was kind of a longer course and the first climb was so long and such a grinder climb that I think people thought that it was going to spread out and that there would be less contact because of that. But really, it’s pretty crazy, I think almost every men’s heat, especially I think in the quarter and maybe the semis, definitely had a lot of bumping and some crashes.”

Bolger’s decision to sit out the quarterfinal stemmed from his focus on races to come at World Champs. He told FasterSkier in an email that he has been battling a cold and wanted to be conservative to ensure that he is in top form during the sprint in Seefeld on Thursday.

“I’m feeling great this afternoon and looking ahead now to the sprint at World Champs!” he wrote. Bolger ended the day in Cogne in 30th.

In Semifinal 1, Kennedy led the group through the first half of the course, with Pellegrino, de Fabiani, Gros, Chavanat and Sondre Turvoll Fossli of Norway tucked in patiently behind him. Pellegrino took charge in the second half as he skied to the win, spreading his competitors out behind him. Just behind, in a fight for second place, Chavanat outsprinted De Fabiani, with Fossli taking fourth.

Kennedy ended his day in 12th, his career-best result in an individual World Cup event (at the time of publication, FasterSkier had not received comment from Kennedy).

“I felt very good from the beginning of the day,” wrote Kennedy in an email. “I got some good insight from Alex Harvey before the race and did a good job executing what he had suggested! Was super excited after the qualifier.

“I haven’t been know for my finish, so my strategy was to get as many lucky loser spots as possible,” Kennedy explained. “I picked a hard quarter and then went for it to try to make a fast heat in the semi. It was a good strategy but I didn’t have quite as much as I had hoped for in the end.”

In Semifinal 2, Hamilton relied again on patience as he tucked in toward the back of the group through the first half, slowly moving ahead in the final 600-meters. Toward the end of the long descent, yet another crash took place as Jovian Hediger of Switzerland tangled skis with Håvard Solås Taugbøl of Norway and Tom Mancini of France. Marcus Grate of Sweden took the win with Hamilton just behind. As the first heat ended up much faster than the second, both De Fabiani and Fossli advanced to the final as lucky losers.

While there were no crashes in the final, a problem with Pellegrino’s pole spiced things up for the Italian sprint specialist in his quest to win at home. Heading up a hill in V1, as his arm swung forward, he suddenly no longer had a pole attached to the strap on his right hand. Impressively, the Italian did not lose any momentum and continued up the climb where he was handed a new pole which he calmly exchanged without losing his position in third.

He stayed tucked in behind Chavanat and De Fabiani as the three began to separate themselves at the front. Pellegrino surged at the last climb to position himself for a close fight in the final stretch. As the trio of men powered through the straightaway, Pellegrino pulled away from his opponents throwing his arms up in celebration as he crossed the line in first, stopping the clock at 3:09.01. De Fabiani took second (+0.48) besting Chavanat in third (+0.51) by 0.03 seconds. Hamilton landed just off the podium in fourth (+3.91), followed by Fossli in fifth (+4.03), and Grate in sixth (+27.90).

Federico Pellegrino showers his teammate Francesco De Fabiani with champagne as they celebrate taking first and second in the 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint in Cogne, Italy. (Photo: Instagram screenshot @chiccopelle)

The crowd of Italians cheered as Pellegrino and De Fabiani congratulated each other with an embrace at the finish. In his interview, Pellegrino thanked his countrymen for their support.

“They gave me a lot of pushing,” he told FIS. “I needed this before the World Ski Championship, I tell them to come, and I see that a lot of people came.”

He later added, “Today was difficult to focus but I needed this energy by my people, by region, my valley, because I know now that when I go to Seefeld I have the responsibility to give everything that I can.”

From crashes to illness, Hamilton has had several strokes of bad luck this season. Saturday, things turned around for the 31 year old.

“I’m psyched for sure,” he told FasterSkier in a call. “I feel like I’ve been really fit this year and fast and I haven’t really had a great opportunity to show that. I had some frustrating races in the Tour and stuff, so it felt really good to kind of finally be able to put all the pieces together.”

Sitting above 5,000 ft in elevation, Cogne is one of the higher courses on the World Cup. However, it is still nearly 3,000 feet below Hamilton’s hometown of Aspen, Colorado.

“The conditions were kind of right in my wheelhouse with a little bit of altitude, fast cold snow, and bluebird skies, and being in the big mountains made me pretty happy,” he said. “I think it’s a great sign leading into World Champs and I know that I’m really fit right now. Training the last month has gone really well and I’m just psyched to be able to hopefully put together another good one in a few days [in Seefeld].”

Hamilton is known for being an agile skier, which was certainly to his advantage given the number of mishaps in Saturday’s event. In both the quarters and the semis, Hamilton’s early patience positioned him to avoid any hang ups. While his positioning was part of the plan, the way things played out was unforeseen.

Simi Hamilton skis past a stunning backdrop on his way to a fourth place finish in the 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint in Cogne, Italy. (Photo: Nordic Focus / Instagram screenshot @simihamilton)

“In my quarter, my tactics were to try to ski that whole first climb really kind of relaxed and I knew I probably wasn’t going to be able to relax a lot if I was leading pack so I just kind of settled in closer to the back and then tried to get around people on the long downhill, but that was kind of the place where the course took everyone by surprise. I think people thought that there was going to be a lot more passing going on in that downhill and they didn’t really, it just kind of stayed as one tight glob all the way down so I wasn’t able to move up there.

“For sure, I got kind of lucky with there being that big crash with Richard and Bolshunov coming up toward the finish in my quarter and I was able to get through that unscathed,” he continued. “I still felt good at that point so I think that I would have been able to put in a good finishing sprint and hopefully moved on anyway, but it definitely helped me to be able to ski past those guys when they were on the ground and then move on that way.”

Despite the risk of ending the day early, Hamilton enjoyed the chaos on course.

“It was a good course, really fun, and I think some crashes are always kind of good because that means it’s more exciting as a sprint race,” he said. “I think people are more psyched to watch a race where there’s some bumping and grinding, it’s always much more fun to race when it’s kind of like that anyway.”

Two more Americans ended the day in the top 30, with Andy Newell placing 23rd and Logan Hanneman 27th.

Erik Bjornsen did not make the heats, placing 39th. Also for North America, Russell Kennedy of Canada qualified in 12th (+5.30). Alex Harvey did not make the heats and finished his day in 48th and Evan Palmer-Charrette 59th.

Racing in Cogne continues tomorrow with 10/15k classic races.

Qualifier | Final Results

February 16, 2019
Diggins Wins Cogne Sprint; U.S. Puts 6 Women in Top 30

left to right Sandra Ringwald (GER), Jessie Diggins (USA), and Johanna Hagström (SWE). (Photo:Screenshot)

Until the very end of Saturday’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint race in Cogne, Italy, American Jessie Diggins had those watching on the edge of their seats. She advanced as the lucky loser in her quarterfinal and then once again in her semi final, before winning the final in a lunge to the line.

“Man I am glad they do lucky losers here!” Diggins told the International Ski Federation after winning Saturday’s sprint. “It’s so fun to be in Italy, I love it here, your pasta is the best! Thank you guys for cheering so loud, this was a lot of fun!”

Diggins started the day by qualifying in seventh, 5.18 seconds off of the fastest qualifying time of 3:37.06 posted by Switzerland’s Nadine Fähndrich. She was then slotted into the first quarterfinal along with Germany’s Sandra Ringwald, Norwegians Ane Appelkvist Stenseth and Anna Svendsen, Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva, and Diggin’s U.S. Ski Team teammate, Ida Sargent. Diggins crossed her quarterfinal in fourth, behind Ringwald in first, Nepryaeva in second and Appelkvist Stenseth in third. The fast times in Quarterfinal 1 produced two lucky losers: Appelkvist Stenseth and Diggins. She had secured a spot in the semis.

Matched up against U.S. teammate, Sadie Bjornsen in Semi final 1, Diggins crossed third behind Ringwald in second and Bjornsen first. The fast times, however, once again worked in favor of Diggins and she advanced to the finals as a lucky loser.

During the final, it appeared Germany’s Sandra Ringwald was on her way to the win. She made her move in the course’s major climb, gapping the field by a little more than a meter. Chasing her down were Diggins, Appelkvist Stenseth and Sweden’s Johanna Hagström. By the last hiccup of a hill before the finishing stretch, however, Diggins was closing in. With 100-meters to go she trailed the German, but by less than half a meter. The two lunged for the line, with Diggins bringing in the win. This is the first individual World Cup sprint victory for Diggins, and her first win of the 2018/2019 ski season.

“Honestly, there have been lots of ups and downs this year,” Diggins told FIS after her win. “I’ve been sick a lot, there has been a lot of doubt, and sometime losing my self-confidence. So it’s good to remember you don’t know what’s going to happen until the last 100-meters of any race, and you just have to believe in yourself and keep pushing the whole way.”

Finishing in second place overall, 0.11 seconds behind Diggins was Ringwald. After qualifying in fourth, the German skied smooth and strong, winning her quarterfinal and crossing second in her semi final. Her second place finish in the final is her first individual World Cup podium–in 2017 she earned a second place with Team Germany in the 4 x 5 k relay in Ulricehamn and in 2016, she and Hanna Kolb, who retired this spring, partnered up to take third in the Planica Team Sprint.

Sandra Ringwald (4) leading the pack, but Diggins (7) is close behind. (Photo: NBC Screenshot)

Following Ringwald, Sweden’s Johanna Hagström, crossed third on Saturday, 0.86 seconds back from Diggins. After qualifying ninth, Hagström crossed her quarterfinal in second. She went on to snag a lucky loser spot from her semi final to advance to the final. This is also her first individual World Cup podium finish.

Racer’s enjoyed blue skies and warm temperatures in Cogne on Saturday. When prompted about the course conditions Diggins told FasterSkier during a phone conversation that “It was incredibly hot, everyone was making fun of me because I was rubbing handfuls of snow over my neck and my arms, I was so hot, it was ridiculous out there, it felt like skiing in April, so sunny and gorgeous.”

These warm temperatures made for changing snow conditions, but according to Diggins, the USST wax technicians had no problem keeping up.

“Halfway through rounds we switched skis and switched structure, and they kept keeping up as the course was breaking down in the sun, and that was really impressive,” Diggins said. “With a long gliding downhill, you needed the speed today. My Salomon boards were smoking today, and I really needed that in the finishing stretch.”

“I’m just really grateful to them for all the hard work that they are always doing, you don’t see it on the TV, but you know there is a huge team of people there, just working so hard, and definitely skiing way more the we are,” Diggins added.

The next American finisher was Bjornsen who ended the day in fifth, 2.32 seconds behind her teammate Diggins. With World Championships taking place in Seefeld, Austria next week, a few U.S. skiers chose to sit out last weekend’s World Cup races in Lahti, Finland and partake instead in a training camp in Davos, Switzerland. Due to that camp, Bjornsen indicated during a phone conversation with FasterSkier that she “didn’t really know what to expect today.”

Sadie Bjornsen (USA) lunging for the win in her quarterfinal, against Johanna Hagestrøm (SWE) and Yulia Belorukova (RUS). (Photo: NBC Screenshot).

“I’m definitely starting to feel a bit better than I have for a while, so I was encouraged by that,” Bjornsen said. “I was pleasantly surprised to find quite good feelings today, so that’s really nice right before World Champs.”

Prior to Saturday, Bjornsen explained that her race strategy was to lead as little as possible during the heats. However, that changed, she said, after she saw her teammates Diggins and Sophie Caldwell ski their quarterfinals. also talked

“It looked so stressful to me to try to make moves, so I ditched my plan and decided I was going to go back to my leading plan and I’m really happy I did,” Bjornsen said.

“In the semifinal, I tried a new tactic to try to stay in the front, but maybe not the front-front because we had a stacked semifinal and that also worked quite well, and I saw that I had some extra power in that final uphill so when I finished my semi I was like ‘oh man, I can win today, I feel amazing!’” she said.

By the final, however, Bjornsen’s energy reserves were burning low.

“Going into the finals, I could feel right away a little bit of a power outage, but when I went over the top of the climb, I was like ‘the race is not over until it’s over so I’m going to keep fighting because I know I can be strong until the last uphill,’” she said.

In the final uphill Norway’s Appelkvist Stenseth maneuvered in front of Bjornsen, breaking her momentum.

“Getting stopped like that and having to go again, I didn’t have that final gear to do that,” Bjornsen said.

Following the two women in the final, the U.S. had four more top 30 results, with Julia Kern placing just outside the top ten in 11th, Sophie Caldwell 17th, Ida Sargent 24th and Rosie Brennan 27th.

Racing in Quarterfinal 4, Kern was up against Germany’s Laura Gimmler, Sweden’s Linn Sömskar and Moa Lundgren Russia’s Tatiana Aleshina and Slovenia’s Alenka Cebasek. In the first climb, Kern charged to the front and kept the front charging pace through skied into second place during her quarterfinal. In the second semi final, Kern crossed sixth to place 11th overall.

“I was in the fourth quarterfinal so I was able to watch the heats before me on the jumbotron and get advice from my teammates who raced in the earlier heats. We noticed that people were getting boxed in so my tactic was to ski as close to the front as possible. I ended up leading my quarterfinal, similar to what Sadie’s tactic ended up being in her quarterfinal.”

Prior to Saturday’s finish, Kern’s career best World Cup result came in the Dresden city sprint this year where she finished 19th.

Julia Kern (22) taking the lead before the first climb during her quarterfinal. (Photo: NBC Screenshot).

Caldwell crossed fourth in her quarterfinals and did not advance to the semis. Brennan and Sargent also did not advance past the quarterfinals.

“I love racing in Italy!” Brennan wrote in an email to FasterSkier. “It’s beautiful here and the courses are quite different from many other World Cup courses so it’s been a great change of pace.”

Brennan was one U.S. athlete who chose to sit out last weekend’s World Cup races in order to complete the Davos training camp.

“I had a great training camp in Davos and am feeling much better so I was optimistic for today’s race.” Brennan said. “The qualifier went well and I’m always excited to get a shot at the heats. I did a really poor job of skiing to my strengths in my heat and struggled a bit with my skis so I am disappointed in how things went there. I am excited to see where my distance shape is tomorrow!”

Also skiing for the U.S., Kelsey Phinney finished in 33rd, 1.03 seconds outside of qualification.

Four Canadian women raced on Saturday, with Dahria Beatty leading the way in 38th. The next Canadian finisher after Beatty was Cendrine Browne in 48th, followed by Maya Macisaac-Jones 49th and Katherine Stewart-Jones 51st.

Results: Women’s Qualifier | Final

February 16, 2019
Saturday Race Rundown: Cogne, SoHo, Minneapolis (Updated x 1)

American Jessie Diggins (center) after winning the women’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint in Cogne, Italy. Germany’s Sandra Ringwald (l) placed second and Sweden’s Johanna Hagström in third.

FIS Cross Country World Cup 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint Cogne, Italy

Amidst sunshine and sporting rolled up sleeves on Saturday in Cogne Italy, American Jessie Diggins took the women’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint win in nail-biter fashion. After making it into the semifinals and the final as one of the day’s lucky losers, Diggins outlunged Germany’s Sandra Ringwald by 0.11 seconds, claiming the victory in a time of 3:32.73.

The 27 year old Afton, Minnesota native now has six individual World Cup sprint podiums, Saturday marking her first individual World Cup sprint victory (not to be forgotten is the gold medal Diggins and Kikkan Randall won in the team sprint during last year’s Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games).

Following Diggins, Ringwald placed second (+0.11), Sweden’s Johanna Hagström third (+0.86), and Norway’s Ane Appelkvist Stenseth was fourth (+1.31). American Sadie Bjornsen also advanced all the way to the final on Saturday where she placed fifth, 2.23 seconds back from Diggins’ winning time. The sixth finalist on Saturday was Eva Urevc of Slovenia, who crossed 2.32 seconds back from Diggins.

In her strongest individual World Cup sprint result yet, Julia Kern of the U.S. raced to an 11th place. Prior to Saturday, Kern’s best individual World Cup finish in a sprint was 19th, which she earned at this year’s freestyle sprint in Dresden, Germany.

Three more U.S. woman finished in the top 30, with Sophie Caldwell placing in 17th followed by Ida Sargent in 24th and Rosie Brennan in 27th.

American Kelsey Phinney finished 1.03 seconds outside of qualification, ending the day in 33rd overall.

Four Canadian women raced on Saturday, with Dahria Beatty leading the way in 38th. The next Canadian finisher after Beatty was Cendrine Browne in 48th, followed by Maya Macisaac-Jones 49th and Katherine Stewart-Jones 51st.

Results: Women’s Qualifier | Final

Italy’s Federico Pellegrino (c) after winning the men’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint on Saturday in Cogne, Italy. His teammate, Francesco de Fabiani (l) placed second and France’s Lucas Chanavat third. (Photo: FIS Instragram screenshot)

On the men’s side, Italians Federico Pellegrino and Francesco de Fabiani put on a show for the home crowd, with Pellegrino taking the win in a time of 3:09.07 and his teammate de Fabiani earning second (+0.48) by 0.03 seconds after a photo finish with France’s Lucas Chanavat, who placed third (+0.51).

After narrowly avoiding a crash in his semifinal, American Simi Hamilton advanced to the final, ending the day just off the podium in fourth (+3.91). Following Hamilton was Norway’s Sondre Turvoll Fossli in fifth (+4.03) and Sweden’s Marcus Grate in sixth (+27.90).

Racing for Canada, Russell Kennedy was the next top North American finisher in 11th. Following Kennedy was American Andy Newell in 23rd and the U.S.’s Logan Hanneman in 27th. Kevin Bolger qualified for the fourth quarterfinal, but did not start and ended the day in 30th.

Erik Bjornsen of the U.S. Ski Team placed 39th while Canada’s Alex Harvey ended the day in 48th and Evan Palmer-Charrette 59th.

Results: Men’s Qualifier | Final

Germany’s Denise Herrmann winning the women’s IBU 10 k pursuit on Saturday at the SoHo venue in Midway, Utah. (Photo: IBU Instagram screenshot)

IBU World Cup Soldier Hollow (Midway), Utah: 10/12.5 k pursuit

International Biathlon Union (IBU) competition has returned to the famed Soilder Hollow (SoHo) race course venue in Midway, Utah for the first time in 17 years–the last time IBU/World Cup level competitions were held there was back in 2002, when Salt Lake City played host to the Winter Olympic Games.

The IBU’s third day of competition in SoHo brought on a 10-kilometer pursuit for the women. Germany’s Denise Herrmann won the event in a time of 28:03.4 after skiing two penalties (0+0+1+1). Franziska Hildebrand, also of Germany, claimed second, finishing 4.2 seconds behind Herrmann with one missed shot (0+0+0+1).

Racing for Finland, Kaisa Mäkäräinen placed third, 16.5 seconds back from the winner with three misses (2+0+1+0).

Susan Dunklee was the top North American woman, finishing in 26th (+2:34.5) with one miss (0+0+0+1). Just 0.4 seconds back from Dunklee in 27th (+2:34.9), was U.S. skier, Clare Egan with three missed shots (0+0+2+1).

Rosanna Crawford of Canada placed 34th (+2:48.2) after skiing three penalties (0+1+0+2) and U.S. skier Joanne Reid finished 40th (+4:11.9) after skiing two penalties (0+1+1+0). Canada’s Sarah Beaudry placed 44th (+4:33.2) after two missed shots (0+0+1+1) and Emma Lunder, also racing for Canada, placed 51st (+5:41.3) after skiing six penalties (2+2+2+0).

Results: Women’s IBU Pursuit

Quentin Fillon Maillet (c) after winning the men’s IBU World Cup 12.5-k pursuit at the SoHo venue in Midway, Utah. Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (l) placed second and Simon Desthieux, also of France, placed third. (Photo: IBU Instagram)

In the men’s 12.5-kilometer pursuit, France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet claimed the win in a time of 30:55.8 after shooting 100 percent. Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, who earned his first IBU World Cup win on Friday, placed second in Saturday’s pursuit, finishing 25.9 seconds behind Fillon Maillet and missing just one shot (0+1+0+0).

Simon Desthieux, also of France, placed third on Saturday, finishing 47.3 seconds back from the winner after skiing three penalties (0+1+1+1).

Racing for Canada, Christian Gow placed 8th (+2:21.2) after shooting clean. American Sean Doherty finishing two places behind Gow in 10th (+2:22.8) with three misses (0+3+0+0). Canadian Scott Gow, Christian’s brother, placed 25th (+3:58.5) after skiing four penalties (1+1+2+0).

Also racing for Canada, Aidan Millar finished in 39th (+5:25.1) with five missed shots (2+0+1+2).

Results: Men’s Pursuit

***

Minneapolis SuperTour 20 k/15 k mass start classic

The SuperTour returned to racing on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a 15/20 k classic mass start. The men’s 20-kilometer event was won by Northern Michigan University (NMU) skier, Zak Ketterson in a time of 54:08.0. Ben Lustgarten skiing for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP) placed second, 0.9 seconds behind Ketterson. Norwegian Mathias Rolid, also skiing for NMU, placed third, 15.8 seconds behind the race winner.

In the women’s 15 k event, Kaitlynn Miller of the CGRP won in a time of 50:17.1. Skiing for the Stratton Mountain School T2 team was Alayna Sonnesyn in second place (+25.1). Liz Guiney (CGRP) claiming third (+30.6).

Results: Men’s 20 k | Women’s 15 k

February 16, 2019