From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN: Welcome to FasterSkier’s on-location coverage of the United States National Cross-Country Ski Championships from Houghton, Michigan.
This week, Houghton hosts the U.S. National Cross-Country Championships on the Michigan Technological University’s trails system. Today’s event is the 20-kilometer classic mass start.
Hailey Swirbul leads out the women’s charge at the beginning of the 20-k classic mass start in Houghton. (Photo: FasterSkier).
There were several questions to be answered at the beginning of the day: the women’s side has been dominated by Hailey Swirbul. Swirbul has won the two previous races, the 10-kilometer individual start skate, and the classic sprints. Would Swirbul be able to complete the three-peat by winning today’s long classic race, which would give her a first place in sprint, middle, and long distances?
The men’s results have been on the opposite side of the spectrum. There have been six different men standing on the podium so far. Would any man be able to claim a repeat podium position?
Finally, the weather was not a dominating factor as overnight temperatures were in the teens, with highs in the upper twenties. Unlike the night before the sprint races, the wax technicians could actually get some sleep. The men’s race started at 9:30 and by then conditions were beautiful. The sky was blue, the temperatures were in the mid-twenties, and the wind was calm; for January in the Keweenaw, it could be called unusual.
The classic course was a 5-kilometer loop with challenging corners and descents, and long very steep climbs.
Hailey Swirbul on her way to a Houghton three-peat. (Photo: FasterSkier).
The Results
In a thrilling women’s race, Hailey Swirbul (APU Nordic Ski Center) did pull off the three-peat by beating out Sydney Palmer-Leger (University of Utah), by four-tenths of a second. Novie McCabe finished third, less than 10 seconds out of second place.
For the men, Luke Jager (University of Utah) claimed another podium, finishing first. Two seconds behind him, in second, was distance phenom David Norris (Steamboat Springs Winter Sport), and in third was Zanden McMulllen (APU Nordic Ski Center).
Men’s 20 k Mass Start
The men’s competition took an unexpected turn when the lead pack was broken apart early on the second lap by a large crash. Jager told FasterSkier, “There was a big crash on the second lap, a few skiers went down, most notably Andreas [Kirkeng], and he had been hitting the pace the entire first lap. I was in front of Andreas, it was on a downhill, I was pulling out for the sharp turn, and he also did, we kind of clipped each other skis. You never want that…it’s a big bummer. Suddenly it was me and David [Norris] off the front. It really disrupted things.” Jager was able to adjust on the fly, and after the crash it was a group of four skiers until the end.
Luke Jager celebrates the victory in the 20-K Classic. (Photo: FasterSkier).
Andreas Kirkeng (University of Denver) told FasterSkier that after the fall he couldn’t close the gap.
“I broke a pole, and my binding popped off, so I had to stop on the downhill to put my binding back on. I was skiing with one pole for a while, it was unlucky”. Andreas Kirkeng
Andreas Kirkeng shows the evidence—a broken pole—from an early crash that knocked him out of contention. (Photo: FasterSkier).
As the race wound down to the last few kilometers Norris pushed the paced. Jager told FasterSkier that, “Thankfully I had enough left in the tank to get a little bit of a gap in the last climb. If it came to a battle of just grinding as hard as we could, I knew I wasn’t going to win.”
The weather did affect tactics when it came down to ski choices. The favorable conditions allowed Jager to optimize his ski choice. “I picked a little bit of a softer ski,” he said. “It was a little easier to kick.”
The win was meaningful for Jager. “I’ve tried really hard to not be super specialized as not just a sprinter these last few years, to be able to be competitive in all the events,” he said. “To hold with those guys until the end was really rewarding.”
Men’s 20-kilometer classic podium (l-r: David Norris, Luke Jager, Zanden McMullen) (Photo: FasterSkier).
Women’s 20 k Mass Start
The women’s race came down to a thrilling duel between Swirbul and Palmer-Leger. Ultimately, Swirbul made an on-the-fly tactical choice which enabled her to inch out Palmer-Leger, winning the race by abandoning double poling at the finishing sprint and switching to diagonal stride. The tactical choice enabled her to beat out Palmer-Leger by about a boot length. Second place finisher Palmer-Leger, a junior at University of Utah, noted the difference in technique choice at the finish. “She was striding, I was double poling, it was hard to know what would be faster, right at the end I kind of switched into a run to see if that would work, but it didn’t.”
Swirbul and Palmer-Leger neck and neck at the finish. A last second change to diagonal stride captured the win for Swirbul. (Photo: FasterSkier).
Swirbul said that the top three skiers stayed together for most of the race. “Novie, Sydney, and I became a pod at one point and skied a lot of the last half of the race together.”
Swirbul said that coming into the championships she knew that top results were a real possibility. “The beginning of my season has been going well,” she said. “But you never know. There are so many factors that play into it.” Commenting on the distance Swirbul said,. “20 k is really long. We’ve had [this distance] at nationals, but I don’t do that many of them.”
Going into the race, Palmer-Leger’s strategy was to not let the hills wear her down. “I paced it on the hills and tried sitting behind somebody, stay relaxed and focus on breathing,” she said. “A lot of time I get stressed, start to run and use up most of my upper body, so trying to stay relaxed [was important].” Palmer-Leger appreciated the Houghton course noting that, “It’s kind of fun to have something different. It keeps you on your toes when you kind of have to sprint from the start to get in a good lead, so you don’t crash in the corner. I made sure I was in a good spot [to avoid a crash].”
Ute junior, Novie McCabe, told FasterSkier that she tried to push the pace about two laps into the race. That’s when the race turned into a four-skier pack. “My plan was to go on the last lap on the first long hill and get a lead there,” she said. “It didn’t quite happen for me. I kept trying to go on all the hills, but they [Palmer-Leger and Swirbul] were too strong and they blew me away at the end. I was kind of hanging on a by a thread there for a while.” After the race week concludes, McCabe will focus on the U-23 championships in Whistler.
Crowded corners challenged racers on a tough Houghton course for the U.S. Nationals. (Photo: Amy Kostrzewa).
Houghton provided a beautiful day for a classic race, and the racing was equally spectacular.
HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN: Welcome to FasterSkier’s on-location coverage of the United States National Cross-Country Ski Championships from Houghton, Michigan.
This week, Houghton hosts the U.S. National Cross-Country Championships on the Michigan Technological University’s trails system. Today’s event was the Classic Sprints.
Weather again played an outsized role in today’s proceedings as temperatures hovered around freezing all night. The overnight forecast varied from freezing rain, to rain, to rain mixed with snow, to straight snow. During ski testing yesterday, the tracks had been firm but heavily glazed. The question for the race today was whether these conditions would change; and what—if anything—to do about it. Moist, at-freezing conditions presented head-scratching questions about kick wax preparation, or whether to not wax at all and go with Zeroes or a Zero-ski equivalent. Conditions were fast, but getting good kick would likely come at the sacrifice of speed. Since the course doesn’t require a lot of kick, racers could take the gamble of going very thin on kick wax and count on double poling and fast glide where it mattered most.
Hailey Swirbul powering her way through a tricky Houghton corner. Two races, two first places for the APU skier. (Photo: FasterSkier)
Conditions remained consistent overnight with temperatures hovering around freezing. The called-for precipitation never materialized, at least for the beginning of the qualifiers. But things would change once the heats began.
Racers ended up using a bit of everything for kick. Many opted for no kick wax, some using skate skis, double poling the course and using herringbone technique up the steep hill. Many others used Zero skis, and some opted for klister covered with hard wax. It appeared to be an even distribution of skiers using the three options in the qualifiers.
Kristoffer Alm Karsrud qualifying en route to the top of the podium for NMU. (Photo: FasterSkier).
Just as important as waxing strategy would be on-ski strategy. MTU’s sprint course is interesting and presents unique challenges. Racers competed on a fast two-lap course which consists mostly of long gradual descents, two fast sharp turns, and one short, but extremely steep uphill. Navigating safely through the fast turns and maintaining positioning on the final hill would likely determine the race outcome. After completing the hill for the second time, it is a long gradual uphill sprint into the stadium. It would be extraordinarily difficult to make up ground if a skier was caught in traffic on the hill.
The Results
The first-place finisher for the men was Kristoffer Alm Kasrud (Northern Michigan University) of Norway. In second was Magnus Boee, also of Norway (University of Colorado), and in third place was Luke Jager (University of Utah). Rounding out the field were Will Koch 4th (University of Colorado), Zanden McMullen 5th (APU Nordic Ski Center), and Christopher Kalev 6th of Estonia (University of Alaska-Fairbanks).
The first-place finisher for the women was Hailey Swirbul (APU Nordic Ski Center). In second was Mariel Merlii Pulles of Estonia (University of Alaska-Fairbanks), and in third was Tilde Baangman of Sweden (University of Utah). Completing the field for the women was Sydney Palmer-Leger, 4th (University of Utah), Kendall Kramer 5th (University of Alaska-Fairbanks), and in sixth was Weronika Kaleta (University of Colorado).
Hailey Swirbul taking advantage of the rare kick and glide opportunities. (Photo: FasterSkier)
Men’s Sprint
In the interval between the qualifiers and the heats, Lake Superior decided that it would remind everyone that it was really in charge of everything, and the unpredictable Upper Peninsula weather took a turn for the worse. The winds picked up, gusting to almost 40 mph, and the snow started. This forced a reassessment of waxing for everyone. For those who had been without kick wax, a switch over was considered to take advantage of the falling snow. For those skiing on covered klister a change might be needed to prevent kick zone icing.
Men’s winner Karsrud, who lives about 40 minutes outside Lillehammer, told FasterSkier that he had started the day with a hard wax, but changed kick wax between the qualifiers and the heats.
But it wasn’t all about wax strategy for the men’s winner. He decided to ,“Take the first lap chill, and then at the last hill to be in the top two.” The MTU trails suited the Norwegian well. He told FasterSkier that he has been practicing a lot of technical skiing at home which helped on the tight corners. The victory wasn’t just an individual accomplishment for Kasrud. “The victory is really cool for the team, building up to this together, it means a lot.”
The top American in the men’s field, in third place, was US Ski Team member Luke Jager. Jager was happy to be back on American soil, though he expressed a bit of a “love-hate” relationship with the rugged Upper Peninsula. Jager told FasterSkier that the wind and the long finishing straight was a difficult combination. “I think everyone hates that,” he said. “So I’m not alone there.” Jager was one of the racers who used skate skis in qualifying and in the quarter-finals, but then changed for the semi-finals. The equipment in part dictated his strategy. “The strategy was you want to be in front the whole time,” he said,”Because you don’t want to be stuck in the mess doing some ‘janky’ herringbone on skate skis up the hill.” Once the conditions changed, Jager opted to go with hard wax just prior to the semi-finals and stuck with that setup into the finals. The equipment changes created an interesting tactical paradox for the American. He told FasterSkier that in the final there were at least two skiers on skate skis, so he had to take advantage of situations where he had it. In the semi’s and finals, he had an advantage on the hills on waxed skis. “It’s fun when [wax choice] is that close. Usually, it’s lights out, one or the other. People had success on both set ups.”
“The finish is such a grind that any accelerating you can do into it is a pretty advantageous. It was a real toss-up. If you get bogged down on the skate skis, you’re going to be really hurting”.
Luke Jager
Houghton Sprint Men’s Podium. (l-r, Luke Jager, Kristoffer Alm Karsrud, Magnus Boee). (Photo: Amy Kostrzewa)
Jager noted other tradeoffs in equipment choices. He told FasterSkier that on skate skis with skate boots you could take the corners more aggressively. “I kind of left the door open a little bit on the corner.”
Luke Jager working his way toward the podium. (Photo: FasterSkier)
Jager was also willing to discuss his plans for the future. “I’m going to race our college races in Bozeman next week…I’m going to try and get a lot of racing in and then go to U-23 champs. That will be the focus for the next little bit. I’d still like to get a World Championship spot. Hopefully that works out.” He continued with a theme that so many other skiers have commented on: “I’m really happy to be here. It feels really great to be back in the U.S. My first couple of days here were euphoric, everyone’s so friendly.”
Women’s Sprint
For women’s winner, Swirbul, it was the top spot on the podium for the second race in a row. Swirbul put her faith in confronting the tricky wax conditions in her team. “I don’t know what the coaches did,” she said. “But whatever they did, it was awesome.” Swirbul complemented the Houghton race course management team by praising changes to the sprint course. “They’ve done a really good job at adding the steep hill in,” she said. “The finish stretch is horrifically long and painful.” Swirbul’s strategy was to use her strengths to get to the front of the pack by the top of the big hill near the finish. “I was hoping to be out front as I’m not as strong of a double poler as some of my competitors are. I knew that in a drag race without a head start I wouldn’t have a chance.”
Hailey Swirbul powering her way through a tricky Houghton corner. (Photo Credit: FasterSkier)
Second place finisher, UAF senior Pulles told FasterSkier that she was happy to be in second at the top of the hill. She had planned to draft Swirbul, but made her break too soon. “I think I came out at Hailey too early…the wind was coming from that direction, so maybe I should have stayed behind her a little longer.” Pulles told FasterSkier that her skis were set up with covered klister. She never considered going without kick wax.
Mariel Merlii Pulles setting the pace in her heat. (Photo: FasterSkier).
For all the competitors, it was a combination of tactical and equipment choices which only a 32 degree day on classic skis can bring out. For some, it was regrets; for others, it was reveling in the right choice. For all the racers it was a reminder that when you’re skiing in the U.P., the only givens are that any conditions can occur, and that Lake Superior is really always in charge.
HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN: Welcome to FasterSkier’s on-location coverage of the United States National Cross- Country Ski Championships from Houghton, Michigan.
This week, Houghton hosts the U.S. National Cross-Country Championships on the Michigan Technological University’s trail system. The U.S. Nationals mean many things to different competitors. For some, it’s their initiation into the world of high-end competitive ski racing; for others it’s their chance to burnish their credentials; and for still others it’s a combination of competition and enjoyment of skiing.
Today’s competition was the 10-kilometer individual start freestyle race. The women’s race was first, starting at 9:30, followed by the men’s start at 12:30.
Top ten results, Women’s U.S. nationals (Photo: FasterSkier)
The weather in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been extremely atypical for this time of year with temperatures hitting almost 40 degrees and only dropping to freezing in the evening. Fortunately, a deep snowpack provided good conditions. With temperatures hovering around freezing with moist snow, it would have been disastrous for a classic race, but today, the conditions were fast and forgiving, close to ideal for a skate race.
U.S. Nationals, Men’s results. (Photo: Fasterskier)
The Results
The women’s competition was won by US National Team member, Hailey Swirbul (Alaska Pacific University Nordic). She was followed in second by National Team member Novie McCabe (University of Utah), with Sydney Palmer-Leger (University of Utah) in third.
The men’s first-place finisher was Andreas Kirkeng from Norway (University of Denver). In second place was John Steel Hagenbuch, (Dartmouth College), and in third place was David Norris (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports).
Men’s podium U.S. Nationals (l-r John Steel Hagenbuch, Andreas Kirkeng, David Norris. (Photo: Fasterskier)
The Race
The men’s race was dominated by the Norwegian, Kirkeng, a college sophomore who won by over 30 seconds. It was a performance made all the more impressive by the fact that as Kirkeng told Fasterskier, he had returned from Europe only five days prior to the race, having travelled home for the holidays. Kirkeng lives 30 minutes from Oslo, and had spent the holidays in the mountains.
It was the first time on these trails for the Norwegian who professed a liking for the course. Kirkeng told Fasterskier that, “The course is really broken into two parts, long straight ups and downs where you really just have to find the flow, and the second half is short kickers with a lot of transitions, you really have to be on top of everything and work hard for it.”
He also told Fasterskier that he had tried out some strategies yesterday with race prep intervals, but that, “There’s no real resting point, so you have to ski smart and save energy where you can. Save some on the uphills and really pursue the turns.”
The moist snow didn’t faze the Colorado student since it’s very similar to what he has at home in Norway. For the young Norwegian, the podium is a foundation for his young career.
Andreas Kirkeng charging onto lap two as he heads toward victory. (Photo : Fasterskier)
Second place finisher Steel Hagnenbuch, a Dartmouth freshman, told FasterSkier that he was familiar with the course having skied it as a junior in 2020. “It skis almost like an altitude course in that there’s a lot of sustained working sections,” he said. “I thought it was really important to be strong and composed in the working section, that’s probably four minutes of big V-2 work.”
US Ski Team veteran David Norris—who was pulling double duty as both a racer and a coach for S.S.W.S.—told Faster skier that he was, “Grateful to the club letting him coach and race simultaneously.” Norris’s strategy was, “To settle in on the climbs and work all the gradual rolling stuff.” Norris’ experience was able to bring some perspective to the fact that fluoro waxes were not allowed in this race. It was Norris’s first time at a National Championship level race without fluoro waxes. “With a two lap course, it’s really interesting,” he said. “You can see where you glided to on the first lap compared to the second lap. With the new waxes, it seemed like they slowed down after 5 k, but it was quick snow.”
David Norris on his way to a podium in Houghton. (Photo: FasterSkier)
Norris expressed a theme repeated by skiers through the day: “Racing U.S. Nationals is the absolute best. It’s awesome, 50% of the faces here are familiar and friends . . . I like being here with all of my friends.”
The theme of fun mixed with competition was repeated by women’s champion, Swirbul.
“I’m so happy to be here. It’s not that the pressure or expectations go away, but there’s so many positive things about the ski community as a whole here … getting to see kids of all ages racing and seeing parents cheering. That environment makes me fall in love with skiing again.” Hailey Swirbul
Swirbul agreed with Steel Hagnenbuch that the course feels like skiing at altitude. She said, “It’s super sustained most of the way, it reminds me of altitude racing actually. You have to continuously grind the whole way.” She continued that, “This is my fourth or fifth time in Houghton; it’s always fun to come here and push your limits with the best skiers in the country.”
Hailey Swirbul starting her journey on the way to first place. (Photo: FasterSkier)
Fourth place skier Sarah Goble (Bridger Ski Foundation) attended MTU. She told Fasterskier the home field advantage definitely helped. “I skied here almost every day for three years. It’s really cool to be back in Michigan.”
APU coach Galen Johnston reiterated how the U.S. Nationals mean different things to different racers. “For some it’s a chance to come and establish the work that’s been done over the course of the year,” he said. “For some it’s a first time here, just coming and seeing what it’s all about.” He continued that for the first timers it’s “A chance for them to get full service from the ski perspective, and a chance to race with the best in the world. It’s a learning experience, so they can see what the next level looks like.”
The carnage that awaits finishers at Houghton (Photo: FasterSkier)
All racers and coaches Fasterskier spoke with had high praise for the venue, the quality of organization and conditions. Racing in Houghton continues on Wednesday with Men’s and Women’s Classic Sprints. Tune in to FasterSkier for livestreaming and race coverage.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Women’s 1.4 k classic sprint podium in Falun, Sweden: Jonna Sundling (SWE) took the win ahead of Anamarija Lampic (SLO) and Maja Dahlqvist (SWE). (Photo: NordicFocus)
We’ve arrived at the final weekend of World Cup racing. After the cancellation of the finals scheduled to take place in Tyumen, Russia and the difficulty of finding a last-minute replacement, these three days of racing in Falun, Sweden will be the culmination of the 2021/22 World Cup season. On a warm sunny day, in full spring conditions, the women executed an exciting classic sprint on the familiar 1.4 k Falun sprint course. With this being the last sprint of the season, it was also a day to cement the places in the running for the overall women’s sprint globe (none of the team events happening Sunday will influence the rankings).
Starting with a bang, Jonna Sundling of Sweden won the qualifier by an astonishing margin of +8.41 seconds, ahead of runner up Jasmi Joensuu of Finland. The American’s put three women into the quarter-finals, led by Rosie Brennan in 7th (+9.61). Julia Kern qualified in 17th position (+12.30), followed by her teammate and roommate, Jessie Diggins in 18th (+12.49).
Jessie Diggins on her way to 18th place in the qualifier. Diggins ultimately ended her day 19th. (Photo: NordicFocus)
These were the only three American women competing today as unfortunately some late-stage positive covid tests barred the rest from competing. Having made it through a winter of international travel, living, and competing during the Omicron surge, Hailey Swirbul and Katherine Ogden announced on Monday that they had both tested positive in Norway. Lauren Jortberg, who had her World Cup debut in Lahti, Finland two weeks earlier, came directly to Falun to prepare for this weekend, only to test positive on Wednesday.
No Canadian women made it into the top thirty, their first finisher was Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt in 32nd (+17.54). Katherine Stewart-Jones led a string of fellow country-women, finishing 37th (+19.49), followed by Dahria Beatty in 38th (+19.75) and Jasmine Drolet in 39th (+20.08). After competing at World Juniors in Lygna, Norway, Drolet joined the senior women and made her first World Cup appearance in the Holmenkollen 30 k last weekend where she finished 42nd.
Dahria Beatty (CAN) racing to 38th in the classic sprint qualifier on Friday (Photo: NordicFocus)
As crowds of fans gathered, the women’s quarterfinals kicked off at 12:15 local time. In the first heat, a fast pace bought three women tickets to the semi finals, led by Anna Svendsen of Norway. After winning the classic sprint qualifier in Drammen, Norway last week only to fall in the quarter finals, Johanna Hagström (SWE), skiing on a home course, made it safely through in second. Kerttu Niskanen of Finland took third but with a fast enough time to snag a lucky loser position.
Heat two was controlled entirely by Sundling as she skied easy out front, spreading the rest of the field. Behind her came Johanna Matintalo of Finland and Julie Myhre of Norway who made it to the semis as the second lucky loser. Brennan (USA) finished fourth, +3.39 behind Sundling, ending her day in 16th overall.
Rosie Brennan races the quarterfinal after qualifying 7th. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“It was warm and wild out there today,” wrote Brennan after the race. “This course is quite technical and has some challenging downhills which has made it a tough course for me in the past so I was ready to make some progress today. I had a good qualifier and that gave me some confidence for the heats. I had a very stacked heat which can go either way for me. I struggled finding space to move on the uphills which is my strength and that ultimately cost me moving on to the semi-finals by less than a second. In the bigger picture, I do think I made some strong progress on some of my weak spots on this course and I am really excited about that. I am also still feeling good and excited to race which bodes well for the rest of the weekend.”
In heat number three, Anamarija Lampic of Slovenia took on the lead, as Diggins and Moa Lundgren of Sweden chased. Entering the final straight Nadine Fähndrich of Switzerland employed her blistering finish speed to surpass both Diggins and Lundgren, and nearly overtake an unsuspecting Lampic. This left Diggins in fourth place in a heat that was not quick enough to make lucky loser. Diggins ends the sprint season in fourth place in the overall sprint standings with 351 points; having entered the day in third with 339 points, she was bumped off the podium by Sundling.
Jessie Diggins races in heat number three in the 1.4 k classic sprint in Falun. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Heat four saw an easy pace from the gun, with the pack largely staying together. With all six athletes still in touch as they crested the big climb, Kern navigated into third place on the ensuing tight downhill corner. An injection of speed from Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) over the next rise split the pack as Lotta Udnes Weng (NOR) shadowed, followed by Kern still in third. In the long downhill glide-out, Weng overtook the Swede, entering the final corner in first. Right with her were Kern, Dahlqvist and Laura Gimmler of Germany. A close finish saw Kern out double-pole Dahlqvist to take the win, with Weng coming second. However, a disqualification for Weng bumped Dahlqvist into second and thus have her a ticket to the semi-finals.
Jasmi Joensuu (FIN) and Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR) duke it out in the quarter-final (Photo: NordicFocus)
After a redeeming win in Drammen last week, Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway charged off the startline for heat five. Joensuu (FIN) and Heidi Weng (NOR) took up the chase and eventually overtook Falla on the long descent back into the stadium. Together the two Norwegians pulled away from the Finn as Joensuu faded slightly. Falla finished first and Weng, with a scream of satisfaction, crossed in second.
Heidi Weng (NOR) racing in quarterfinal heat number five (Photo: NordicFocus)
Echoing her moves from the quarter-final, Sundling (SWE) approached semi-final number one in the same manner, skiing smooth and easy out front. Lampic (SLO) followed with some occasional slips on a mushy course. Those front two continued to pull away, Sundling making it look easy as she found herself well clear of the rest of the competition. Lampic maintained second position and Matintalo (FIN) came in third, though was not quick enough to move onto the final.
In the second semi-final, Falla (NOR) took the lead, again trailed by Weng (NOR). Once again, Kern (USA) moved into third position on the tight middle downhill portion, setting herself up well. A fall from Weng on the next hill took her out of contention as Dahlqvist (SWE) moved into second position, Kern still in third. Switching tracks, Dahlqvist stumbled but managed to stay on her feet as Kern took the lead into the final corner. Kern held onto first position with some strong double poling and behind her Dahlqvist, Falla and Fähndrich all qualified for the final in second through fourth positions respectively.
Julia Kern, closing out fast (Photo: NordicFocus)
Making her first sprint final since a stage race in Lenzerheide, Switzerland in December, Kern was all smiles on the start line as the athletes lined up for their final round. Right away, Sundling and Lampic began to pull away from the rest of the field. Up the A-climb, Sundling broke into a herringbone, clearly moving fast as she increased her lead. Dahlqvist who had been in third was overtaken by Kern who topped the hill in third. Lampic was holding strong in second, though being chased by Kern. Navigating the remaining corners and descents, Sundling cruised easily to the finish with enough of a lead to give a celebratory wave before crossing the line.
No challengers around, Jonna Sundling cruises to victory. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Coincidentally, Sundling won by the same margin over Lampic (+8.41 seconds) as she had on second-place qualifier Joensuu (FIN) earlier this morning. “I don’t know what is behind this result today, but the last weeks I’ve been feeling really good and it’s nice to keep the shape still,” said Sundling after her dominant victory. She added, “I didn’t compete so much in the beginning [of the season] because of injury but my motivation is on top and so is my shape, and it’s just fun to ski right now.”
Behind them, Dahlqvist was finding a second wind in the finish straight and overtook Kern to finish in third. Kern finished fourth, matching her season personal-best from Lenzerheide where she also finished fourth, in a skate sprint.
Anamarija Lampic (SLO) heads towards a silver medal as behind her Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) overtakes Kern (USA). (Photo: NordicFocus)
“[Kern] was really smart through the quarters and semis,” reflected coach Matt Whitcomb, “where she would ski really smooth through the first climb, and position herself really well. And normally what was happening is she was both being smart tactically and feeling very good today and that just led to a break between positions 3 or 4 and allowed her to get away. And her doublenpole punch at the end was as good as I’ve ever seen her today.”
Julia Kern after fending of Nadine Fähndrich (SUI) to finish fourth in the 1.4 k classic sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Regarding the final in which Kern seemed to have a lock on third but lost out in the closing stages Whitcomb said, “We talked about if there was a big mistake she made and we decided she could do the same thing 10 times and maybe land on the podium four or five times. She had some stumbles, had those things not happened, it would have been a little bit closer between her and Maja [Dahlqvist], but I don’t want to discredit Maja, she had all kinds of fire in the finish today.”
He added, “It was cool, Julia’s parents are out here today, she has raced well when her parents are watching. It’s important to point out that she was fourth and not fifth, she fended off a hard-charging Fähndrich and we’re really happy with her performance today.”
Listen to the full interview with U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb here.
Julia Kern races through the heats in Falun. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Kern has put together a string of strong performances in the final period of World Cup racing, placing in the top-10 in each of the last three sprints. These results come on the tails of a first Olympic appearance that left her wanting more, after having rebounded early-season from a 2020/21 season she had described as challenging.
“It’s a bit of a bittersweet ending,” Kern said in a call. “We’ve been on the road for so long now that, after the Olympics, especially, I was feeling excited to go home. But now when things are going well and I’m feeling really good, I don’t want to go home and I don’t want the season to end. I’m happy to end on a high note and find my stride after a frustrating Games. It’s just kind of reminded me how important having some sense of normalcy is, and I’ve kind of embraced that more after the Games. I think that’s paid off, plus some hard work, and I’ve had a little extra fire from the frustration after the games. Happy to end the season this way, and [we have] another shot tomorrow, so I’m excited for that race.”
Commenting on how these strong results and better energy feed momentum, Kern discussed a mid-week training session she felt primed her for today’s sprint.
“Now that I’ve been having really good energy in training… I have to give a big shoutout to our staff. On Tuesday this week, I did an interval workout here on the courses. I had Matt, Kate [Barton], and [tech] Chris Hecker out there with me, racing me around the course doing speeds, throwing elbows, pulling tactical moves, practicing the slingshot. Those types of sessions are super valuable for me when I put the energy to put in a good interval session. I learned so much from that session, and it gave me the confidence here today to ski well in the heats and be ready for anything.”
Kern continued with a laugh that her family is her fourth place good luck charm, as they also watched her race to fourth in Lenzerheide, SUI during the Tour de Ski, ending with a comment on the American team as the season draws to a close.
“I think our team has done a really incredible job, working through all the different colleges this season has brought. When things get tough, we bring out humor and come together. I just feel more and more appreciation for the team. My wax tech Eli and I have worked really hard all season together to start linking together some classic performances. We’ve had four classic races in a row now, and pretty much all personal bests, so that’s been a really fun relationship to build and [I appreciate] all the hard work the wax team puts in.”
Full post-race interview with Julia Kern. Apologies for the bad echo — working through the kinks as we work our way along the audio learning curve.
Julia Kern edges out Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) in the classic sprint semifinal in Falun. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Dahlqvist already had the sprint globe on lock, but her third place finish today only reinforced her strength in sprint racing this season as she racked up 638 points throughout the year. She began the season with four straight wins and earned a silver medal in the Olympic skate sprint last month. A fourth place finish in Drammen was the only time this season in which she did not finish on the podium in a sprint event.
“It feels really really, super duper good,” said Dahlqvist about taking home the globe. “I’m super happy with that.”
Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist is the 2022 World Cup sprint champion. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Last year’s sprint globe winner, Anamaria Lampic (SLO) finished second this year with 506 points. After today’s victory, Sundling (SWE) overtook Diggins (USA) to move into third in the sprint standings with 442 points. Delaying her start to the season after sustaining an injury in an early-season FIS race, Sundling’s first World Cup start was Dresden in mid-December where she finished second in the individual skate sprint. She did not take part in the Tour de Ski, but returned to the World Cup circuit in dominant fashion, after collecting three Olympic medals, one of each color, and taking fourth place in the 30 k.
In the final three weekends of World Cup racing, Sundling landing on the podium in four out of the five races she entered, including a third place finish in the legendary Holmenkollen 30 k classic last weekend.
Anamarija Lampic (SLO) congratulates the days winner, Jonna Sundling (SWE) (Photo: NordicFocus)
Racing continues tomorrow with a 10 k skate interval start for the women. Sunday will feature two new team events, with a mixed relay happening in the morning followed by a mixed team sprint in the afternoon.
Crowds line the storied tracks at Holmenkollen during the women’s 30 k classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Terese Johaug wins her first individual World Championship gold medal in the 30 k mass start skate in Oslo, NOR. (Photo: FS Archives)
Eleven years ago to the day, racing the 30-kilometer mass start skate, a 22-year-old Therese Johaug won her first individual World Championship gold medal in a breakout performance at Holmenkollen near her home in Oslo, NOR. In doing so, she had broken apart a field of women considered legends of the sport on an equally legendary course known for long grinding climbs that require superior fitness and technique. Johaug won by nearly 45 seconds over one of the greatest cross country skiers of all time, her teammate Marit Bjørgen, and was 1:34 ahead of the Polish champion Justyna Kowalczyk.
“It was hard for me. It’s hard to see her go in front, and the gap [grow] bigger and bigger,” said Bjørgen that day. Then at the peak of her career, Bjørgen had gone four-for-four that week with gold medals in each of the previous World Championship races in Oslo, and the upset was a shock to those following along. “But I’m very happy for Therese. She is a young girl, and a girl for the future—and for Norway.”
Little did cross country ski fans know just how storied the athlete’s career would be.
Therese Johaug races in front of a home crowd during the 30 k classic at Holmenkollen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Today, under clear skies that allowed for views of the city skyline and Oslofjord, Norwegian flags flying, and fans returning to the crowded stadium and partying in the woods, she did it again, as one of her final performances after more than a decade as the top female distance skiers of all time.
And what’s more, Johaug won today’s 30 k classic in the same dominant fashion that she did eleven years ago, and has done many time since, stopping the clock at 1:19:22.8.
Though the final results show just 19.4 seconds as her winning margin, this only tells part of the story. By 10 k, Johaug held a margin of over 23 seconds, which she steadily grew over the subsequent laps. At 25 k, she led by nearly a minute and a half.
Therese Johaug waves Norwegian flags as she skis the final meters of 30 k classic at Holmenkollen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
As she entered the stadium, Johaug was greeted by coaches and techs who handed her a flag for each hand, which she carried through the finish, waving, and stopping to take in the erupting cheers from the crowds.
Laughing behind tears as the rest of the field began to trickle across the line, Johaug was hoisted onto shoulders, waving her flags for a loud Norwegian crowd who had supported and applauded her through fifteen years of racing on the World Cup.
“It’s a lot of emotion now,” Johaug said at the finish. “I start here in 2011 with my first individual victory, and today is my last race here. It was sun and blue sky, the same as in 2011, and there were a lot of people around the track cheering for me. I’m so happy now, but also so sad that this is the end of my career.”
Therese Johaug was emotional at the finish of today’s 30 k classic at Holmenkollen, the venue where she won her first individual World Championship gold in the 30 k skate eleven years prior. (Photo: NordicFocus)Norway’s legendary Therese Johaug wins the 30 k mass start classic, exactly 11 years after her first individual World Championship gold medal was won on the same tracks. (Photo: NordicFocus)
While she indicated during the Olympics that she would not compete another four years, it was not until yesterday that she officially announced that this would be her final race at Holmenkollen.
“In many ways, it feels as if the [story] ends when on Saturday, March 5, 2022, I stand on the starting line for another 30 k in Holmenkollen. I really do not want the journey to end, but it is a time for everything,” she wrote to NRK. “In light of this, I look forward to a final fight at home with the flag on my chest, and I am grateful for everything the sport has given me.”
Therese Johaug is showered with champagne after winning the 30 k classic at Holmenkollen following her retirement announcement. (Photo: NordicFocus)Therese Johaug celebrates her final race race at Holmenkollen, winning the 30 k classic exactly eleven years after taking her first individual World Championship gold on these tracks. (Photo: NordicFocus)
As Queen’s “We are the Champions” blared through the stadium, Johaug stepped off the podium only to be soaked by champagne sprayed by a flock of teammates wearing shirts spelling her name, with “takk” – thank you – written with a heart at the end of the row. It was a joyous celebration fitting for the moment, and perhaps also a refreshing distraction from the times at large.
“There are a lot of strong moments, but I am moved when so many people come here and see my last race. I must thank the Norwegian people who stand here today,” Johaug later said to NRK.
While you can certainly expect a more in-depth look at her storied career on FasterSkier, for now, we’ll echo the crowds in congratulating Therese Johaug, and we look forward to following along for the next chapters.
Therese Johaug celebrates her final race race at Holmenkollen, winning the 30 k classic exactly eleven years after taking her first individual World Championship gold on these tracks. (Photo: NordicFocus)Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) and Jonna Sundling (SWE) lift champion Therese Johaug (NOR) for a podium shot at the finish of the 30 k classic in Oslo. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Behind the celebration, the lineup of women in today’s top-10 was remarkably similar to the Olympic 10 k interval start classic, with a few name swaps, and of course, a few noteworthy athletes missing – namely, Natalia Nepryaeva and Tatiana Sorina of Russia, and Jessie Diggins, who had been fourth, seventh, and eighth, respectively.
The volume of the ringing cowbells swelled as Finland’s Krista Pärmäkoski skied through the stadium on her own for second place, after pulling away from the first chase pack with 5 k to go and maintaining a healthy 10-15 second gap through the finish. Coming back on form after a few rocky seasons, Pärmäkoski had been third in the 10 k classic in Zhangjiakou, behind her teammate Kerttu Niskanen, who was fourth today (+33.8).
Finland’s Krista Pärmäkoski takes second in the 30 k mass start classic at Holmenkollen in Oslo, NOR. (Photo: NordicFocus)The women’s 30 k classic podium at Holmenkollen: Therese Johaug (NOR) took the win ahead of Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) and Jonna Sundling (SWE). (Photo: NordicFocus)
Between the Finns, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling reaffirmed her talents across all distances, taking the third spot on the podium (+32.3) just two days after being second in Drammen’s classic sprint. Matching her fifth place result in the Olympic 10 k, Germany’s Katharina Hennig followed Niskanen to the line (+34.7) with Therese Stadlober, who was ninth at the Games, crossing after a gap in sixth (+46.7).
Leading the next chase group, and the American team, was Rosie Brennan in seventh (+1:12.3), bringing Norway’s Marte Skaanes and Sweden’s Ebba Andersson to the line just behind her for eighth (+1:13.1) and ninth (+1:13.8), respectively.
Rosie Brennan leads Norway’s Marte Skaanes and Sweden’s Ebba Andersson to the line. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“Today was huge for me,” Brennan wrote in a post-race email. “I have struggled here my entire career, and [though] it’s been a few years since I’ve raced here and I have improved a lot in the last few years, I still felt I lacked a lot of confidence and excitement coming here [today]. It’s also been a really stressful week for a variety of reasons, so I showed up today with an immense amount of anxiety that I needed to get a hold of before the race started.
“I am really proud of giving myself another chance to put together a good race here and to have managed the stress and anxiety well enough to do so. I wasn’t feeling in a place to shoot for the moon so I tried to start a bit a conservative the first 5 k and then reevaluate. I had a great ride with Ebba and really had an enjoyable time skiing out there today. The last lap, we had the chance to pick off a few from the lead pack and so I started to ramp things up to see what was possible. I felt strong on the last climb and felt I had a good shot at the sprint finish so I went on the last little bump before the [last 100 meters]. It felt great to finish strong and to put together a really solid race today.”
Rosie Brennan skis to seventh in the 30 k classic at Holmenkollen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Following her classic sprint race in Drammen Thursday, Brennan joked post-race that she had lost out on yet-another boot slide. Today, the final sprint was hers. It was perhaps, also worth American fans celebrating that today that she won amongst her chase group, just under two weeks after a brave and gritty performance in the Olympic 30 k skate where she had pulled the chase group for much of the race, wearing herself out to break the wind, only to be dropped in the final 600 meters as Niskanen pulled away for a bronze medal. However, Brennan said she is not connecting any dots between the two.
“This race was nothing like Zhangjakou, really hard to even compare the two. 30 k’s are always an adventure and I am really happy to have put together two strong ones, in each technique.”
Rosie Brennan skis to seventh in the 30 k classic at Holmenkollen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Commenting on how she is feeling, mentally and physically, with one final race weekend to go, Brennan concluded, “I am really bummed that the [World Cup] Finals were canceled. I haven’t raced a ton this season because of the earlier cancellations and while it has been a very high density block since the Olympics started, I am still feeling strong and wanted to see what I could do. But it will be really fun to end the season with the mixed relay event as that is a new one for us!”
Julia Kern was next for the US in 23rd (+3:37.2), followed by Hailey Swirbul in 26th (+3:57.8), and Caitlin Patterson – six days after taking second at the American Birkie – in 30th (+4:11.5).
Julia Kern skis to 23rd in the 30 k classic at Holmenkollen in Oslo, NOR. (Photo: NordicFocus)Hailey Swirbul skis to 26th in the 30 k classic at Holmenkollen in Oslo, NOR. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In a post-race call, head coach Matt Whitcomb shared that Kern’s result was perhaps especially noteworthy as she has been struggling throughout the season with nausea during distance races, making it difficult for her to keep down fluids taken in prior to the race, let alone receive feeds during. Whitcomb also explained that Diggins sat out today’s race as she was feeling lingering fatigue from the long, and successful, season of racing. He affirmed that she is healthy and will be ready to race for the final World Cup weekend in Falun, beginning next Friday. Listen to the full call with Whitcomb below.
Outside the top-30 for the US, Katharine Ogden was 37th (+5:54.1), followed by Rosie Frankowski, who has consistently landed on SuperTour podiums throughout the season, in 46th (+8:12.2).
Katharine Ogden (left) and Caitlin Patterson (right, bib 32) take to the course at the start of the women’s 30 k classic at Holmenkollen. (Photo: NordicFocus)Canada’s Cendrine Browne (bib 43) leads Katharine Ogden (bib 40) during the 30 k mass start classic at Holmenkollen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Racing for Canada, Katherine Stewart-Jones led the way in 22nd (+3:25.0), with Cendrine Browne also inside the top-30 in 25th (+3:53.7). After a successful World Junior Championship in Lygna, NOR, Jasmine Drolet finished 42nd today (+6:53.2), with Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt closing out the Canadian racers in 48th (+10:19.8).
Hailey Swirbul races the freestyle sprint qualifier in Lahti the weekend after the 2022 Olympic Games drew to a close in Beijing. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Intertwined with historic medal-winning races, tales of adversity overcome, and athletes with whom fans become enamored once every four years, the Olympics also brings about stories of defeat, the complexities of human emotion, and the simple humanity of the athletes competing at the Games, who are often glorified solely on the grounds of their seemingly inhuman capacities and accomplishments. While stars like Simone Biles and Mikaela Shiffrin remind us that extreme pressure to perform does not always lead to diamonds, or perhaps in this case gold medals, athletes with less media focus have also begun to share how the Olympics impacted their mental and physical wellbeing.
Though the Olympics can remain a fantastic dream and a worthy goal for aspiring ski racers, a February 27 blog post by Hailey Swirbul titled “Honest Olympics” reminds us all that feeling overwhelming and complex emotions during one’s Olympic experience does not negate the athlete’s appreciation of the opportunity, or recognition that it is an accomplishment many dream about and very few actually get to experience. Quite simply, Swirbul demonstrates that gratitude, excitement, and melancholy are not mutually exclusive states of being.
Hailey Swirbul races the 10 k individual start classic during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Zhangjiakou, CHN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
By Hailey Swirbul, reposted with permission
I am almost certain that mine is not the Olympic story the world wants to hear about—not because I didn’t get a medal or something, but because I can’t lie. I’ve spent the last few days looking through photos on my phone, wondering which 8 or 10 I should select and post with a nice caption and ‘thank you’ to the Olympics for such a purely wonderful experience. But it occurred to me that the world has a lot of that perspective right now, and me pretending to have the same one might do more damage than good for people like me who could benefit from my truth.
The Olympics were fine for me. I feel exactly the same as I did before them; I don’t feel complete, don’t feel more accomplished or better than anyone else all the sudden. In fact, the main thing I feel is relief. I got through it. I lived up to the internal and external pressures to qualify for the team and compete for my country. Whew. Now I can take a deep breath.
I had some moments that I really enjoyed at the Olympics, but I also had my fair share of moments that were simply not fun. Most of my time was just about neutral. I feel guilty for admitting that, when obviously, the Olympics is something that so many people would die to experience. So many of my peers are disappointed not to have made the Olympic team, or to have made the team but not receive the starts they had hoped. I had both of those blessings come true, but still felt quite empty throughout the whole thing.
Hailey Swirbul laps through a windy stadium during the women’s 15 k skiathlon in Zhangjiakou, CHN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Why can’t I see the Olympics in the glorified way the world does? For every person crying tears of joy on a podium, I saw a dozen people looking disappointed or drying tears of sadness behind the scenes. I saw broken dreams. I saw dreams coming true, and people realizing that maybe that dream wasn’t all they’d imagined after all. I saw pressure and stress that brought out people’s shortcomings. I saw expectations not being met, and teammate relationships damaged. I saw isolation and low self-worth and confused identity and claustrophobia within the Olympic world. In many ways, the worst part was that I could do nothing about it because all my energy went toward surviving many of those things myself. Honestly, all of that sucked.
But don’t get me wrong—I’m able to see the incredible moments that came with the experience too. Watching halfpipe and aerials and biathlon in person with some of my closest friends, for example. Meeting a skier from my hometown who felt like a long-lost sister. Watching Ted Lasso with my roommates in the evenings. Bushwhacking through the mountains near the village to find a peaceful headspace. Heck, I’ll even look fondly on the numerous times I ate KFC take-out to avoid the dining hall boredom! Writing these examples made me realize just how many positive small moments there actually were and I could go on and on…. But, interestingly, most of those moments were simple, normal life joys that had relatively little to do with actually being at the Olympics.
Hailey Swirbul hugs teammate Julia Kern after a challenging 15 k skiathlon, which opened the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Photo: NordicFocus)
I left the Olympics feeling more at peace with my sense of identity as a skier because I felt somehow empowered by and connected to those little normal-life moments. I learned a bit more about how I’d like to be a better teammate, and how I need to signal safety to my nervous system to keep my brain health in a good place. I uncovered a bit more purpose in the sport of skiing for myself and set some goals that have nothing to do with results. In the end, this experience wasn’t about fun and glory the way it had been portrayed to me over the years. It was about internal growth for humans in the face of intense emotion, pressure, and expectation. I’m not really sure why I’m writing this as I’m still processing the experience myself, but I couldn’t post on social media about a wonderful time without acknowledging the challenge and growth as well. So thank you, Olympics, not for the incredibly fun experience, but for the opportunity to grow as a human being. That’s something I hope I’ll never forget.
Head to Swirbul’s blog to see her top-eight photos from “happy little moments” during the Games, including the one below.
Hailey Swirbul and Hannah Halvorsen visited Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen on a bike cruise through the village, one of the ways they would spend time together outdoors. (Courtesy photo)
Hailey Swirbul races through the snow-capped pines of Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
An iconic venue, Lahti’s ski jumps rise out of the pine forest from atop the rolling hills, tucked between the many lakes of the region in southern Finland. After two years of empty trails and stadiums, horns blazed, cowbells rang, and voices cheered during the women’s 10-kilometer individual start classic race as fans lined the hills and filled the stadium, memories of pre-pandemic racing flooded back into mind.
What has remained constant through the last two years is the presence of Norway’s Therese Johaug at the top of the results sheet in distance races, particularly classic. Johaug started as the final athlete in the seeded group wearing bib 60, meaning she would have information available to her from the start on how hard she would
A little over halfway through the first of two 5 k laps, it looked like Johaug would run away with yet another World Cup distance race. At the 3.7 time check, Johaug was 11.7 seconds up on Natalia Nepyraeva of Russia who had clocked the fastest prior split, with the Finnish Olympic bronze and silver medalists, Krista Pärmäkoski and Kerttu Niskanen, lurking just behind at 16.2 and 17.5 seconds back. And the Finns were racing on home soil with most of the aforementioned fans waving their country’s flag.
Norway’s Therese Johaug races the 10 k interval start classic in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Sure enough, the margin of Johaug’s lead narrowed. At the lap, she was just under ten seconds ahead of Nepryaeva, who looked to have conserved her energy in the first lap to push the pace in the second. While the Finns became less of a threat to Johaug, the Norwegian’s margin over the Russian’s splits whittled down rapidly.
And ironically, the Russian’s fast second lap might have been partly Johaug’s own doing. As the Norwegian had headed out on course, Nepryaeva was lapping through the stadium, allowing her to match pace as she chased the high-tempo Norwegian through the woods for the second 5 k, perhaps pressuring Johaug to burn a few of her matches a bit earlier than she’d otherwise planned.
Regardless of what was going through each athlete’s mind, Nepryaeva finished her second lap to set the bar at 24:29.6.
Over the first kilometer of Johaug’s second lap, now racing on her own, the time difference between the two women was slashed in half, from 9.8 to 4.8 seconds, and at 8.7 k, it had essentially remained constant at 5.5 seconds. It would come down to the wire.
Looking back at the season, it might be easy to focus on the three Olympic gold medals Johaug won in Zhangjiakou, including in the 10 k classic event. But, she had been beaten in the only other 10 k classic she’s raced on the World Cup this year, which also took place in Finland, during the opening weekend of World Cup racing in Ruka. She might be the favorite, but she’s also beatable.
Natalia Nepryaeva puts together a strong performance in the 10 k classic in Lahti. (Photo: NordicFocus)
As Nepryaeva watched the clock eagerly from the leader’s chair, Johaug kicked, glided, and double poled through the final kilometer. Having over ten minutes prior, she had plenty of time to wait, watch, and be watched by the cameras.
Nepryaeva leaned forward, not taking her eyes off the leaderboard as Johaug made the tight right-hand turn down into the stadium without losing too much momentum, and began to charge as hard as she could toward the line.
With 15 seconds remaining to stay inside Nepryaeva’s mark, Johaug rounded the corner to the finish. With ten seconds to go, she hit the lanes. Nepryaeva watched the seconds tick by hoping Johaug’s time would change to red, while the Norwegian was just trying to keep it in the green.
Therese Johaug (NOR) throws her boot to take the win just 1.2 seconds ahead of Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva. (Photo: NordicFocus)Therese Johaug (NOR) celebrates her victory in Lahti’s 10 k individual start classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Until the actual finish line was crossed, it felt like the result could go either way. But with a final push from her poles and kick with her boot, Therese Johaug sealed the deal, just 1.2 seconds ahead of Natalia Nepryaeva. Johaug let out a victorious roar, just before cameras showed the Russian roll her eyes in exasperation, as if thinking, “Really? Not again.”
Cameras panning back to Johaug watched her shift away from her own celebration to comfort a very disappointed Heidi Weng, who had started a minute ahead of Johaug in bib 58, but finished 42 seconds behind her teammate in 19th place (+1:42.4). After promising results in the Tour de Ski, Weng had tested positive for COVID just prior to the Olympics, leaving her watching the event from afar. From Weng’s disappointment at the finish, it looked as though she had been looking for more in her return to racing on the World Cup.
Therese Johaug (NOR) comforts her disappointed teammate Heidi Weng at the finish of the 10 k individual start classic in Lahti. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Johaug spoke with FIS after the finish, speaking to what it means to win again today as she nears the end of a successful season, including the three gold medals earned in Zhangjiakou this month.
“It means a lot for me, and I am so happy that I have a second on my side,” Johaug said with a laugh. “After the Olympics, you’re coming home and it’s a little bit hard to motivate again, but when I come to Lahti and go on this beautiful track, I really enjoy it.”
Johaug was also asked whether she felt the benefits of having trained and raced at altitude surrounding the Games, which were held at roughly 5,500 feet above sea level.
“Yeah, I feel that,” Johaug said of the boost. “When you train a lot at altitude and then you go down, you feel like you have more energy in the hills. I think my shape right now is really good, so I’m excited to race at the Holmenkollen next weekend, and in Falun, then the rest of the season.”
The women’s podium in Lahti: Therese Johaug (NOR) took the win ahead of Natalia Nepryaeva (RUS) and Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN). (Photo: NordicFocus)
Rounding out the women’s podium, Finland’s Pärmäkoski held her margin to 16.7 seconds at the finish for third place, followed after a gap by her teammate Niskanen in fourth (37.7). Sweden’s sprint champion Jonna Sundling was just behind in fifth (+40.7).
Leading the way for the American team, Rosie Brennan posted consistent splits to hover in sixth place through the first lap. Maintaining even tempo and effort, Brennan remained in this position until the last checkpoint, which showed a hard-charging Ebba Andersson of Sweden trade positions to bump Brennan back to 7th.
Rosie Brennan leads the American team during a 10 k individual start classic in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Also posting a split Brennan was not quite able to match in the final kilometer, the American lost nearly eight seconds to Germany’s Katharina Hennig between the final time check at 8.7 k and the finish, leaving Brennan in eighth place overall (+1:02.8) at the finish.
“I am really happy with today.,” Brennan wrote in a post-race email. “I have always struggled post-championships, not so much in my body, but in my mind. It’s really difficult to live on the road and be sharp and push so hard all the time. It often feels like there is never a chance to let down the way someone who goes home every week might experience. I am always trying to figure this out and work towards finding ways to let down and then pull the fight back up for the weekend. It’s all part of the game and it’s a good challenge to try to figure everything out.
“Anyway, today, I felt much more like myself and was able to ski the way I wanted to. Lahti has been a tough venue for me in the past and today I really felt strong in my classic skiing and had some ability to push hard. I was definitely frustrated after yesterday and am really happy I was able to let it go and find myself out there today. We have had really great weather this weekend and a big crowd so that was a huge bonus. It was a joy to not be skiing in an arctic tornado!”
Rosie Brennan crosses the line for 8th place in Lahti’s 10 k interval start classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)Jessie Diggins skis to 20th place in the 10 k classic in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Following a podium near-miss in yesterday’s sprint, Jessie Diggins was next for the U.S., just behind Heidi Weng in 20th (+1:43.4). Julia Kern and Hailey Swirbul also raced into the top-30 for the second day in a row, finishing 28th (+2:03.2) and 29th (+2:10.5), respectively.
Just off Swirbul’s split, Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones led her team in 30th place (+2:10.7), with her teammate Dahria Beatty just outside the top-30 in 33rd (+2:19.4). Cendrine Browne raced to 36th (+2:24.5), while Laura Leclair was the final Canadian woman in 58th (+4:29.7).
Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones leads her team in 30th during the 10 k individual start classic in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Finishing 30 seconds outside the top-30, Katharine Ogden returned to the World Cup in 43rd (+2:40.8).
Following the races, US Ski Team head coach Matt Whitcomb provided insights into both the women’s and men’s races in Lahti, as well as sharing the news that Östersund, SWE may become the host to the initially cancelled World Cup Finals that had been scheduled for Tyumen, Russia. Whitcomb also speaks to the “Olympic hangover” that can make hard for athletes to perform at their best the weekend following the Games, and gave a shoutout to the athletes racing at World Juniors in nearby Lygna.
World Cup racing continues on Thursday, March 3rd with a classic sprint in Drammen, Norway, just prior to the storied 30/50 k mass start classic races at the Holmenkollen in Oslo.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Snapping back after a week away from racing, the World Cup resumed in wintery Lahti, Finland with a 1.6 kilometer freestyle sprint. The American women made their presence immediately known, landing three of five athletes in the top-five in qualification, with four in the top-30.
Rosie Brennan skis to fifth in qualification in Lahti. (Photo: NordicFocus)
On the heels of a bronze medal in the event, Jessie Diggins was second in qualification, +6.71 behind the time of 3:17.37 posted by Sweden’s Olympic champion Jonna Sundling. Julia Kern was next for the U.S. in fourth (+7.59) behind Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva, with Rosie Brennan just behind in fifth (+8.61). Hailey Swirbul also raced into the heats, skiing to 26th in qualification (+16.56).
Jessie Diggins posts the second fastest time in qualification during the freestyle sprint in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Leading the Canada team Cendrine Browne raced to 29th in qualification (+17.37), advancing to the heats.
Racing in heat five, Diggins moved to the front of the pack inside the first minute of racing, with Kern on her tails heading up the first climb, with Julia sliding back to third in the following descent. Nevertheless, the Americans maintained control of the heat heading up the climb and around the course’s hairpin turn, where cheers could be heard from the sidelines, urging “Alright, Jessie! Alright, Julia! Hard over the top! Hard over the top! Come on, push, push, push!”
Rounding the final bend to the finish, the Americans were side by side at the front, with Sweden’s Anna Divyk looking for an opportunity to sneak through from their draft. Kern was on the inside of the bend, stepping powerfully to maintain her momentum as the threesome headed into the final 100 meter sprint. Still right alongside her teammate, Kern led the boot throw to win the heat, with Diggins +0.1 back, and the Swede on their tails to cross the line +0.39 seconds back in third. As the fifth heat proved to be the fastest of the quarterfinal, Czech athlete Katerina Janatova also advanced as a lucky loser after finishing in fourth, just over a second behind Divyk.
Julia Kern and Jessie Diggins take to the course during the quarterfinals of Lahti’s freestyle sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the first semifinal, it was Sundling and Dahlqvist at the front, with teammate Emma Ribom and Nepryaeva jockeying for the third and fourth positions through the first half. The Swedes rounded the hairpin in first through third, but Nepryaeva, Nadine Fähndrich (SUI), and Janatova remained close on their heels. Coming into the finish lanes, it was Sundling in front, with Ribom nipping Dahlqvist at the line by 0.11 seconds. Nepryaeva crossed fourth, 0.6 back from Dahlqvist, leaving the two awaiting the outcome of the next semi to determine their fate heading into the final round.
The Americans raced in the second semi, along with an additional two Swedes, Divyk and Johanna Hagström, plus Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic and a German, Coletta Rydzek.
Julia Kern tucks into Jessie Diggins draft during the freestyle sprint heats in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Heading up the climb to the hairpin, it was Diggins at the front, with Hagström on her tails and Lampic maintaining contact. The group had thinned, leaving the remaining three women trailing behind on the descent with a gap between each.
In the adrenaline-filled final meters, it looked like Hagström would hold the advantage to the line, but a high tempo Diggins and accelerating Lampic were closing fast. Throwing their boots three abreast, the women crossed the line dead-even for a three-way photo finish.
A slow motion replay of the slide showed that it was Lampic who crossed first, with Diggins .03 seconds behind, and Hagström in third, separated by an additional 0.01 second. With Lampic’s time clocked roughly 0.7 seconds slower than Nepryaeva’s in the first semi, only the top two women advanced, leaving Hagström just off the mark.
Kern crossed fourth in the heat (+1.94) to end her day in eighth overall.
“Today was a lot of fun,” Kern said in a U.S. Ski & Snowboard press release. “The conditions were great, the stadium and course were filled with lively spectators and I was really excited to get back to racing the World Cup! I felt like I had a lot of great energy today, skied well, and enjoyed the awesome atmosphere while racing side-by-side with Jessie in the heats! I was stoked to put down maybe my best World Cup qualifier and see that my body is ready to fire after the Olympics.
“I have only raced two races in the last two months,” Kern continued, “so I have been excited for Period 4 World Cups with lots of racing opportunities. I am someone who loves to race. I had a blast skiing with Jessie in the heats today, we train together all year long, working hard and pushing each other, and also rooming together, so it is fun to ski well together and take charge of the heats. ”
Julia Kern races to eighth place in Lahti’s freestyle sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Sundling looked to leave nothing to chance in the final, gapping the field before the halfway point, with Lampic and Ribom leading the chase group a few seconds back.
Descending from the hairpin, the Swedes were in first through third, with Sundling still well off the front. Diggins had moved up onto Dahlqvist’s tails in fourth, which she held heading around the final bend into the stadium and into the lanes.
Jonna Sundling (SWE) cruises through the final to win the 1.6 kilometer freestyle sprint in Lahti. (Photo: NordicFocus)
While Sundling cruised cross the line for the win in 3:12.86, it was Ribom and Dalqvist fighting for the second and third spots to determine the order of a Swedish podium sweep. It was Ribom in second at the line (+3.28), fending off Dahlqvist in third (+3.67), interrupting her streak of World Cup wins this season.
Diggins held her ground close behind the Swedes in fourth (+3.93), with Lampic closing fast for fifth (+4.01). Nepryaeva closed out the women’s final in the sixth spot (+4.69).
Jessie Diggins throws her boot for fourth in the final round of Lahti’s freestyle sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Following the race, Diggins said she was happy to be feeling like herself again following the brief post-Olympic break. It was just six days ago that Diggins fought through food poisoning induced fatigue, cramping, and delirium to earn a silver medal in the 30 k skate.
“I was incredibly tired after the Olympics,” Diggins said in a post-race audio clip, embedded below. “That 30 k took more out of me than maybe any race in my entire life. So I was just feeling lucky to be out there and racing and able to feel like my body is back.”
In addition to providing insights into how things shook our for her, Diggins commented on the experience of watching newer members of the team earn their first World Cup starts, specifically Lauren Jortberg, Bill Harmeyer, and Logan Diekmann.
“Happy to be part of that rite of passage. That was really, really fun.”
Sweden’s Jonna Sundling hugs Emma Ribom (right) after finishing one-two in the freestyle sprint in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“I feel amazing right now,” Sundling said of her win in a post-race interview with FIS at the finish. “I think I’m in a good place in my career and it feels really good to ski right now. Today, I just tried to trust my skiing and it went really [well], so I’m happy.”
When asked about the Swedish podium sweep, Sundling broke into a wide grin. “I’m so happy, and for Emma, it is her first, so it’s really good.”
A Swedish podium sweep in Lahti, with Jonna Sundling taking the top spot ahead of Emma Ribom and Maja Dahlqvist. (Photo: NordicFocus)Rosie Brennan races in the fourth quarterfinal heat in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
After sharing the lead with Slovenia’s Lampic through the second half of the fourth quarterfinal, Brennan rounded the final bend into the finish in second position, moving to Lampic’s right with 50 meters to go. While Lampic maintained a lead by several meters, Germany’s Rydzek crept up alongside Brennan, throwing her boot at the line to edge out the American by 0.04 seconds. As the third heat saw times roughly four seconds faster than the fourth, Brennan was unable to advance as a lucky loser and ended her day in 13th.
Crossing in sixth in heat one of the quarterfinal, which saw Sundling and Nepryaeva go one-two, Swirbul finished 28th today. Swirbul maintained contact with the lead pack through the hairpin turn, where Sundling and Nepryaeva accelerated off the front to thin the pack.
Hailey Swirbul races in the first quarterfinal heat in Lahti. (Photo: NordicFocus)Cendrine Browne (CAN) races in the second heat of the quarterfinals in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Canada’s Browne also ended her day in the quarters after racing in heat two. Browne was +2.19 behind Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist who comfortably won the heat, with the Canadian in sixth to end her day in
Also racing for the U.S., BSF Pro Team’s Lauren Jortberg raced was pulled up from the SuperTour for her first World Cup appearance. Jortberg is ranked 11th overall in the SuperTour standings and is third on the sprint list behind APU’s Rosie Frankowski and Becca Rorabaugh, both of whom opted to race the American Birkie this weekend.
Lauren Jortberg (BSF Pro) makes her first World Cup appearance in the 1.6 k freestyle sprint qualifier in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (CAN) races the 1.6 k freestyle sprint qualifier in Lahti, FIN. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Outside the top-30 for Canada, Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt was 33rd today, less than a second away from the heats, with her teammate Dahria Beatty just 0.25 seconds behind her in 34th. Laura Leclair was the final Canadian racer in the women’s field, finishing 54th in qualification (+25.41).
Women’s racing continues tomorrow in Lahti with a 10 k individual start classic.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
A relay medal evaded the American women’s 4 x 5-kilometer team for another Olympic quadrennial today, as Hailey Swirbul, Rosie Brennan, Novie McCabe, and Jessie Diggins finished sixth, +1:28.2 behind the winners from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). Silver went to the German team, who finished +18.2 back on the ROC, while bronze went to Sweden (+19.7), who took Finland to the line, leaving them 0.5 shy of a medal in fourth.
The relay is seen as a testament to a program’s depth and breadth; with two classic and two skate legs, it’s not enough to have one or two podium-caliber skiers who are specialists in one technique or the other. A team needs to have four strong women who can compete at the top of the field, and the program must have the technical proficiency to maintain contact with the front as the race switches from classic to skate.
A glittery flag tattooed on her cheek, Hailey Swirbul warms up to lead the American 4 x 5 k relay team. (Photo: NordicFocus)
And, those four strong women need to have all the pieces come together on the day. “It’s really hard to have four people have an amazing day on the same day,” Brennan said after today’s race.
The American team has steadily become a medal contender in the event as the level of the program has continually elevated over the last four Olympic cycles.
In 2010, Kikkan Randall was the sole member of the relay team who was reaching the World Cup podium, as she raced alongside Caitlin Compton (now Gregg), Holly Brooks, and Morgan Arritola. The American women finished 11th in Vancouver, nearly +3:40 behind the Norwegian gold medal team, which was anchored by a young Therese Johaug.
Eight years ago in Sochi, a team of Jessie Diggins, Randall, Liz Stephen, and Sadie Bjornsen (now Maubet) pulled the team up to 7th, +2:30 behind the Swedish winners. Four years later in PyeongChang, Sophie Caldwell, Bjornsen, Randall, and Diggins again brought Team USA 70 seconds closer to the podium, finishing fifth, +1:20 behind Norway.
Over the last three World Championships, the Americans finished fourth in 2017, 30 seconds behind the Finnish bronze medal team, and fifth in 2019, one minute behind Russia in third.
At the 2021 World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, the Americans were impossibly close to the podium. In a final sprint between anchors Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) and Diggins, the Finn closed hard in the final kilometer to pull ahead of the Americans, taking bronze by just 0.8 seconds.
While only one of the four relay team members from the 2018 Olympic team remains on the team in 2022, three of the four members from last year’s World Championships made today’s list. That lineup was Swirbul, Bjornsen, Brennan, and Diggins.
Hailey Swirbul heads out to lead the American 4 x 5 k relay during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Today, Swirbul would again lead the Americans skiing the first classic leg, this time followed by Brennan, who was 13th in the 10 k classic on Thursday. McCabe skated the third leg in her second Olympic appearance, tagging off to Diggins as the anchor.
Keeping with tradition, all four women – along with current NBC analyst Randall calling from a booth in Connecticut – wore knee-length striped “relay socks”, with beglittered cheekbones to feed their enthusiasm for the event. In a program that remains focused on team, even when standing on an individual podium, glitter and socks are merely symbols of the cohesion that has fostered the American’s rise to success.
The ROC’s Yulia Stupak pulls away in the first lap of the women’s 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
As the first two-lap 5 k classic leg took to the course, the ROC’s Yulia Stupak charged off the front, creating a 12 second gap by the end of the first lap while the next eight team remaining tightly spread, with less than three seconds of separation. In the final kilometer of the first leg, the German team dropped the chase pack to tag its second skier just 1.5 seconds behind the ROC. Masako Ishida tagged off in third for Japan, with Finland just behind in fourth, and Sweden a few seconds behind in fifth.
Swirbul tagged off for the Americans in seventh, +24.7 back on the ROC and Germany, and +12.4 seconds on the podium chase pack. The Canadian team, led by Katharine Stewart-Jones, tagged off in 10th (+43.2).
Katharine Stewart-Jones skis the opening leg of the women’s 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The Germans are often a dark horse in the relay, despite frequenting individual World Cup podiums less often than other countries like Norway, Russia, or Sweden. Germany won a silver medal in the women’s relay in the 2010 Games in Vancouver, followed by a bronze in Sochi. They were roughly 20 seconds behind the Americans in fifth at the 2021 World Championships, and 20 seconds ahead of the Americans in fourth place in 2019.
In this Games, two of the four members of the 2021 World Championships team were again in the lineup, Victoria Carl and Katharina Hennig, both of whom have seen top-10 finishes in the Games so far. Hennig, who would ski the second classic leg, was fifth in the 10 k classic on Thursday, while the third leg skater Carl was 10th in Tuesday’s freestyle sprint. Anchor Sofie Krehl was 8th in qualification and 11th in the final during the freestyle sprint, while classic opener Katharine Sauerbrey was 11th in the 10 k classic and 13th in the 15 k skiathlon. A deceptively stacked lineup.
Meanwhile, Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng had tangled with a Latvian skier, causing a crash that robbed her momentum. Already at a deficit with two of their eight athletes, including Lillehammer World Cup relay team member Heidi Weng, waylaid due to positive COVID tests just prior to the Games, the team that would otherwise be a podium threat faced yet another setback.
Katharina Hennig (GER) follows Natalia Nepryaeva (ROC) during the second leg of the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the second classic leg, the ROC and Germany remained at the front, trading off in the lead at each checkpoint as they built their lead over third place to come through the exchange with nearly double the gap to third. This time, it was Germany’s Hennig in the lead, with the ROC’s Natalia Nepryaeva four seconds behind. Gold medalist in both distance events so far this Olympiad, Norway’s Therese Johaug brought her team back into podium contention, tagging Helene Marie Fossesholm in third (+22.8), just ahead of Sweden and Finland.
Norway’s Therese Johaug brings her team back into podium contention in the second leg of the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The Americans lost an additional 12 seconds over the course of Brennan’s leg, but held their ground in seventh (+36.4). Canada’s Dahria Beatty tagged teammate Cendrine Browne in eighth after a sizable gap (+1:42.7).
Rosie Brennan follows Sweden’s Ebba Andersson during the second leg of the women’s 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
While Germany and the ROC continued the story at the front, Norway and Finland began making up time on the leaders, with Fossesholm and Thursday’s 10 k classic silver medalist Kerttu Niskanen gaining roughly 8 seconds during the first skate leg. Norway was less than 15 seconds back at the final exchange, with Finland an additional three seconds behind. Sweden was in fifth, exactly 35 seconds off the leaders and just over 20 seconds behind Norway, but they were about to prove they were not out of the running.
Novie McCabe skates a strong third leg for Team USA in the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
McCabe had brought the Americans into sixth (+1:34), in a dead zone with 30 seconds to the next racer on either side. The Canadian women tagged off in 8th, +2:21.2 back on the leaders.
In the final leg, the ROC’s Veronika Stepanova quickly began to reel in Germany’s Krehl.
Establishing herself as a strong closer at just 21 years of age, Stepanova also anchored Russia’s winning relay team in Lillehammer back in December to a thrilling finish, narrowly beating Norway and Sweden in a three-way sprint to the line.
In the lead at the final exchange, Germany’s Victoria Carl tags Sofie Krehl during the Olympic 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)Tatiana Sorina tags Veronika Stepanova as the ROC chases down Germany in the final lap of the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This time, it did not look as if the ROC was looking for a climactic ending for its spectators. Stepanova had Krehl in her sights at the lap, and was now just 1.5 seconds behind. Stepanova kept the effort high, leaving the German five seconds back a kilometer later.
Then, Krehl began to fade rapidly.
As the ROC soon looked to have the gold medal on lock, the question became whether Germany could hold onto silver. Sweden’s sprint gold medalist Jonna Sundling was showing her stamina against Pärmäkoski, who looked to be repeating the approach that allowed her to take bronze for Finland in the 2021 World Championship where she was facing Diggins.
The pace stayed hot as the Finnish veteran steadily fatigued the legs of the sprint champion, and over the final lap, the pair brought Krehl into contact. Heading into the stadium, Krehl was hanging onto her lead by a thread.
Sofie Krehl hangs on to anchor the German team to silver in the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Cameras panned away as the German rounded the final bend into the stadium, returning just as she crossed the line, only ten meters ahead of Sundling and Pärmäkoski, who V2ed side by side through the lanes.
Ultimately, Sundlings sprint prowess gave Sweden the advantage, as she nipped Pärmäkoski by 0.5 seconds at the line for the bronze medal.
Jonna Sundling (SWE) takes bronze by 0.5 seconds ahead of Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN). (Photo: NordicFocus)
It was the ROC for gold in 53:41.0, with Germany in second (+18.2), and Sweden third (+20.7).
“Of course, it is a special day,” Stepanova told the media after the race. “It was really tough because we have a win in the World Cup, and a lot of people know we can win, so they say, ‘You must win, you must win.’ So I am like, ‘OK, we need a good result,’ and I do what I can do.”
Veronika Stepanova anchors the ROC to gold in the women’s 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)The Russian Olympic Committee celebrates gold in the women’s 4 x 5 k relay as anchor Veronika Stepanova crosses the line with a solid lead. (Photo: NordicFocus)
While the depth of its women’s team made the ROC a good choice as a podium pick, Stupak made it clear in her post-race comment that the team had also been targeting the event, saying the result was “not a shock.”
“We prepared for this race the whole year,” she explained. “It’s a good result for everybody in our team. We were ready for this medal.”
On the ROC’s approach and early lead, Stupak continued, “We tried to push the limit. We had big motivation and good concentration before the start. It was a hard race but it was a good race for us.”
The 4 x 5 k relay gold medalists of the ROC: Yulia Stupak, Natalia Nepryaeva, Tatiana Sorina, and Veronika Stepanova (l-r). (Photo: NordicFocus)
For the Germans, the tone implied less certainty that a medal would be earned. Rather, it was the culmination of strategic pacing and hard work, leading to what Krehl called a “surprise” ending.
“We are so happy and excited,” Hennig said. “This is a special day for us and we are so thankful that all the hard work pays off now for the whole team and all of cross-country Germany. So we are very, very happy. We had a good plan and our plan worked. And we did our best, and so it was an exciting and amazing day.”
The German team welcomes anchor Sofie Krehl to the finish, earning a silver medal in the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)Caught by the emotion of earning a silver medal for Germany, Sofie Krehl is embraced by her coach at the finish of the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Krehl explained that she had skied her first lap defensively, expecting Stepanova to catch her sooner. In the second lap, she described the ROC athlete as “too good”, causing her to let go of gold. Though she was nervous when she began to feel Sweden and Finland closing on her, she was able to hold on for a result she described as “good for the whole team”, including the German coaches and wax technicians.
“It’s a lot of emotion,” Krehl said. “It feels like a dream. Maybe I need some time and then I can recognize what we have done.”
Putting together a gutsy performance, Katherine Sauerbrey, Katharina Hennig, Victoria Carl, and Sofie Krehl (l-r) earn silver for Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)The Swedist team of Maja Dahlqvist, Ebba Andersson, Frida Karlsson, and Jonna Sundling (l-r) earn silver in the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Behind the podium contenders, Norway had lost contact with the Swedes and the Finns over the final lap, fading to fifth (+28.8). Racing alone through her lap, Diggins crossed the line for Team USA a minute later in sixth (+1:28.2).
“Personally, I’m really, really proud of this team,” Diggins said in the mixed zone. “Every single one of these girls went out and skied so hard and skied gutsy races. And we gave it everything we have. And some days that ends up in the results of your life and some days it doesn’t. But either way, all you can control is going out there as hard and as smart as you can. And this team did that.”
Jessie Diggins brings the Americans home in sixth in the women’s 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Though they did not walk away with Olympic hardware, the energy and enthusiasm were high in the mixed zone, with laughter filling the gaps between the athletes’ comments.
On a team composed of two veteran Olympians, Brennan and Diggins, and two first-timers, Swirbul and McCabe, experience and insight helped unify the group and set the Americans up for their best chance at putting together a strong performance.
Leading the breakdown of the race, Swirbul shared, “It’s always important, I think, to try to ski my own race, even though you’re in the field. I definitely had advice from Rosie last night to make sure to pace it how I would face the race – and Jessie. We’re focusing on time, so the fastest time that we can get around that course [for] each person is the best, no matter what place you come in.”
Rosie Brennan races the second leg of the 4 x 5 k Olympic relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Brennan’s performance in the sprint demonstrated her impressive mental strength to overcome setbacks and not count herself – or in this case, her team – out of the running. A bad pole plant directly onto her ski in the sprint quarterfinal could have shaken her confidence, but she rebounded to ultimately finish just over a second off the podium in fourth place.
She approached today with a similar resolve.
“I knew it was full of a lot of the heavy hitters, so I knew I had a tough job ahead of me,” Brennan said. “So I tried to ski smart, but also find something extra to dig a little deeper, but I knew there was going to be some hard fighting at the end. I felt really good about my climbing. And I was a little disappointed with my inability to stick with [the other women] over the top of the hill in the double pole section, but it was all I had out there. So, I have to be happy with that. And I guess I know what I’ll be working on in the future.”
At 21-years-old, McCabe is the youngest member of the relay team.
“It’s so cool to be a part of a team with three legends and I had a lot of fun doing it, even though I was extremely nervous beforehand,” she said with a laugh.
Novie McCabe tags Jessie Diggins for the final leg of the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Her mom, Laura McCabe, is a two-time Olympian who skied the third leg of the relay in both 1994 and 1998. However, Novie laughed that she had not talked to her mother in several days and thus had not received any advice heading into the relay. After much deliberation, the team had only been decided the afternoon prior.
“I tried on the first lap to just stay relaxed,” McCabe explained of her plan. “I knew that there was a chance I would blow up and end up losing a lot of time to that group ahead of me. So I was just trying to focus on [pacing] for the first lap, and on the second, I kind of tried to drop the hammer and do what I could to not lose time.”
In her lap, McCabe lost just 11 seconds to Sweden’s distance standout, Frida Karlsson. She had accomplished her goal.
Diggins explained she headed out for the final leg optimistically hoping things would shake out differently than they ultimately did.
“I basically just swung for the fences and thought, ‘Okay, I’m gonna go out as hard as I can. Because if there’s a chance that [the women ahead of me] monkey around and don’t want to lead, then I’ve got to go for it.’ I thought, ‘You know, if I get lucky and they’re messing around in tactics, there’s a chance I can glom on the back.’ Unfortunately, they did not, as much as I had hoped. And I definitely paid for it in the second lap. I could not feel my legs at all.”
Jessie Diggins anchors the Americans to 6th in the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
After a windy skiathlon and 10 k classic that left tracks blown in with loose snow, the women expressed that conditions today were the best they’ve experienced in racing so far. Though two inches of snow came down overnight, perhaps an unexpected twist in the weather patterns, the Americans each affirmed that their skis were competitive, with Swirbul and Brennan adding the change was especially favorable for their classic legs.
“I actually got to ski in the tracks today, which is so nice,” Brennan said.
On the camaraderie of the team, Brennan shared, “It’s an individual sport, but we also spend close to five months on the road a year together. So it would be pretty boring if you only ever care about yourself. [That’s] not very fun or fulfilling – it doesn’t mean that much. So when we get to actually, truly be out there together, and all of our times count for each other. I think that brings like a new level of meaning and purpose to what we’re doing. And it’s really special to get to share that with your teammates.”
Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (CAN) collapses as she’s greeted by her team at the finish of the 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Closing for Canada, Olivia Bouffard Nesbitt lost one spot to the Italian team in the final leg. The Canadian women ended their day in 9th (+3:39.9).
On February 8th, cross country skiing made the New York Times headlines as Jessie Diggins collected an historic bronze medal in the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint. No American woman had ever won an individual medal in cross country skiing, and no American cross country skier of either gender had won multiple Olympic medals. Diggins had earned gold in 2018 racing the freestyle team sprint with partner, and current NBC analyst, Kikkan Randall.
Normally, attention given to niche sports by mainstream media is welcome – cross country skiing is a blip on these outlets’ radar roughly once every four years during the Olympics – but a statement included in the report was quickly met with criticism from athletes and coaches in the sport.
Here’s the statement written by veteran sports journalist Matthew Futterman:
“In a sport that has so many women with massive shoulders and thighs, Diggins looks like a sprite in her racing suit, and it’s not clear exactly where she gets her power. But the power is there, as she flies up hills, and comes off climactic turns with a burst. On the downhills, she tucks low and cuts through the air.”
Jessie Diggins drops into a tuck as she leads Sweden’s Emma Ribom into the downhill during the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint event in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. (Photo: NordicFocus)
All-American Colby College ski team alumna turned professional mountain runner for the North Face, Olivia Amber was quick to respond on social media, telling Futterman to “do better” and offering suggested edits to his wording.
Amber proposed: “In a sport that requires a unique combination of upper and lower body strength, Diggins’ ability to apply power is extraordinary, and it’s very clear how she has become one of the best athletes in the world.”
Her instagram story was shared widely amongst her followers. Explaining why this language struck a nerve, Amber wrote the following to FasterSkier.
“The way the media often covers athletics objectifies women and excludes people that don’t conform to the myth of an ideal body type. The language used in the recent NY Times piece is yet another example of this broader issue in women’s sport. It’s a clear oversight that demonstrates a lack of knowledge on the author’s subject. Featuring the size and shape of women’s bodies devalues the lifetime of hard work these athletes put into achieving the pinnacle of their sport.”
The women’s Olympic 1.5-kilometer freestyle podium: Sweden’s Jonna Sundling took gold ahead of teammate Maja Dahlqvist and American Jessie Diggins. (Photo: NordicFocus)
FasterSkier contacted Futterman to see whether he had a response to the criticism his statement had received. Futterman explained that he would need clearance from the Times’ communications department in order to respond. FasterSkier later received the following from a spokesperson:
“We aim in our sports coverage to cover male and female athletes accurately, equally and fairly. We believe sometimes their physiques are relevant to their performance. In this case, our description of cross country skier Jessie Diggins’s noticeably different physical attributes in contrast to others in her sport were an important and relevant detail. Her dominance in the sport was also the subject of alengthy feature on Feb. 4.”
However, many readers continue to find fault with the statements at play.
“I have always held the NY Times in high esteem for their quality reporting, which is why I was absolutely floored to read Matthew Futterman’s comments about my teammate’s body,” writes Holly Brooks, two-time Olympian and licensed professional counselor who offers eating disorder support to athletes through her practice and advocacy. “On a day where Jessie made U.S. history by becoming the first female individual medalist in cross country skiing, Mr. Futterman chose to make inconsiderate comments about her body, questioning the source of her power. Please hear me loud and clear: It is NEVER appropriate to comment on an athlete’s body with regard to their weight, shape or size. Instead, emphasize their power, fight, tenacity and strength. And to the NY Times: Jessie, athletes worldwide, and the entirety of your readership deserve better. Mr. Futterman should apologize for his insensitive words and be sent to sensitivity training.”
Jessie Diggins (USA) takes control of her quarterfinal during the 1.5 kilometer freestyle sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
It is not the first time Diggins has received comments regarding her body from the media. She was once asked whether her talent on downhills was related to her size, versus her skill. One strategy she has begun to employ to avoid comments that might have a detrimental impact on her mental preparation has been to avoid reading them altogether.
When asked in the mixed zone after the 10 k classic whether she had heard anything regarding Futterman’s story, Diggins said, “To be honest, I don’t read things written about me and I think that’s a very, very healthy thing. But it’s unfortunate with Rule 40 that you can’t see the invisible headgear sponsor that is there at all times for me.”
After sharing a blog post titled “Body Image Issues” in June, 2018 Diggins has openly shared her own challenges with disordered eating, body dysmorphia, and bulimia across many platforms, including her book, Brave Enough. Outside of the Olympic blackout period, described in Rule 40, Diggins wears the logo of the Emily Program, a leader in eating disorder treatment and education, on her hats and headbands, acting as an advocate for the facility she credits with supporting her through her own recovery journey.
She now regularly rejects the narrative that “lighter is faster”, and instead repeats how properly fueling her body and prioritizing her mental and physical health have led her to perform at this level. Diggins aims to be an example for future generations of skiers.
“It’s important that women everywhere know that they’re good enough the way they are,” Diggins said. “You don’t have to be a certain body type to win at the Games; you have to be healthy and happy and have a great support crew.”
Diggins’ advocacy in this space was a focal point in a message penned by Kris Hansen, a former cross country ski coach at Diggins’ alma mater in Stillwater, MN, sent to the Times after reading the piece. Hansen also shared her response publicly on Facebook.
“Eating disorders, or disordered eating, are sadly very common in young women athletes… conditions that are definitely exacerbated by insensitive and inaccurate reporting like Mr. Futterman’s,” she wrote.
Hansen called it “ironic ignorance” that an athlete who raises awareness for body image issues in sport would be described in this way.
“Jessie is no ‘sprite’,” Hansen continued. “She is a powerful woman, an exceptional athlete, a World Champion, a thoughtful and articulate advocate for women athletes, and now a multi-medal Olympian.. I can also tell you from where she gets her power: hundreds of hours of training her body and her mind, on the snow, in the weight room, with her coaches… Further, her competitors are not “women with massive shoulders and thighs”. They are women who, like Jessie, have worked very hard to build bodies that can climb a hundred meters in a matter of seconds and then navigate an icy technical downhill….again and again for 30 kilometers. You have done Jessie, and all women athletes, a disservice with your ignorance and disrespectful characterization.”
Jessie Diggins crosses the line in third to earn the first individual Olympic medal in women’s cross country ski history. (Photo: NordicFocus)
College of St. Scholastica head coach and founder of the Women Ski Coaches Association Maria Stuber offered a solution-oriented approach, advocating for awareness and education that might better support and protect athletes of all levels from body-centric messaging.
“What is very obvious here is that if the NY Times reporters and editors do not understand why this language is damaging, and we have a long way to go in education. If a career sports journalist isn’t learning this, certainly parents and youth coaches are not either. We are to the point where prominent athletes, like Naomi Osaka, are refusing to participate in news conferences or talk to journalists because of their ignorance on this topic and the potential damaging effects on mental health of athletes. Maybe the NY Times would be willing to help with the education component? How do we make sure you can’t become a sports journalist (or editor) without some body image/mental health education? Equal representation of women in sports media careers would certainly help.”
Like Diggins, many athletes at the Games are choosing to remain disconnected from the news and are not engaging with topics that might derail their focus. Others, like the Russian Olympic Committee’s Veronika Stepanova, have spoken out about the article. Stepanova shared a video of herself reading the statement on Instagram, sardonically captioning the post “Objectification? Never heard of it.”
Novie McCabe races to 24th in the 10 k individual start classic during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Photo: NordicFocus)
FasterSkier had the opportunity to ask Hailey Swirbul and Novie McCabe thoughts on the statement in the mixed zone following their performance in the 10 k individual start classic race Thursday.
“I think that our sport is so unique and so powerful in the sense that every single body type can succeed at this sport,” Swirbul responded. “It doesn’t matter how you look, it matters how you race with your heart, how hard you work, and I know that everyone on our team works so freaking hard, Jessie included. Everyone on that podium deserves that spot, no matter what they look like.”
“I think the older girls have kind of been trying to ignore it a bit,” McCabe explained. “But it was obviously pretty uncalled for and insensitive, and they need to do better… Jessie got a medal because she’s the best out there and not because of anything about her body, so I think just insinuating that there’s something there was not okay.”
Swirbul also stated that response from the community to the Times article has not been a distraction for her as she prepares for Olympic competition.
“It makes me appreciate my own strength and how hard I work to gain fitness and muscle. I think it just really makes me appreciate how diverse our sport is all across the board.”
Speaking more broadly to whether a focus on the appearance of athletes’ bodies from the media is frustrating for her, Swirbul concluded, “I hope that as a culture, we can move away from body types and focus on the hard work and the courage and the bravery that everyone races with every day. I really hope that that’s where we move in the future.”
Hailey Swirbul pushes to the finish of the 10 k individual start classic during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Photo: NordicFocus)
ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA — American cross-country ski coaches face a high-stakes dilemma over the next 24 hours as they choose which members of their deep, talented women’s team will race Saturday’s four-person relay at the Beijing Olympics.
The U.S. women have a fair shot at a medal in the event, in which each woman skis a five-kilometer leg. But don’t envy the American coaches, who are still pondering which of six athletes will fill the last two spots on the team alongside stars Jessie Diggins of Vermont and Rosie Brennan of Anchorage.
Rosie Brennan crosses the line in 13th after the 10 k individual start classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“We try to instill belief all year long, so that we can roll through some of these punches and athletes have that level of confidence that allows them to flow through some of these setbacks, potentially, of maybe not being selected for a team,” said U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “But straight up, it’s impossibly hard.”
In an interview next to the cross-country venue’s empty stadium late Thursday, all Whitcomb could say for sure about the team is that Brennan and Diggins will be on it.
Entries are due by late Friday afternoon Beijing time.
“I will say with 100% honesty, we haven’t decided yet,” Whitcomb said. “We have a team of eight women who are incredible racers, and we’ve considered every name, in multiple legs. And we are currently in the process of talking with these athletes about how they’re feeling.”
Novie McCabe races to 24th in the 10 k individual start classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The relay is a preoccupation not just for the coaches but also for the athletes on the bubble.
But both Novie McCabe and Hailey Swirbul, the two Americans who raced in Thursday’s individual start Olympic event in addition to Diggins and Brennan, said there’s nothing personal about it.
“It’s for sure a goal of everyone’s,” said McCabe, who finished 24th in her Olympic debut. “There are definitely a lot of girls with a chance to be on it. But I think we all believe in each other a lot.”
The coaches will likely be informed by the results from Thursday’s race, in which Swirbul placed 32nd, along with the two previous women’s events at the Games.
Hailey Swirbul embraces her teammate, Julia Kern, following the opening event of the 2022 Olympics, the 15 k skiathlon. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Two other U.S. women who haven’t yet competed in Beijing, Sophia Laukli and Caitlin Patterson, also skied a race effort on Thursday’s course before the Olympic event. But Whitcomb said it wasn’t intended as a test for the relay.
“Am I curious with how they felt? Yes, definitely. But…I don’t have the times, and they deliberately didn’t want to be compared, and we didn’t want them compared. This is a workout, so they can get faster,” he said. “We’ve talked about running time trials before, and we just don’t feel like it aligns with our team culture.”
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Thursday morning saw the third women’s cross-country race in the Zhangjiakou stadium. On the docket, a 10-kilometer individual start classic with two laps of a challenging 5 k course. After a reprieve from the wind during the sprint event Tuesday evening, it was blowing once again as the athletes headed to the start.
Zhangjiakou 5 k course. (screenshot from FIS homologation certificate)
Unlike the skiathlon which saw 62 finishers, the start list for the 10 k individual classic featured 98 racers. Most of the later starters represented nations we don’t normally see at World Cup events, such as Greece, Brazil, and Hungry. Many of these skiers fall into the ‘B-standard’ Olympic qualification category; provided they can earn less than 300 FIS points in a competition prior to the games, but have greater than the 100 point threshold of the A-standard, these athletes can race in the 10 k and relay events.
To set the stage for Thursday’s race, we can begin with a brief dive into recent Olympic, World Championship, and World Cup results at this distance. Given that this year’s edition of the individual-start 10 k event was contested in classic technique, the 10 k individual start in PyeongChang was a freestyle race (disciplines alter every two years at championship events). As such, it is harder to draw direct predictions from the podium four years ago to possible success in today’s event. Nevertheless, to remind ourselves, it was Ragnhild Haga of Norway who walked away with the gold in 2018. Charlotte Kalla of Sweden finished second and she was followed by Marit Bjørgen of Norway in third position. Delving deeper into the Olympic records, a look at the results from the 10 k individual classic in Sochi, shows that Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland took gold, with Kalla again the runner-up, and Therese Johaug rounding out the podium with bronze.
Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla racing to silver in the 10 k classic individual start at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. (Photo: FS archives)
The most recent championship-level 10 k individual-start classic race was in Seefeld, Austria when the World Championships were held there in 2019. There, the victory went to Therese Johaug who finished 12.2 seconds ahead of Frida Karlsson of Sweden. Johaug’s teammate, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg was third, but has since battled health concerns and been largely absent from international racing.
This season, the two 10 k individual start classic events have been won by Karlsson (in Ruka, FIN +13.7 ahead of Johaug) and Kerttu Niskanen of Finland in Lenzerheide, SUI (during the Tour de Ski in which Johaug did not compete).
Perhaps one of the more open events in terms of podium predictions, the race turned out to be an exciting one with the margins between medal positions coming down to hundredths of seconds. In the end, it was Johaug of Norway who walked away with her second gold medal from these Games, eking out a win ahead of Niskanen (FIN) by just 0.4 seconds.
Therese Johaug (NOR) crosses the finish line and collapses (Photo: NordicFocus)
Rewinding to the start, Russian Olympic Committee athletes Natalia Nepryaeva and Tatiana Sorina clocked the fastest times to begin. Looking at the course profile, the first split at 1.3 k comes at the end of a good deal of climbing. Close behind the ROC athletes were two Finn’s, Niskanen and Krista Pärmäkoski, with Johaug rounding out the top five, a surprising +12.8 seconds behind Nepryaeva.
Move forward to 3.6 k and the top three were within 0.5 seconds of each other, Niskanen and Johaug tied with a split of 10:47.7, Nepryaeva passing through at 0.5 seconds off their mark. With one lap complete, Nepryaeva had started to fade, perhaps paying the price for her early pace. At 5 k it was Johaug with the advantage over Niskanen, but only by +0.6 seconds, and Nepryaeva was now +6.2 behind.
Therese Johaug (NOR) striding her way to a win in the 10 k classic (Photo: NordicFocus)
Through 6.3 k it seemed like Niskanen had made a break, pulling ahead of Johaug by 11 seconds, on a section of course that is mostly climbing, generally a strong point for Johaug. Nepryaeva was still in third +14.7 behind Niskanen and Pärmäkoski (FIN) was holding onto her fourth place position, +17.7 back. In the next 0.5 k, something appears to have happened to the ROC athlete, as Nepryaeva lost 12.1 seconds to Niskanen (+26.8) and was overtaken in by Pärmäkoski who moved into third +18 seconds behind her teammate.
The final course split was at the 8.6 k mark and with Johaug having the earlier bib, we saw her through first. She had gained the minute start deficit she had to Jessie Diggins and moved past the American, employing her signature high tempo up the final A-climb. When Niskanen came through moments later, her body language was visibly more labored than Johaug’s. In spite of this, Niskanen still held the lead, +1.3 seconds ahead of the Norwegian. Pärmäkoski remained in third, +23.6 behind, followed by Nepryaeva who was +31.8 behind.
Natalia Nepryaeva (ROC) slides her foot across the line, 0.1 seconds behind Krista Pärmäkoski of Finland (Photo: NordicFocus)
Entering the stadium, Johaug was skiing outside the windblown tracks. Knowing the margins were tight, she pushed hard, crossing the finish line in a time of 28:06.3. Facing a headwind into the finish, Niskanen chose to keep her skis inside the tracks, battling the final meters as the stopwatch ticked by. Sliding her foot across the line, the timestamp turned to red. She crossed +0.4 seconds behind Johaug.
“It was the two most nervous minutes in my life, waiting for [Niskanen]”, said Johaug in the press conference after the race.
“It was a really tough race out there today and, as Kerttu said, it was really close race,” Johaug continued. “So I feel that it’s also Kerttu’s gold medal because 0.4 second is nothing. I think we both are the the winners today in my head.”
Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) digs deep for precious time in the 10 k classic (Photo: NordicFocus)Teammates Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) and Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) celebrate their podium finishes. (Photo: NordicFocus)
After earning her first individual gold medal just days ago in the skiathlon, Johaug continues to cement her place in history as she gains another. Her performance gives the Norwegians something to hold onto as the rest of the team struggled to perform at the level fans are accustomed to.
With twins Tiril Udnes and Lotta Udnes Weng finishing 21st and 25th respectively and Mathilde Myhrvold back in 44th position, the remaining women racing on behalf of Norway did not have their strongest showing.
So far, Johaug is the only female Norwegian athlete to earn a medal of any color, while Johannes Høsflot Klæbo earned the only medal on the men’s side, a gold in the 1.5 k freestyle sprint on Tuesday. Three Norwegian athletes, including medal favorites Heidi Weng and Simen Hegstad Krüger, remain detained due to a positive COVID test just prior to travel. Weng recently announced on social media that she will not be making it to China and it is unclear whether Krüger will be cleared in time to compete in events next week.
Lotta Udnes Weng (NOR) finished 25th in the 10 k classic (Photo: NordicFocus)
For Kerttu Niskanen, this silver marks her first individual championship medal. She holds two silver medals from team events, both coming from Sochi in 2014. Niskanen only has three World Cup victories to her name and they all were in 10 k classic events, a specialty of hers.
“My plan before this race was to push hard every time and try to ski within my limits,” Niskanen explained in the press conference. “In the second laps on the long uphill from stadium, on the big uphill, [that] was the best part part for me in these tracks… I tried to push hard also end of the race but the I can say that Therese was much better than me. I did my best and it was really near but, yeah.”
Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) celebrating her first individual Olympic medal (photo: NordicFocus)
The bronze medal was also decided by a razor-thin margin. Pärmäkoski started bib number 38 and was hunted by Nepryaeva in bib 60 who had the advantage of more split information. However, when Nepryaeva crossed the finish line, she was outside by just 0.1 seconds, having finished in a time of 28:37.9 whereas Pärmäkoski came across in 28:37.8. Pärmäkoski has three individual Olympic medals, from a range of events in PyeongChang. She earned bronze in both the skiathlon and 10 k individual freestyle in 2018, as well as silver in the 30 k classic mass start.
Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) stretching for the lunge that gave her third place (Photo: NordicFocus)
For the American contingent, there was some back and forth playing out between Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan throughout the race. Just 48 hours after winning the first individual medal for women’s cross-country skiing, Diggins was back on the start line wearing bib 34, starting one minute ahead of eventual winner, Johaug in bib 36. Brennan started in bib 44.
Jessie Diggins (USA) crests a climb in the 10 k individual start classic (Photo: NordicFocus)
At the 1.3 k mark, the two were 13th and 14th, with Brennan +19.9 behind and Diggins +20.4. At 3.6 k Brennan had moved into 8th, +21.3 behind with Diggins in 10th, +25.1 back. With the climbing complete for the first lap, the 5 k split showed Diggins in 9th, +30.1 behind with Brennan now behind her in 11th, +31.8. Begin the climbing for the second lap and Brennan was again the first American, in 9th place and +45.7 behind while Diggins was in 14th, +52.7.
Rosie Brennan (USA) hits a dynamic stride in the 10 k classic (photo: NordicFocus)
At 8.6 k the two were neck and neck, Diggins in 10th, +1:05.6 and Brennan in 11th, +1:11.6. Over the final 1.4 k Diggins grew her advantage over her teammate to finish in 8th position, +1:08.8 behind winner, Therese Johaug (NOR). Brennan finished her day in 13th place, +1:22.3 behind Johaug.
Jessie Diggins (USA) left it all out on the course in the 10 k classic, per usual. (Photo: NordicFocus)
As she provided comments on today’s performance, Diggins first spoke to savoring the moment of yesterday’s medal ceremony. “It was so special to call my family and call my fiancé, and come back to the apartment and show our staff like our coaches the medal and just enjoy that moment.”
After a “rollercoaster” of eating, drinking, and other recovery-focused actions – Diggins said the Tour de Ski was helpful for knowing how to handle the tight turnaround – she turned her full attention to today’s classic race.
“I was really, really happy today,” Diggins said in the mixed zone. “I was so focused on my process. This is undoubtably my weakest event, but I was just so focused on enjoying it – like, ‘Great! No pressure. This is just my day to go out there and enjoy racing at the Olympics.’ Especially seeing Novie do her first Olympic race – I got to put the glitter on her I give her a hug – it was honestly pretty emotional. But in a good way.”
Though she has steadily closed the gap between her results in skate and classic performances, Diggins has been primarily seen success in freestyle competitions. On today’s race, she maintained that her focus was not on the result, but on giving her all despite classic being her weaker technique.
“It was so cool to work on that process and dial in the kick,” Diggins said. “I was so, so grateful for awesome skis. When I go really hard, I can’t feel my body from the waist down. And when you can’t feel your legs and you’re still kicking up the hill – you have to have great kick… And man, they delivered. I was just so proud of them.Especially in challenging conditions where it’s windblown in the tracks, or you’re trying to keep skis fast and grippy. That’s hard… I think they did a great job.”
Speaking to whether she has made progress in her classic skiing, Diggins continued, “I would like to think so. I’ve been working very very hard on it for a lot of years. I’ve been just so focused on that process on the technique and every single stride I was just thinking so hard about my technique. It really kept me right in the moment and thinking about what I could do so yeah, I’m gonna keep working on it to keep improving it.”
Jessie Diggins skis to 8th in the 10 k classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
On a course Brennan described as “brutal” she explained that seconds could easily be gained or lost along any stretch, up or downhill. She also acknowledged the challenge of facing the wind in an interval start race where there may be less opportunity to use another skier to block the wind than there is in a mass start. Overall, Brennan executed her goals on the day, despite looking to be higher on the results sheet.
“I was really focused on having powerful classic skiing and I was pretty happy with how I skied,” Brennan said in the mixed zone. “I wish I had a little more, but I did what I could with what I had today.”
Brennan finished one place (just 0.6 seconds) behind Sweden’s Frida Karlsson, who has two wins in the 10 k classic on the World Cup, including a win over Johaug earlier this season. This strong result is on the heels of her Olympic career best finish in the individual skate sprint, which was held under the lights Tuesday evening.
“The turnaround was definitely hard,” Brennan said. “It’s really hard with these late night races to get good sleep afterwards. So I think that was challenging. I did a lot of training this summer to try to like mimic that load. So I’m hoping that I can manage it, but we will take it day by day and see what we can do.”
Rosie Brennan comes to the line in 13th in the 10 k individual start classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Making her Olympic debut, Novie McCabe was the first starter for the United States, wearing bib number 5. At the age of 20, McCabe is the youngest member of a young team in Beijing. After earning her first World Cup points in Davos earlier this year, McCabe also notched a top-ten finish during the Alpe Cermis hill climb during the Tour de Ski. In an impressive performance, McCabe skied her way to 24th in a time of 30:34.9.
When she started, the British Eurosport announcers remarked, “I think McCabe is going to be a superstar like Diggins in a few years.”
At 5 k, McCabe was in 38th position, +1:27.9 behind Johaug. At 6.3 k she had moved into 32nd, at 6.8 k she was in 29th and by 8.6 k she had jumped to 24th, which she held through the finish.
“The long last hill was, for sure, so hard,” McCabe said after the race. “I tried to kind of just zone out and get through it. And I knew that it would be tough, especially on the last time up. But it was nice also to have so many people like around me out there and kind of have people to watch ahead of me. That helps a lot.”
Novie Mccabe (USA) skiing strong in her first Olympic race (Photo: NordicFocus)
Hailey Swirbul was the fourth American competitor and wore bib 27. Swirbul raced in the skiathlon earlier this week and finished in 40th. In today’s 10 k classic, she bested that performance and landed herself in 32nd, +2:59.0 behind Johaug. Swirbul was just five seconds outside of the Top-30.
“It was better than my last race,” Swirbul said simply in response to how she felt about her day. “I’m excited. I had a little bit of a reset – had a few days to recover from that first effort and have really focused on kind of resetting my goals, trying to push as hard as I could through that whole race and not give up no matter what. And I was able to do that today.”
With the women’s relay looming, team selection is a buzzing topic amongst ski fans. Swirbul skied a classic leg in the December, 2021 relay in Lillehammer, NOR, and was a member of the 2021 World Championship relay team in Oberstdorf, GER. The American team finished just off the podium in fourth in both races.
Swirbul said that relay team selection was not on her mind during her race today, though she does feel the pressure to perform that is perhaps inescapable at an Olympic level competition.
“That definitely does factor in for all of us here,” she said. “But I think at the end of the day, everyone on our team is confident that we’re going to try to put in the team with the best shot of a relay medal. So there are no hard feelings. There’s nothing personal about that team selection. We all trust that we’re just trying to do the best for our nation and give us a good shot.”
Hailey Swirbul (USA) working her way to a 32nd place finish in the 10 k classic (Photo: NordicFocus)
For the Canadians, Dahria Beatty continued her momentum, building off of strong performances in both the skiathlon and sprint to finish 18th, +1:53.9. This is a personal best for Beatty, following a week of personal bests. She finished 25th in the skiathlon and 25th in the sprint; her best Olympic performance before that was a 37th place in 2018 during the 10 k freestyle at PyeongChang.
Dahria Beatty (CAN) skiing to a personal best result of 18th (Photo: NordicFocus)
Behind Beatty, Kathrine Stewart-Jones finished 36th for team Canada, +3:02.3 behind. Cendrine Brown was 48th (+3:41.6), and Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt was 61st (+4:54.8).
Stay tuned for in-depth race coverage, coming soon.
The third women’s cross country ski competition of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games featured a 10-kilometer interval start classic competition.
Starting as the second athlete in the seeded group in bib 36, Therese Johaug (NOR) set a high bar, her tempo quick and her breathing labored as she worked every meter of the course to finish in 28:06.3. The next two seeded bibs, both of Finland, served as her biggest threats for the win; at 6.3 k, Kerttu Niskanen was 11 seconds ahead of Johaug, with Krista Pärmäkoski just under 7 seconds behind.
In the final kilometers, Johaug and Niskanen’s times began to converge, with the leader uncertain through the finish. As Johaug stared at the clock, Niskanen double poled through the finish lanes, using her final energy for a final boot kick as she slid over the line 0.4 seconds behind Niskanen to earn the silver medal. Pärmäkoski held pace for third (+31.5).
Jessie Diggins was the top American skier in 8th (+1:08.8), with Rosie Brennan 13th (+1:22.3).
In her first Olympic appearance, 20-year-old Novie McCabe finished 24th (+2:28.6), with Hailey Swirbul just missing the top-30 in 32nd (+2:59.0).
Racing for Canada, Dahria Beatty had a standout performance to finish 18th (+1:53.9), with Katherine Stewart-Jones finishing as the next Canadian in 36th (+3:02.3). Cendrine Browne was 48th today (+3:41.6), while Olivia Bouffard Nesbitt rounded out the team’s results in 61st (+4:54.8).
Striding out of the stadium at the Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Center (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
After a long hiatus from international racing, the top athletes found themselves on the start line once again, ready to contest the first event of the 2022 Winter Olympics. First up, a 15-kilometer skiathlon, featuring 64 starters completing four 3.75 k loops. The skiathlon, which combines both classic and skate in one race (7.5 k of each in this case), is an infrequent event on the World Cup circuit though appears on the schedule at all championships.
Four years ago, at the Olympics in PyeongChang, it was Charlotte Kalla of Sweden who bested the field to take gold, followed by Marit Bjørgen of Norway and Krista Pärmäkoski of Finland. Notably, this year’s winner, Therese Johaug was not present, but we will return to this point later on.
Celebration for Therese Johaug (NOR) as she takes her first ever individual Olympic gold medal (Photo: NordicFocus)
Watched by a few masked fans in the stands, the athletes completed final preparations before the start. Even without looking at the temperature, the cold was evident, from the blowing trees and bibs to the drifting snow across the tracks and the face-tape present on all the starters. The thermometer said -12.5°C or 9.5°F, though this reading likely didn’t factor in the windchill. With minutes to go, the athletes emerged from a set of underground stairs, bundled in parkas, to take their places on the start line.
At the starters command, the first cross-country ski race of the 2022 Olympics was underway, and almost immediately two skiers went down in a crash, though thankfully the damage did not impact the rest of the field. Coralie Bentz of France and Anne Kyllönen of Finland recovered quickly and rejoined the pack. With the first A-climb less than 1 k into the course, early leaders Rosie Brennan (USA) and Therese Johaug (NOR) pushed the pace, and the pack soon thinned.
Therese Johaug (NOR) leads the charge up the first big hill, Rosie Brennan (USA) can be seen leading the left most column (Photo: NordicFocus)
On the descents, the camera showed most athletes opting to ski on the platform, rather than the tracks, due to the drifting snow that was filling them. Skirting another fall, this time from Johanna Matintalo of Finland, the front group entered the stadium for the first round in a pack of roughly fifteen. With just over eleven minutes on the race clock, there were ten athletes within five seconds of Johaug, a slight surprise given her tendency for early breakaways.
Heading out for the second lap, Johaug visibly upped the pace though still had difficulty shaking her followers. Through the 5.1 k mark, the spread was now ten athletes over the span of ten seconds, led by Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) and ending with her teammate Matintalo, who had recovered from her fall. Whittled away over the duration of that lap, when they reached the second A-climb of the course before descending towards the stadium, Johaug was leading a group of just six skiers.
Entering the stadium for the transition to skate skis, Johaug double-poled the final rise, managing to open a slight gap to Niskanen, Frida Karlsson (SWE) and Pärmäkoski (FIN). Executing a quick exchange she held the lead and was out with 23:04.7 elapsed on the clock. Niskanen followed +1.0 behind, Pärmäkoski +2.2 and Karlsson +4.3.
It is worth noting that after the exchanges, Jessie Diggins of the USA was in tenth, +57.5 seconds behind Johaug, having dropped significantly over the first two classic loops. Rosie Brennan was next in 14th (+1:11.9), with Hailey Swirbul in 23rd (+1:52.6) as the final American inside the Top-30. Julia Kern was +4:07.1 behind in 53rd, about to hit the gas on the skate laps.
Jessie Diggins (USA) strides up one of the many challenging climbs (Photo: NordicFocus)
Capitalizing on her one-second advantage, Johaug found herself off the front for the first time. Pärmäkoski, Karlsson and Niskanen shared leads in an attempt to chase her down but by 8.8 k the gap had stretched to +15.8, effectively securing Johaug her first ever individual Olympic gold medal. From that point, the margins only grew: +26 at 10 k, +44 at 12.6 k and +30.2 at the completion of 15 k.
Despite her utter dominance of World Cup races and World Championships the past few seasons, Johaug’s results sheet at the Olympics is not what you might expect.
Tears were shed by Therese Johaug (NOR) as she finally gets her long deserved gold medal (Photo: NordicFocus)
Prior to the day’s skiathlon victory, she had only one other gold medal, coming from the team relay in the 2010 Games in Vancouver Canada. She was a runner-up in Sochi 2014 during the 30 k freestyle mass start when she placed second behind teammate, Marit Bjørgen, and she also earned bronze in the 10 k classic in Sochi. Johaug received an 18-month competition ban in 2017 for a positive doping test which prevented her from attending the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang.
In her post-race press conference, Johaug said she does not hold onto anger about her suspension, which left her even more motivated to prove herself this year.
“I’m finished with these years and I’m focusing on myself, and the future and things I can do something with,” Johaug said in a press conference. “It means maybe more for me today when I’m didn’t have this gold medal, and maybe if I had the gold medal before, this Olympics, maybe I would not been here.”
Therese Johaug (NOR) on top in the first cross-country competition at the 2022 Olympics (Photo: NordicFocus)
With the recent outbreak of COVID amongst the Norwegian team, Johaug’s path to Beijing has not been as smooth as she would have liked. She only arrived at the venue on Wednesday, leaving just a few days to adjust to the time change and climate before the first event. In spite of these challenges, she proved equal to the task, skiing away with the victory in a time of 44:13.7.
Behind Johaug, the race for silver and bronze was playing out in a dramatic way. Initially, Karlsson of Sweden seemed to have pulled away, when at 10 k she was 26 seconds behind Johaug, and 10 seconds ahead of Niskanen (FIN) and Teresa Stadlober of Austria. However, this break was short-lived, and at 11.3 k, Karlsson was less than a second ahead of Natalia Nepryaeva (ROC) who had worked with Stadlober to rejoin the chase pack. Pärmäkoski (FIN) began to drop off the pace and the group was down to four. At this point, Diggins (USA) could be spotted closing in on Pärmäkoski, who continued to fade.
Entering the final A-climb of the race, Stadlober (AUT) injected some pace, attempting to pull away but Karlsson of Sweden and Nepryaeva (ROC) hung on. Only Niskanen (FIN) dropped slightly.
Thus it was three skiers vying for two medal spots. But as they descended towards the stadium Niskanen closed in again, making the group four. Nepryaeva crested the final rise in front as across the stadium the camera showed Johaug crossing the line, arms raised and a frozen smile on her face.
Frozen but happy, Therese Johaug (NOR) (Photo: NordicFocus)
Down the finishing straight Nepryaeva held onto her lead as Stadlober mounted a final challenge, ultimately running out of space as the two finished in silver and bronze position respectively. Niskanen (FIN) finished fourth (+36.1), Karlsson (SWE) in fifth (+42.5), and in an impressive comeback, Diggins crossed the line sixth (+50.5).
A tight battle for silver and bronze between Teresa Stadlober (AUT) and Natalia Nepryaeva (ROC), (l-r) (Photo: NordicFocus)
This silver is the first Olympic medal for Natalia Nepryaeva, who most recently became the first Russian women to win the Tour de Ski. Her only other Olympic appearances came in PyeongChang where her best finish was fourth in the classic sprint.
Teresa Stadlober (r-AUT) celebrates a bronze medal as Natalia Nepryaeva (l-ROC) is overcome with emotion (Photo: NordicFocus)
For Teresa Stadlober of Austria, this bronze medal could be viewed as redemption. Stadlober was in medal contention during the 30 k classic at PyeongChang when a last minute wrong turn took her out of the running. Furthermore, after a total of 18 individual starts at championship events (Olympics and World Championships), this is Stadlober’s first medal. She holds just three World Cup podiums, two during the 2018 edition of the Tour de Ski in Toblach where she placed third in the 10 k classic mass start and had the second fastest time of the day on the Alpe Cermis hill climb. The third podium was in a 15 k skiathlon in Oberstdorf Germany in 2020 where she also placed third.
First Olympic medal for Teresa Stadlober (AUT) (Photo: NordicFocus)
Other noteworthy performances from the day includes Anastasia Rygalina (ROC), who has had just ten World Cup starts in her career and never finished in the top ten, finishing the race in 8th. Behind her, Delphine Claudel of France earned a new personal best for the Olympics placing 9th.
Jessie Diggins (USA) exits the transition zone, followed by Ebba Andersson (SWE) (Photo: NordicFocus)
After being +55.5 seconds behind Pärmäkoski and the chase group at the exchange, Diggins ended up finishing a full eight seconds ahead of the Finn and was just 20 seconds behind bronze medalist, Stadlober.
“I definitely finished with nothing left so I feel really good about that,” said Diggins in the mixed zone after the race. “I was so proud of never giving up. I feel really good about the pacing and where my fitness is. I definitely want to figure out some things with my power striding, but overall I think this was a really encouraging start to the Games and honestly it feels really good just to have gotten here and to be able to race.”
Left it all on the course, Jessie Diggins (USA) collapsed in the finish (Photo: NordicFocus)
When asked about the cold and windy conditions Diggins replied, “My hands got pretty cold because I needed thinner gloves for the pit-box changing. My muscles stayed warm though. [The wind] is really something, and that’s what makes it so cold, so I think it’s important to really push that and stay warm.”
Regarding the course, Diggins said, “They’re really good courses. I really like them. I think they’re really fair and great championship courses. They’re as hard as they look, you’ve really got to work for it.”
Jessie Diggins fields media questions in the mixed zone. (Nat Herz/FasterSkier-ADN)
In Diggins final 5k, she advanced from eighth place and over 1:13 back to finish sixth place and roughly 50 seconds back. This is a difference of 23 seconds gained on the leader over 5k, with ten seconds gained in the final 2.4k.
“I had amazing skate skis and I think I had paced just well enough to be able to do that,” Diggins said of this progress. “I crossed the finish line with nothing left. It’s really cool to get a race on these courses in and I think I’m figuring [them] out.”
Rosie Brennan leaves the exchange zone halfway through the women’s 15k skiathlon, the opening race of the 2022 Winter Olympics. (Nat Herz/FasterSkier-ADN)
Brennan was the next finisher for Team USA, in fourteenth position (+2:51.7). Brennan had initially fallen behind Germany’s Katharina Hennig in the skate leg to slide into 15th, but she regained her position with 3 k to go, further accelerating to give herself a 7 second cushion at the finish.
“Definitely a little bit of everything out there today,” Brennan told U.S. Ski & Snowboard communications manager Tom Horrocks after the race. “Some good, some ugly, some in between.”
While Brennan’s result might not be evidence that she is a medal threat in the event, and she is surely left wanting more, she spoke like a true veteran, showing maturity and perspective in her response to how she will look back on the performance.
“I think I have to take the like big picture perspective. Four years ago, I think I was close to dead last fighting some [mononucleosis], and that was my first and last Olympic race. So I really had kind of a — I don’t know what you’d call it — a demon in the back of my mind that I needed to get rid of. So to be in a better place today, even if it wasn’t my best, was a step in the right direction. And that’s something that I’m proud of.”
Rosie Brennan catches her breath after finishing 14th in the women’s skiathlon at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. (Nat Herz/FasterSkier-ADN)
While official start lists are not yet available, as Brennan is one of USA’s top skiers, she will likely start in multiple upcoming events.
On her mindset and how she’s feeling heading into these stages, Brennan said, “It’s been a while since I’ve done racing at an international level. (Brennan left Europe after the Davos World Cup races in mid-December, spending the last six weeks near her home in Park City, UT.) I’m really hoping that the effort today was what I needed to just get back into things and find a better place ,because I certainly have had some workouts that have indicated that I’m in good shape. So I do want more and I think I can get more. I’m really looking forward to the other races.”
Behind Brennan, Hailey Swirbul finished in 40th (+5:28.8).
“It’s a lot of V1 skate, it’s hard,” Swirbul said in the mixed zone in reference to the course, “It makes for fair racing but you have to be totally on your game. It didn’t feel like [you get a break] today, it was a tough day for sure.”
Hailey Swirbul transitions from classic to skate, fighting windy conditions on course during the women’s 15k skiathlon. (Nat Herz/FasterSkier-ADN)
When asked about taking part in the Olympics and the momentum of the team, Swirbul said, “It’s a hugely exciting time to be part of this team. We’ve shown over the last four years what we’re capable of. We will give everything we have out there. It feels like a relief that we made it here and that our team has been healthy and we prepared really well so far. A race is a race, no matter if it’s an Olympic or local race. It’s important to keep your head in the game, and be ready to fight no matter what.”
Hailey Swirbul (USA) embraces teammate Julia Kern (USA) after the skiathlon (Photo: NordicFocus)
Julia Kern rounded out the US finishers in 53rd position (+7:51.8). It was “windy and tough,” said Kern definitively. “That was a really tough race, probably the windiest race I’ve ever done. I had a ton of base layers on so I stayed warm, but the wind cools you right down on the downhill.”
Regarding her participation in the Games, Kern said, “It’s a dream come true, I’m really excited to see what we can do as a team for the rest of the Games. This is just the beginning.”
Julia Kern (USA) fights hard to the finish (Photo: NordicFocus)
The Canadian women made a strong showing in the top thirty, led by Cendrine Browne in 20th (+3:44.4). Not far behind her was Kathrine Stewart-Jones, matching her bib number and finishing in 23rd (+4:03.6). In a dramatic finish – essentially a forward fall across the line – Dahria Beatty finished 28th (+4:38.8), putting three Canadians in the top thirty. Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt was the fourth Canadian and finished 44th (+5:58).
Dahria Beatty (CAN) finished 28th in the 15 k skiathlon (Photo: NordicFocus)
Racing for Australia, APU’s Jessica Yeaton finished just outside the Top-30 in 31st (+4:40.3).
Australia’s Jessica Yeaton (bib 53) races to 31st in the women’s 15k skiathlon, which opened the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. (Nat Herz/FasterSkier-ADN)
The men will race a 30 k skiathlon tomorrow, and the next women’s event will be the freestyle sprint on February 8th. You can find a detailed schedule for the Olympic cross-country events, including how to watch, here.
PARK CITY, UTAH (January 20, 2022) — U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today its nominations for the U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team to represent Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 from February 4-19, 2022. Nominations are to be confirmed by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee when it formally announces the U.S. Olympic Team.
Fourteen athletes were nominated to Team USA, including the 2018 Olympic gold medalist and defending World Cup overall and distance champion Jessie Diggins, and two-time World Cup winner Rosie Brennan. Brother and sister Caitlin and Scott Patterson, both 2018 Olympians, are also nominated to return to the Games. The 10 remaining nominated athletes will be competing in their first Olympic Winter Games.
“We are incredibly excited to be welcoming so many athletes to their first Olympic team,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Director Chris Grover. “We’ve been watching this American talent emerge at World Juniors for the past five seasons, and now these very same athletes that have brought home so much hardware are populating the Olympic team. Beijing will be such a valuable experience for them as they progress towards being medal contenders at the highest level. We are also lucky to have the experience, leadership, and professionalism of athletes like Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan to show these young athletes what it takes to be successful at this level.”
Athletes were selected based upon World Cup results, World Cup rankings, SuperTour results, and the recently completed U.S. Cross Country Championships.
The 2022 Olympic Winter Games will feature 12 cross country events, including four individual events for both men and women and two team events for each gender, including the team sprint and the team relay. At each Olympics, disciplines swap between freestyle and classic techniques. For example, Diggins and Kikkan Randall won the freestyle team sprint at the 2018 Games—the first-ever Olympic gold medal for the USA in cross country skiing. The team sprint hosted at the 2022 Games will be held in the classic technique.
JC Schoonmaker was the top U.S. qualifier in the Davos sprint, placing 5th. (Photo: Nordic Focus)
Cross country kicks off the 2022 Games with its first medal event, the women’s 15k skiathlon on Saturday, February 5. The event features two 7.5k legs, with the athletes skiing the classic technique for the first 7.5k, then switching to the freestyle technique for the second 7.5k. The men will compete in the 30k skiathlon on Sunday, February 6— a 15k classic followed by 15k freestyle. The complete Olympic cross country program is listed below.
2022 U.S. OLYMPIC CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
(Name, Hometown; Birth Date; Club; Past Olympics)
Women
Jessie Diggins, Afton, Minnesota and Stratton, Vermont; 8/26/91; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team (Olympics: 2014, 2018)
Rosie Brennan, Park City, Utah; 12/2/88; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center (Olympics: 2018)
* Julia Kern, Waltham, Massachusetts 9/12/97; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team
* Hailey Swirbul, El Jebel, Colorado; 7/10/98; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Center
* Sophia Laukli, Yarmouth, Maine; 6/8/2000; University of Utah
* Novie McCabe, Winthrop, Washington; 12/15/2001; Methow Valley Nordic Team
* Hannah Halvorsen, Truckee, California; 2/19/1998; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
Caitlin Patterson, Craftsbury, Vermont; 1/30/90; Craftsbury Green Racing Project (Olympics: 2018)
Putting together another highlight weekend in Davos, Rosie Brennan skis to 4th in the 10k individual start skate. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Men
* JC Schoonmaker, Tahoe City, California; 8/12/2000; University of Alaska Anchorage
* Kevin Bolger, Minocqua, Wisconsin; 4/11/93; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation
* Ben Ogden, Landgrove, Vermont; 2/13/2000; University of Vermont / Stratton Mountain School Elite Team
* Luke Jager, Anchorage, Alaska; 1/7/2000; University of Utah/Alaska Pacific University
“I’m honored and excited to be representing my country once more as a member of the 2022 Olympic team! This will be my third Olympics and I’m so proud of all the hard work and dedication from all our athletes to make this team. I’m also incredibly thankful for the support from so many people who have helped me prepare for the Games! I won’t be racing for just myself out there.”
Julia Kern
“I am very excited to be named to the Olympic team, it is a dream come true! I believe the team we are bringing is really strong and will do great things at the Olympics. It takes a massive support system to get there and I am extremely thankful for all of the people who have been a part of this journey.”
Rosie Brennan
“I am honored to be representing Team USA in another Olympic Games. I am very excited to be on this team and to be in a place where we can fight with the best. I am looking forward to getting there and getting the races started.”
Hailey Swirbul skis to 6th place in the 10k individual start skate in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Hailey Swirbul
“More than anything, I feel honored to represent my country on the world stage at the Olympics. I have dreamed of the opportunity to do this since I was a kid and it hasn’t totally set in for me yet! I think it won’t feel real to me until we actually arrive in Zhangjiakou. I am really looking forward to finishing my preparations knowing I am ready to fight with everything I have out on the race courses. Going into my first Olympics, I’m not sure what to expect, but I am going to try to stay true to myself and do what I know how to do!”
Novie McCabe
“I am super excited! The Olympics have always been the dream and it’s surreal to have actually made the team! Going into this season I was very uncertain of what it would hold, but it’s been full of so many great experiences and it’s pretty hard to believe that I also get to go to the Olympics. Just overall, I’m feeling quite happy about things and very thankful for everyone who has helped make all of it possible!”
Sophia Laukli
“I’m so so excited. It’s pretty incredible to actually be named to the Olympic team and I still haven’t fully wrapped my mind around it. Even just a year ago, the Olympics seemed far-fetched, so it feels pretty surreal. That being said, I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity. It’s definitely a proud moment and I’m looking forward to the whole experience and learning a lot from it, and I especially can’t wait to see what the U.S. team can do this year!”
Caitlin Patterson
“I’m very excited to be heading to my second Olympic Games! The U.S. is bringing a strong group of cross-country athletes and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do!”
Hannah Halvorsen
“All of my emotions are on overload. I am beyond proud, beyond grateful, and beyond excited and honored to be on the 2022 Olympic Team.”
JC Schoonmaker
“I’m super pumped to be named to my first Olympics! Pretty crazy feeling. It’s still kinda hard to believe it! Can’t wait to get over there, enjoy the experience and race the best I can!”
Kevin Bolger
“It’s every kid’s dream come true. It’s something I’ve been shooting for and dreaming of for a long time. And to be able to call my family and give them the news is just as satisfying as getting the news myself—they are just as much a part of this journey as anyone. So now making the team is the last stepping stone to my ultimate goal and that is to return from Beijing with the result I want! And I couldn’t be more excited about the men’s team I get to travel there with. It goes without saying the men’s team is putting up big results on the World Cup, and now I think we can expect some big results at the Olympics! Time to go have some fun!”
Ben Ogden leads teammate Luke Jager up the first climb during the quarterfinal of the classic sprint in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Ben Ogden
“I’m really excited to be named to the Olympic team. Growing up in southern Vermont, I have been inspired by Olympians my whole life, and becoming one myself has always been a dream. I am excited to race hard and have some fun in China.”
Gus Schumacher
“I really have to stop and give myself some credit because it’s a lifelong dream coming to fruition, but at the same time my goals keep coming, and just making the team isn’t the end of the road. I wanna race fast! But overall I’m very excited for the opportunity to represent the U.S. on the highest level in my sport.”
Luke Jager
“This is a dream come true for me! I remember being a little kid watching Kikkan (Randall) and Andy (Newell), Simi (Hamilton), and crew at the Olympics and getting so fired up. Feels pretty crazy to get to be here now a few years later with my best friends. I feel so thankful for all the people that have worked so hard over the years to help us get here!”
Scott Patterson
“Races at the 2022 Olympics have been on my goal list for a long time. I’m excited to return to the Olympics and build on the successes I had in 2018. We have a strong contingent of U.S. athletes and I look forward to being a part of it!”
2022 Olympic Winter Games Cross Country Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 5
Women’s 15k Skiathlon
Sunday, Feb, 6
Men’s 30k Skiathlon
Tuesday, Feb. 8
Men and Women’s Freestyle Sprint
Thursday, Feb. 10
Women’s 10k Classic
Friday, Feb. 11
Men’s 15k Classic
Saturday, Feb 12
Women’s 4x5k Relay
Sunday, Feb. 13
Men’s 4x10k Relay
Wednesday, Feb. 16
Men and Women’s Classic Team Sprint
Saturday, Feb. 19
Men’s 50k Freestyle Mass Start
Sunday, Feb. 20
Women’s 30k Freestyle Mass Start
Jessie Diggins celebrates a podium effort with team sprint partner, Julia Kern, who anchored the team to 2nd place in Dresden, GER. (Photo: NordicFocus)
About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Returning to the kick and glide after a long hiatus, the second stage of the 2021/22 Tour de Ski featured a 10 k classic individual start for the women. With the exception of those who raced the classic legs of the relay in Lillehammer on December 5th, the last classic race was over a month ago, taking place at the season opener in Ruka. To keep things interesting, for the athletes, for the technicians and for the viewers, the temperature in Lenzerheide, Switzerland hovered around 34°F and snow fell heavily. Wax and ski preparation is always incredibly important but not always as evident as it was today as the women completed the 10 kilometer course.
After all 81 skiers had crossed the finish line, it was Kerttu Niskanen of Finland who stood at the top of the podium, having completed the course in 27:04.0.
Kerttu Niskanen celebrates a snowy victory in Stage 2 of the Tour de Ski. (Photo: NordicFocus)
To rewind, with Therese Johaug not taking part in the Tour, it is fair to say that Frida Karlsson of Sweden was a strong favorite to win this race. Karlsson has finished on the podium in all four distance events of the season so far, taking first place in the only classic distance event of the season up to this point in Ruka. With her main rival not in competition, Karlsson might have been hoping to ski away with another title.
Frida Karlsson (SWE) on course in Lenzerheide during a snowy 10k interval start classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
From the start, it was clear that Ebba Andersson (SWE) wasn’t going to make things easy for her teammate. Andersson, who started in bib 29- one place ahead of Karlsson in bib 30, shot out of the gate with a tempo and ferocity that conveyed she meant business. At the 2.4 k checkpoint, there was an opportunity for bonus points in the Tour standings, and Andersson took the lead out of the first 29 starters, only to be quickly bettered by Karlsson by 0.9 seconds.
However, Karlsson’s advantage would not last and already at the 3.7k mark, she was +5.2 seconds behind Andersson. From there, the gap continued to widen. At 5.8 k Andersson was +13.7 seconds ahead of Karlsson, at 7.4 k she was +21.8 ahead and when both Swedes had crossed the finish, Andersson had put 26.4 seconds on Karlsson.
Ebba Andersson (SWE) races through falling flakes during the women’s individual start 10k classic in Lenzerheide. (Photo: NordicFocus)
At this point, it appeared that the day’s victor had been decided. But, as the snowflakes lessened and grew smaller, another contender was showing herself out on the course.
Niskanen (FIN) started in bib 50 and was clearly skiing well. As was Natalia Nepryaeva of Russia in bib 54. Nepryaeva was the second fastest through 2.4 k, slotting between Karlsson and Andersson. Niskanen was +7.8 down to Karlsson at that point in fourth position. Moving forward to 3.7k, Niskanen skied up to third, +5.2 to Andersson, while Nepryaeva had dropped to +8.5. Through 5.8k, Niskanen had overtaken Karlsson’s time and was sitting in second, just +4.8 behind Andersson. Between 7.4 and 8.7k, the Finn turned on the burners, gaining 12.6 seconds on Andersson over that distance. Accompanied by the excited shouts of her coach, Niskanen took the lead and continued to grow the margin. When she crossed the finish line she was +18.2 seconds ahead of Andersson and +44.6 ahead of Karlsson.
Kerttu Niskanen on her way to win the women’s 10k individual start classic in Lenzerheide. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Nepryeava (RUS), who dropped to fifth place at 7.4 k (+24 to Andersson) and was 4th (+32.9 to Niskanen) at 8.7k, gained significant ground over the final 1.3 kilometers. Between the 8.7 and 10k mark, she overtook Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) to finish on the podium in third, +30.5 behind Niskanen.
The women’s podium for a snowy 10k individual start classic in Lenzerheide. Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) took the win ahead of Ebba Andersson (SWE) and Yulia Stupak (RUS). (Photo: NordicFocus)
This win was Niskanen’s third victory, having more than 230 World Cup starts. All three have come in 10k classic events, two taking place in Lenzerheide (today’s race being one, the other in 2014 when she won the stage).
“Today was a really good day,” Niskanen told FIS after the race. “I felt good and my skis were working well. I usually enjoy high altitude so today was good.” In response to a question about the conditions she said, “we have really good waxing men, they have done really good work yesterday and today.”
Diggins pushes through the final meters to finish 16th in Lenzerheide. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Jessie Diggins was the first finisher for the American contingent in 16th position (+1:07.9). Whether it was the four rounds of sprinting yesterday, the skis and conditions today, or some combination of both, Diggins appeared to be lacking in her usual pep, though she fought hard to the line, as always.
In a post-race interview with U.S. Ski & Snowboard cross country communications manager, Tom Horrocks, Diggins talked about how the team handled trying conditions with down to the wire work by the techs to select the best skis for the day.
“Everyone stayed really calm and collected, on a day when it would have been easy to panic and waste a ton of energy,” Diggins explained. “Really zoning in on process goals has always been [important] for me, and days like this, it’s really clear why that is so important.”
Diggins also provided into her pacing in today’s stage, and how her ability to adapt to the variable conditions and kick by jumping out of the track, running, or double poling are a testament to her progress in classic skiing, as she feels she may have been unable to adapt as seamlessly even four years ago.
Full audio interview with Jessie Diggins hosted by Tom Horrocks.
Hailey Swirbul was the next American, finishing 18th (+1:13.5), to match her bib number.
“I think today was a day that benefitted smooth, strong, steady skiing,” wrote Swirbul after the race. “I tried to stay calm out there and ski into it the best I could. Definitely a challenging course! I honestly didn’t have the greatest feelings in my body today, but I’ve learned that racing isn’t about feeling good… it’s about skiing your best and using your strengths even when it doesn’t feel good or rewarding. I think our skis were right in the mix on a day with tricky conditions, so that was awesome!”
Commenting on the team more broadly, Swirbul spoke to the perseverance of the American women in light of the variable conditions.
“Everyone worked really hard and persevered through a mentally and physically challenging day, and that’s something to be proud of!”
Hailey Swirbul races to 18th in Stage 2 of the Tour de Ski, a 10km interval start classic. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Novie McCabe was just outside the top thirty, in 34th position with a time of 28:50.6 (+1:46.6), followed closely by teammate Katharine Ogden in 35th (+1:47.4). Julia Kern finished 41st (28:58.3) and Sophia Laukli was 44th (+29:04.2). Rounding out the American finishers was Alayna Sonnesyn in 66th position (+3:14.1).
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb, from U.S. Ski & Snowboard cross country communications manager Tom Horrocks, discussing the men’s and women’s day in Lenzerheide.
Novie McCabe skis to 34th in Stage 2 of the Tour de Ski. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Niskanen (FIN) now leads the overall Tour standings, with Diggins holding on to second +0:29 seconds back. Nepryeava (RUS) has moved into third, +0:35 behind Niskanen. The athletes get a break tomorrow before racing picks up again on Friday in Oberstdorf, Germany with a 10k mass start skate.
The women’s team sprint podium in Dresden: The Sweden I duo of Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist took the win ahead of USA’s Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern, with Slovenia’s Eva Urevc and Anamarija Lampic in third. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
By Ryan Sederquist
Defending team sprint world champions Maja Dahlqvist and Jonna Sundling continued the Swedish women’s sprint dominance with a polished performance and confident victory Saturday morning in Dresden on day two of World Cup action in the German city.
“We just want to be in front because it’s a tight course,” Dahlqvist told a FIS reporter after the race. With athletes taking six turns each on the 644-meter course, which contains a maximum climb of 14 meters and a total height difference of just 4 meters, opportunities to pull away were low and the chances of crashing were high. In order to stay focused on their job, maintaining a lead was crucial for the dynamic duo.
Body to body being the name of the game, Maja Dahlqvist tags her teammate Jonna Sundling as the women set pace during the team sprint in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“It’s difficult because [there are] people everywhere,” Sundling said when asked how she and Dahlqvist kept their calm in the bunched-up chaos. “The equipment – you want to keep it like it is – no broken poles and stuff. So, it’s difficult to focus on the right thing, but when you’re in the front, it’s easier.”
The Swedes did have some company at the front throughout the 11 exchanges. One of the early challenges came from the Jessie Diggins – Julia Kern pairing, who qualified with the top time out of semifinal B.
Kern explained post-race that staying near the leaders was part of their strategy heading into the team sprint.
“Jessie and I focused a lot on executing clean and fast tags, and tried to remain as far front in the pack as possible,” Kern said. “There is so much traffic and tangles that we wanted to avoid as much of that as possible. There was a strong headwind which made leading more costly, but it still is advantageous especially given how fast and firm the track was.”
Another surprise at the front was from Finland. The team of U23 athletes, Jasmi Joensuu and Jasmin Kahara, nabbed the final automatic qualifying spot in the first semifinal. Despite squeaking into the final, the young women made their presence known throughout the race, moving alongside Sundling and Dalqvist into second at the end of the tenth lap before ultimately finishing in fourth.
Jessie Diggins heads into what would be later become a dicy turn. (Photo: NordicFocus)
With Sundling leading off, Sweden set the pace through the first four laps, with different nations taking turns at their shoulder. Russia I took lap two, Norway II took lap three, and Slovenia, led by Anamarija Lampic, who was third in the individual yesterday, popped in on lap four. The Americans, who placed Diggins as their lead-off skier, patiently bided their time, content to sit in the tight grouping and stay on their skis. Unfortunately, a wrench was about to be thrown into that plan.
On lap five, Diggins moved into second place. Coming around the penultimate turn, she swung to the outside and was tangled up with Eva Urevc of Slovenia, who tumbled over the top of the 2018 Olympic gold medalist in the event. Diggins kept her cool, quickly rose to her feet, and skied hard to the next exchange. She tagged off to Kern 4.1 seconds back.
“I got back our places as quickly and efficiently as I could,” Diggins told FasterSkier after the race. She also noted that she is headed into Christmas break with a fresh set of bruises to go along with her podium cheese.
“I’m always proud of the ‘never give up attitude’ and I think it really paid off for us today. We didn’t panic, we just skied as smooth and smart and hard as we could.”
Julia Kern powers into her leg during the team sprint in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)Julia Kern navigates fast curves on course in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
After the crash, Kern and Diggins kept their composure and gradually crawled back into contention. Kern explained post-race that Diggins had also crashed in the semifinal, which evidenced how they could rebound.
“I think the crashes actually lit the fire for Jessie and I,” Kern wrote in a text. “It got us ready to fight back. I had full confidence in Jessie that she would ski right back on to the group in the semifinal and that is exactly what she did. We remained very calm in the process which was key. So come the finals when it happened again, I just smiled a little since I wasn’t worried one bit and knew we would just do the same thing as the semi finals. I had confidence in how we were both skiing and feeling out there, and crashes are almost always a part of the game in Dresden.”
By the next exchange, Kern had already lopped off 1.8 seconds of the deficit. By lap eight, Diggins was just 1.5 seconds out of the lead, which still belonged to Sweden. Going into lap nine, all of the major contenders were back. Trailing Sweden were the upstart Finns (+0.3), the United States (+0.6), and Russia (+1.1). The only key player seemingly out of the running was Slovenia, who sat 4.7 seconds out of the lead.
On the final lap, Sundling, the 26-year old two-time World Championship gold medalist, rocketed from the exchange zone with a stern tempo. Diggins matched it, slipping behind the sprint specialist.
Jessie Diggins heads out after receiving a tag from Julia Kern. (Photo: NordicFocus)
At the final exchange, Diggins handed off to Kern 0.5 seconds from Sweden. Slovenia, with Lampic to close, was in fourth, a mere 1.9 seconds back.
In the final lap, Dahlqvist, who was a member of the pairings that won the team sprint World Championship title in 2019 and 2021, bided her time, happy to cruise through the first straightaway. After the first hairpin turn, she accelerated to a comfortable lead, leaving the competition in the wake of her strong V2-alternate strides.
Coming into the homestretch, Dahlqvist coasted across the line in first (15:45.81). Meanwhile, Kern was being challenged by Lampic, who had moved in front of Finland on the final bend. A great sprinter on the flats, Kern held off the three-time World Championship medalist, stretching her boot forward at the line for second (+1.11), with Lampic rounding out the podium to put Slovenia in third (+1.21).
The women’s team sprint podium in Dresden: The Sweden I duo of Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist took the win ahead of USA’s Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern, with Slovenia’s Eva Urevc and Anamarija Lampic in third. (Photo: NordicFocus)
We’ve seen Kern excel on fast and flat courses before, and asked whether 24-year-old identified this style of racing as a strength.
“I think flat courses have been more of an advantage for me the past, but I feel my fitness is better this year so I actually enjoy the hills too,” Kern explained. “But given my background growing up skiing at the Weston ski track [outside of Boston, MA] on a golf course growing up, skiing on a flat, turny, manmade snow course, I always feel right at home in Dresden.”
On approaching this style of racing, in comparison to typical World Cup courses with more climbing, Kern explained how she modifies her focus.
“I don’t necessarily change my technique on the flatter course, but focus on staying stable and trying to use my legs as much as possible. I played around with a few different technique cues during training this week since the hardest part on the salted, icy fast snow is generating speed without wobbling or rushing the motions.”
Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern rebounded after two crashes to take the second step of the podium in the women’s freestyle team sprint in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Diggins, a veteran in the event, spoke highly of her partner’s efforts in Dresden.
“Wow – I’m so proud of Julia. She was confident and smooth,” said Diggins fondly. “It was a bit of a battlefield out there. You really had to fight for position and she did so with such grace and poise and power and speed. I’m really, really proud of her.”
Here’s the full audio clip from Diggins:
A second American contingent of Hailey Swirbul and Hannah Halvorsen skied to 8th (+2.74) in a tight Semifinal A, but did not advance into the final.
Hailey Swirbul (bib 9) comes in for the tag during the semifinal of Dresden’s team sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)Hannah Halvorsen wrist-bumps Sweden’s Moa Lundgren after the semifinal round of Dresden’s team sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
As Period 1 draws to a close, we take a look at the current World Cup standings. Diggins now sits in fifth place in the overall standings, trailing teammate Rosie Brennan by nine points in fourth. Maja Dahlqvist is the overall leader with 464 points. Dahlqvist, who has won every sprint this season, also leads the sprint standings, more than doubling the points of second place Lampic from Slovenia. Diggins in the third-place position in sprinting heading into the Tour de Ski.
After period 1, Maja Dahlqvist leads both the overall and sprint World Cup standings. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
For the fourth year in a row, the city of Dresden, Germany was ready to host an exciting city Freestyle sprint on a 1.3-kilometer course. A race that usually attracts fans from all over the world, for the second year in a row could not allow spectators on the course due to Covid. The last race before the holiday break, the skiers were ready to have fun, and enjoy the challenging and icy course.
Julia Kern (bib 10) takes the inside around a curve in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“It is so amazing, it is one of my favorite races of the year. I love it, it’s fast and furious. it is going to be an exciting day of racing,” Julia Kern told FIS before the heats started. Kern’s family has roots in Germany, and she is often celebrated in Dresden as if she were a native.
On the women’s side, World Cup Sprint Leader, Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) was ready to continue her great start to the season. On a win-streak, has been on the top step of the podium in each of the last four individual sprint races, including the first three of this season. A fifth win would make Dahlqvist the second woman to win five consecutive individual sprint events in the World Cup, after Norwegian legend Marit Bjørgen, who won 11 in a row from December 2003 to January 2005.
Sweden’s Jonna Sundling set the mark in the qualifier, finishing the top spot in a time of 2:29.52. The American women placed four in the top-30 in qualification, with Hailey Swirbul leading the way in 7th(+2.39), followed by Kern in 10th (+3.49), Jessie Diggins in 17th (+4.87), and Hannah Halvorsen in 25th (+6.82).
The top American qualifier in Dresden, Hailey Swirbul races the quarterfinal. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the first heat of the women’s sprint, Swirbul stayed in contact with the lead pack until the final 100 meters. In the final straightaway, Swirbul pushed to the line to cross fourth in her heat. Anamarija Lampic (SLO) and Kristine Stavås Skistad (NOR), who qualified in 6th and 9th, respectively, were the top two finishers in the heat.
In the second heat, Kern (USA) raced alongside Dahlqvist, who comfortably cruised through the heat to take the win ahead of Italy’s Greta Laurent. Kern solidly maintained her position within contact with the leaders throughout the two-lap course, but finished fifth in the heat, unable to advance.
Hannah Halvorsen advanced from the quarters to the semis in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the third heat, Hannah Halvorsen (USA) faced the top qualifier, Sundling, who won the classic sprint at last year’s World Championships in Oberstdorf, GER. Navigating through chaos, Halvorsen was able to stay on her feet after a crash between Nathalie von Siebenthal (SUI) and Magni Smeedas (NOR) leaving a group of three to fight for the top two spots. Sundling was able to cross the finish line comfortably in first, with a photo finish between Halvorsen and Jasmin Kahara (FIN) behind her. Halvorsen was able to outstretch Kahara in the bootslide, taking the second spot in her heat, and punching her ticket to the semi-final.
Diggins (USA) raced in the final quarter-final heat, staying with the main pack throughout the laps, pushing up from 5th to 3rd as they headed into the final stretch. Diggins finished third in the heat but was able to advance to the semi-finals as a lucky loser. Lena Quintin (FRA) and Moa Lundgren (SWE) were the two automatic qualifiers from this round.
Fast racing on icy tracks in Dresden makes staying upright and balanced an accomplishment of its own. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the first semi-final, Sundling and Dahlqvist set a steady-pace with the pack staying together throughout both laps. Pulling to the front in the final 500 meters, Dahlqvist and Sundling cruised to the finish, crossing first and second, respectively. On their tails, Lampic and Skistad slid over the line in a photo finish, just 0.35 seconds behind Dahlqvist. Both these women advanced to the final as lucky losers.
The two Americans, Diggins, and Halvorsen both raced in the second semi-final heat, which featured the inevitable twists and turns of sprinting. At the lap, 23-year-old Lea Quintin of France, who had qualified in second, snapped her left pole, leaving her searching for a new one while the pack skied away.
Turning it up in the final stretch, Jessie Diggins and Hannah Halvorsen race the semifinal in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Meanwhile, Diggins and Halvorsen patiently waited near the back of the pack until the final straightaway where both made strong moves to contend for a spot in the final. Halvorsen powered from fifth place into a position to fight for second, but ended up just 0.27 seconds behind Eva Urevec of Slovenia who took the second automatic qualifier position. Diggins crossed a ski length behind Halvorsen, each less than a second behind Mathilde Myhrvold (NOR) who won the heat.
The final consisted of two Norwegians, two Swedes, and two Slovenian skiers fighting to claim the Dresden sprint title.
Dahlqvist follows Sundling on course in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Racing was tight and tactical, with all six women skiing together through the first loop. Dahlvquist and Sundling led the whole way, controlling the pace at the front. In the final 100m, Dahlvquist started to make her move, creating a small gap between herself and the field, to win in a time of 2:33:36. Sundling crossed just behind (+0.43) with Lampic closing fast for third (+0.64) to round out the top 3. Skistad ended her day in fourth (+1.64), with Myrhvold in fifth (+3.03) and Urevc in sixth (+6.15).
The women’s individual sprint podium in Dresden. Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) wins her fourth straight this season (of four), ahead of teammate Jonna Sundling and Anamarija Lamic (SLO). (Photo: NordicFocus)
The Americans put together an outstanding day overall with all four women finishing inside the World Cup points. After final rounds were decided, Halvorsen ended her day in seventh, a career-best result. Coming off a horrific accident in November, 2019, Halvorsen showed she is back on form in Dresden.
Introspective and progress-oriented, Halvorsen spoke to her day in Dresden, and how it helped her take a step forward with confidence in her ability to race into the semis and beyond.
After strong work in the semifinal, Hannah Halvorsen and Jessie Diggins end their days in 7th and 8th, respectively. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Diggins finished right behind Halvorsen in 8th place in the final rankings, while Swirbul ended her day in 16th and Kern ranked 22nd.
Two Canadian women raced the qualifier but did not advance into the rounds. Maya Macisaac-Jones led the Canadians in 52nd (+11.31), while Dahria Beatty finished 58th (+14.16).
The Americans and Canadians debrief the qualifier in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
With the win, Dahlvqist has taken over the overall World Cup lead from teammate – and roommate – Frida Karlsson (SWE). Diggins currently sits in 5th, behind teammate Rosie Brennan who ranks 4th. Now with a week off for Christmas, the teams will get some rest as they gear up for the Tour de Ski which starts on December 28th.
When asked about taking over the World Cup Lead from her teammate and best friend, Dahlvqist said in a FIS interview, “The most important thing is that it is still in our room”
Looking good in Period I, Maja Dahlqvist wins five in a row. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Davos brought another entertaining weekend of racing for American ski fans, with Rosie Brennan in the mix in both competitions, a podium from Jessie Diggins, and breakout performances from Hailey Swirbul, Sophia Laukli, and Novie McCabe.
Devon Kershaw and FasterSkier’s Nat Herz take us through the results with special guest Eirik Brandsdal, the longtime, now-retired Norwegian World Cup sprint racer.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
For American ski fans, the Davos 10km on Sunday was one to be anticipated with a mix of expectation and nostalgia. Last season, in a year when the history books on U.S. skiing had to continuously be crossed-out and re-written, Davos was the first annotation – and it was done in bold, uncompromising ink. Rosie Brennan 1st, Hailey Swirbul 3rd, and Jessie Diggins in the top ten. That was in a field absent of the perennial powerhouses though. Most notably, without Therese Johaug (NOR), who at that point seemed unmatchable in distance racing, but also without the rest of the Norwegian or Swedish competitors who tend to populate World Cup top tens.
Frida Karlsson skis the 10k freestyle in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
What about Sunday then? Well, time to return to the inkwell.
The tides that have been building in the early part of the season for the U.S. women definitively built into a wave on Sunday. There was the return of Jessie Diggins to the podium in a distance race, the continuation of Rosie Brennan’s world-class start to the season, Hailey Swirbul returning to the top ten, and the addition of two young Americans – Sophia Laukli (19th) and Novie McCabe (28th) – in the top 30. The Americans seemed to be making their mark everywhere on the 10km course Sunday. With starting places throughout the field, it was the American flags that dominated the graphics at the time-checks throughout the day, spanning the field in a way that mimicked their span in age and World Cup experience, but all added up to a remarkable team accomplishment.
Katharine Ogden on course during the 10k individual start freestyle in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
It all started with Katharine Ogden, who started with bib 2, and whose smile to the camera at the start foreshadowed the day to come for her team. Then Caitlin Patterson headed out on course in bib 7, with Hailey Swirbul soon to follow in bib 24.
Swirbul was the first on the day to make an impact in the field. Through the 2.2k checkpoint, she was +3.2sec off leader Delphine Claudel (FRA) and in 3rd place. She would continue through the Davos course holding that margin, until a late push in the final two kilometers led her to overtaking Claudel and taking the race lead by +0.6sec – at which point she looked at the results and let out a surprised “yay!” before heading to the winner’s circle.
Hailey Swirbul sees her name atop the results list after crossing the line of the 10k individual start freestyle. (Photo: NordicFocus)
It was a great sequel to her 3rd place finish on the course last season, and one that reflected her comfort on the course, as she stated in an interview with FasterSkier:
“[This course] is almost exclusively V2, so almost constant work and not a lot of recovery, but also not a lot of steep hills that will blow out your lungs. I think being raised at altitude helped me learn how to pace that [course]. I’m almost more afraid to pace a race at sea level than altitude because it’s more muscular there. I think my strength is grinding V2- so I like it.”
Swirbul would then get to take in the exciting race unfolding from the later starters with the best seat in the house, and with Brennan and Diggins in the mix, she had something to cheer for too.
Hailey Swirbul enjoys her time in the leader’s chair after a solid performance in the 10k skate in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Of course, amid the rising tide of the Americans there was also a steadfast rock. Starting in bib 34 was Therese Johaug (NOR), who began the day on the tail of 13 consecutive podiums in the 10km Freestyle event (11 of those were wins). She started one minute ahead of Rosie Brennan, and one minute behind Frida Karlsson (SWE).
Karlsson would act as the leading edge for the top racers through the time checks all day, then. When she passed through the 2.2k mark, she had established a 5.4 second lead. Johaug then came through 7.4 seconds ahead of Karlsson, and Brennan would slot herself between the two in 2nd place – off Johaug by just 1 second.
An early starter, Frida Karlsson races to third in the 10k individual start skate in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
It quickly established the pattern that was followed throughout the course. At 5km, Karlsson came in with a 5.7 second advantage over the field, Johaug then came through 13.7 seconds ahead of Karlsson, and Brennan 10.4 off Johaug, in second place, when she came through.
Chasing Karlsson’s splits, Therese Johaug (NOR) takes the win in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
By 8k, Brennan had lost some ground to Karlsson, reversing the early trend of the race. Johaug had a 17.4 second advantage over 2nd placed Karlsson with Brennan coming through 18.4 seconds back, and therefore just one second behind Karlsson.
That was how the trio finished, with Johaug being the one that took over the winner’s chair from Swirbul, with Karlsson 17.1 seconds behind, and Brennan 24.3 seconds back.
Rosie Brennan powers through the final stretch to finish 4th in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
That looked to be how things would finish, but while Brennan crossed the line, bib number 52, belonging to last year’s World Cup overall winner, made its way around the course.
The bib, of course, belonged to Jessie Diggins. She was the truest embodiment of the American wave today, starting off steady in the early part of the race – coming through the 2.2km checkpoint in 4th – before building, and building, and building to an exciting crash across the finish line. At 8k she was still in 3rd place, just off of Karlsson. By the finish line, she had overtaken the Swede, finishing 17.8 seconds off of Johaug, in 2nd place on the day.
Leaving it all on the course, Jessie Diggins finishes second in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Her remarkable move from 3rd to 2nd place in the last 2km was perhaps the best piece of racing on the day, and in an interview with FasterSkier she reflected that it was possible due to her confidence on the terrain:
“I got a lot of questions on the last 2km today. And I’m going to be honest, I’m not exactly sure how I did that – I was just focused on going all out…but I do think those working downhills have always been a strength of mine…and so I just had a lot of fun out there.”
Here’s the full audio from Jessie Diggins’ post-race comments, including her skis, the race, and managing altitude.
Landing on her first distance podium of the season, Jessie Diggins takes second in the 10k individual start skate in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
It was the highest placing for the Americans on the day, but wasn’t their last statement. As attention turned back to the course, it found Sophia Laukli and Novie McCabe both racing to the best finishes of their nascent World Cup careers. Laukli skied from the back of the field in bib 65 to finish 19th (+57.7), with McCabe in 28th (+1:17.4). Through it all, Swirbul, who had started early and waited patiently as her chasers took swings at her times, finished the day in 6th place (+27.7).
Here’s a post-race interview with Swirbul.
The women’s podium in Davos: Therese Johaug (NOR) took the win ahead of Jessie Diggins (USA) and Frida Karlsson (SWE). (Photo: NordicFocus)
We leave Davos then, with the familiar pages of the World Cup continuing to be filled. Therese Johaug looks to be the best distance skier on the planet, but Frida Karlsson is a real challenger to that dominance, and Jessie Diggins is still a maverick animated by speed and heart. If you want a story though, you can’t beat the complexity, excitement, and tenacity of the one that the whole of the U.S. women’s team is penning this season so far.
The strong results continued elsewhere for the Americans, with Katharine Ogden finishing 43rd (+1:48.5), Caitlin Patterson in 46th (+1:55.9), and Hannah Halvorsen in 78th (+3:53.3). The Canadian women also looked to build off their results in Lillehammer and Ruka, with Cendrine Browne finishing in 36th (+1:44.3), Dahria Beatty in 42nd (+1:48.3), and Katherine Stewart-Jones in 48th (+1:58.5).
Sophia Laukli earns her first World Cup Top-20, finishing 19th in the 10k individual start skate in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In comments sent to multiple news organizations Brennan reflected on an exciting, but fatigued, 4th place performance:
“Wow, another bittersweet day for me today. Placing 4th is absolutely nothing to complain about, however, I felt I didn’t quite have my best in me today. I definitely have some fatigue from yesterday and from really all of period 1 so I didn’t feel like I had the legs, mind, and body that I wanted and know I can have. That said, I am really proud to have put myself out there, get myself in the game and fight with all I did have. It was a great day for the women’s team and I am really happy to see some outstanding performances from the team. Period 1 is tough and it says a lot when people can rebound 3 weeks in. I still feel I’m on track with my plan and am excited for some rest and a good training camp.”
Putting together another highlight weekend in Davos, Rosie Brennan skis to 4th in the 10k individual start skate. (Photo: NordicFocus)
