FasterSkier

Tag: Davos 1.3 k freestyle sprint

  • Notes and Quotes: Davos World Cup Sprint

    Notes and Quotes: Davos World Cup Sprint

    Andy Newell (l) of the USST trails eventual 3rd place finisher Erik Brandsdal of Norway (r) and Alexey Petukhov of Russia (c) who eventually finished fourth in the 1.3 k freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)
    Andy Newell (l) of the USST trails eventual 3rd place finisher Erik Brandsdal of Norway (r) and Alexey Petukhov of Russia (c) who eventually finished fourth in the 1.3 k freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

    DAVOS, Switzerland — FasterSkier was on-site in Davos, Switzerland for the weekend of World Cup racing. With a classic 10/15 k individual start and a 1.3 k freestyle sprint, the world’s best gathered to demonstrate their capabilities as they shake off the early season cobwebs and enter into the bulk of the year’s racing.

    Below are quotes that didn’t make it into our race reports from Sunday’s sprint races:

    On the shorter 1.3 k sprint course…

    “It’s so short that it’s pretty much a pure sprinter’s race. You saw that some of the distance guys had a hard time getting in there, so that left more room for the sprinters.”

    – Lenny Valjas, Canada, who qualified 10th and ultimately finished 13th. 

    “It’s just a little shorter so you can afford to go at a little bit higher pace.”

    – Andy Newell, USST, who qualified and finished his day in 15th.

    “The race was quite short for me. It’s already a short course and they shortened it more this year. It’s about 100 meters shorter this year compared to last year. A two-minute sprint means the race is quite anaerobic for me. I did the best I could but I’m not good anaerobically.”

    – Alex Harvey, Canada, who placed 45th in the qualification round. 

    “Last year it was great. I think these long flats are good for me. I prefer V2. I still need to figure out that short hill a little. My legs just flood, although that could be the altitude. But I do like the course here.”

    – Sophie Caldwell, USST, who finished 22nd after qualifying in 23rd. Caldwell made the semifinals for the first time in a Davos sprint Dec., 2013. 

    Ida Sargent on her recent results…

    “The second time [up the hill], I was just skiing a little frantic. I felt like I skied a really smooth qualifier, and not as smooth in the heat. It was still really fun. It was my best skate qualifier maybe ever, so I was really happy with that.”

    – Sargent, USST, who qualified in 19th position and finished her day in 16th. 

    “I can relax, because I know I can be there. Even a day like today, I can tell that I was skiing with all those girls.”

    – Sargent, on her fifth-place finish in Kuusamo, Finland in November.

    Perianne Jones on the Canadian women’s team…

    “It was really gratifying to see [Emily Nishikawa] do so well. We have been working together a bit so to see her work so hard and put it together was great to see. It’s been really fun this year to have the younger girls around. In the past I’ve been the youngest one so it is really positive for the program to see Emily do so well. It shows we are making progress and it is fun to have been able to have a small part in that.”

    – Jones, Canada, who qualified 40th. Nishikawa earned her best-ever World Cup finish in Saturday’s 10 k classic with a 29th place finish. 

    “The plan is to bring over more Canadian women after Christmas and the Tour de Ski. It all depends on who is doing well back home. Hopefully they can get some races over here.”

    – Jones, on the possible plan for the Canadian domestic women to join her and Nishikawa in Europe.  

    On Kikkan Randall’s slow start to the season…

    “I’ve just been struggling with being sick and down all summer. And I was sick last week. I haven’t had a chance to really put myself through this format. The more I do it, the more I think my body will remember how. I’ll get there… Right now I just have to be really patient and smart. The big goal this year is February anyway. I have a lot of time between now and then.”

    – Randall, USST, who qualified in 28th position and finished 20th. Earlier in December, Randall failed to qualify for the freestyle sprint for the first time since 2009 and is working to regain the racing shape that earned her two consecutive World Cup sprint title. 

    “As you heard Kikkan say, it was a step in the right direction for her. Not just in terms of the result, but in terms of when she tried to make a move out on the course something actually happened today. Versus her qualification efforts or distance pacing in the last couple of weeks, she just didn’t seem to have a response to moves she was trying to make. So we have to be patient. And we’re pleased that we’re moving in the right direction.

    “That’s the cool thing about a team. We have a number of leaders on the team. In a sense, everyone is. But your top performer steps aside with some fatigue or whatever it is, and it seems almost without fail that somebody’s going to fill that spot. It’s just kind of naturally the way teams work and the way group dynamics work. So it’s not surprising for me to see some outstanding performances coming from other people. The window’s open. Kikkan doesn’t try to close it. She encourages her teammates to win, and she wants them to win.”

    – Matt Whitcomb, USST Women’s Coach. 

    On USST expectations…

    “It is something that we’re managing.”

    – Matt Whitcomb, USST Women’s Coach

  • Østberg Skis Big for First World Cup Victory in Davos Sprint

    Østberg Skis Big for First World Cup Victory in Davos Sprint

    Ingvild Flugstad Østberg racing to fifth in her first FIS race of the season, the 10 k skate on Nov. 22 in Beitostølen, Norway. (Photo: Inge Scheve)
    Ingvild Flugstad Østberg racing in Beitostølen, Norway. The Norwegian convincingly won the 1.3 k freestyle World Cup sprint in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday.  (Photo: Inge Scheve)

    Which Norwegian and by how much?

    That seems to be the ongoing question in the early races of the 2014/2015 World Cup season, with Norwegian dominance for both the men and women since the first competition in Ruka, Finland.

    Sunday in Davos, Switzerland, it was Ingvild Flugstad Østberg who came out on top in the 1.3 k freestyle sprint – and it wasn’t even close.

    Heading into the race, Østberg had the number one bib as the fastest qualifier. She skied to a time of 2:34.46, barely beating out teammate Marit Bjørgen (+0.47). Bjørgen won the mini tour sprint in Lillehammer earlier in December, which was the only other freestyle sprint race of the season.

    Once in the quarterfinals, Østberg again demonstrated her strength. Her time of 2:34:48 was the fastest of the round. The second fastest time in the quarterfinals was held by teammate Heidi Weng, who was in Østberg’s heat and finished second behind her. The second fastest quarterfinal winning time was 2:37.46 by Bjørgen.

    The first semifinal heat featured Østberg, teammate Celine Brun-Lie, Swedes Stina Nilsson and Charlotte Kalla, and Rikka Sarasoja-Lilja of Finland.

    Østberg set yet another fastest time going 2:33.78 in her heat. Nilsson was second finishing 1.50 seconds back. Brun-Lie was able to regroup from a broken pole at the start of the race and finished in third place. Just behind her In fourth position was Weng, who along with Brun-Lie, qualified for the final as a lucky loser.

    The second women’s semi final featured Bjørgen, Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway, Germans Denise Hermann and Hanna Kolb, Ida Ingemarsdotter of Sweden, and Katja Visnar of Slovenia.

    Falla took the lead from the start and carried the group up the first climb. The pack stayed together for the majority of the race, with Bjørgen holding back until the final climb, where she  passed Falla to take the lead coming to the finish. Bjørgen’s winning time was 2:36.43, with Falla finishing 0.19 behind her.

    With the semifinals complete, the roster of the final was set and it featured five Norwegians. The only non-Norwegian was Nilsson.

    Leading the charge out of the gate was Østberg. Nilsson was close behind until she broke a pole in the first 30 seconds of the race. She was handed two poles before she continuing, but the rest of the pack was long gone by the time Nilsson had regrouped.

    With Nilsson out of the picture, Østberg picked up the pace and led the pack through the rest 1.3 k course. Falla followed Østberg closely as she pulled away, but never truly challenged Østberg.

    When the race was finished, Østberg had once again set the fastest time of the day, clocking in at 2:33.72. Falla finished 0.57 behind her for second.

    “I’m very happy for the victory. I have been working for this so long and it is a great feeling. I felt strong from the prologue and my plan was to ski in front and push hard from the beginning” said Østberg in a post-race interview with FIS. “I was so close to a World Cup victory sometimes. To cross this line first alone was delightful.”

    Today’s win was Østberg’s first-ever World Cup victory. Her only other win was a sprint stage in last year’s Tour de Ski, which is considered a Stage World Cup.

    Second place finisher Falla said after the race that she was proud of Østberg and that her result was a result of dedicated work.

    “I knew Ingvild would push hard from the beginning and I tried to follow her but she was little bit better than me. I am proud of her. My goal this winter is to fight for the sprint World Cup and the beginning of the season has been great with three final appearances in three sprints,” she said to FIS.

    Rounding out the Norwegian podium was Brun-Lie, who said tried a new strategy in today’s race.

    “I had a very good race today. I tried to stay mentally focused and concentrated. Usually my tactics is to ski in the front the whole time but today I decided to stay back and move forward in the second lap. It worked every time in the heat,” she said in an interview with FIS.

    In fourth position was Bjørgen who explained that the Norwegian sweep was an indication Norway’s teamwork was paying off.

    “We are a very strong team. I think that we are training together and pushing each other, and that is how we are getting on a higher level,” Norwegian Marit Bjørgen said of her team to FIS.

    Bjørgen also said that she was not surprised by Østberg’s win.

    “I saw it coming,” she said to FasterSkier. “I was saying, she has to wait a little bit, it will come soon. And it really did. Today she was so strong.”

    Bjørgen, who is rarely ever off the podium, said that the younger girls on her team are becoming more competitive and it’s becoming harder to maintain her usual dominance.

    “I was getting more tired and more tired as the day went on. With the younger girls today it was really hard” Bjørgen said after her race.

    The other finishers were Weng in fifth and Nilsson in sixth. With her finish, Nilsson took over the U23 leaders bib. Bjørgen will retain the leader bib as World Cup racing returns to Davos next week as a result of the previously scheduled races in La Clusaz, France being cancelled due to poor conditions.

    Women’s results