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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.

Tag: Johan Kjoelstad

  • “When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go” – Northug Wins National Championship Despite Bathroom Break

    Petter Northug had earned a substantial lead early in the men’s 50K race when he stopped to take a leak on the side of the course. When asked about the incident, Northug simply shrugged his shoulders and said “when you gotta go, you gotta go.”

    “It’s a long ways to go, so you have plenty of time to work your way back up,” Northug explained.

    Northug dropped to 35th place, but was able to work himself back up to the front and won the race by a solid margin – almost 40 seconds separated Northug from second place.

    “There was a packed field and it snowed quite a bit, so it was an advantage to attack from behind,” Northug said to the Norwegian news agency NTB after the race.

    “I came here with the 50K title in mind, and it was really fun to win the 50K at the nationals. I’ve never won the 50K at the Norwegian Nationals before. That was really fun,” said Northug, who also won the King’s Award, the most treasured trophy awarded to Norwegian athletes in any sport.

    Morten Eilifsen was third in the 50K, after deciding to give away the silver by waiting for Chris Andre Jespersen and letting him finish ahead. Jespersen had done a large part of the pulling throughout the race.

    Bjoergen wins women’s 30K

    In the women’s 30K skate, Marit Bjoergen won another Norwegian national title, but just like Northug, Bjoergen has never won the marathon distance at the Norwegian nationals before.

    “It was a really hard race, and nothing came for free today. But it was really fun and a great atmosphere all along the course. And I guess I’ve never won the 30K at nationals before,” Bjoergen said to NTB after the race.

    Therese Johaug was second, beaten by Bjoergen in a sprint finish.

    “It was a hard race, but Marit was stronger than me in the sprint today, so I can’t complain about second place. It’s fun to end the season like this,” Johaug said.

    Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen was third.

    In the classic team sprint on Friday, Petter Northug won the national championship gold medal along with club teammate John Kristian Dahl. Johan Kjoelstad and Eldar Roenning were second, eight seconds behind Northug and Dahl.

    In the women’s team sprint, Celine Brun-Lie (who raced for Norway at the 2011 World Championships in Oslo earlier this winter) won the gold medal with teammate Britt Ingunn Nydal. Martine Ek Hagen and Heidi Weng won the silver just a few small seconds behind.

    The marathon distance races on Saturday concluded the second part of the Norwegian Senior Nationals.

    Complete results from the 50K Saturday here.

    Complete results from the 30K Saturday here.

    Complete results men’s team sprint here.

    Complete results women’s team sprint here.

  • Hattestad on Top Again: Leads Norway to Team Sprint Victory

    The World Cup sprint weekend in Liberec, Czech Republic concluded with a classic team competition.

    The Norwegian men’s team of Johan Kjoelstad and Ola Vigen Hattestad were unable to match the margin of victory of their female counterparts, but claimed the top spot nonetheless.

    Less than an hour after Marit Bjoergen led the Norwegian women to a crushing 30-second victory, Hattestad used a powerful move on the last climb to pull away from Mats Larsson, the Swedish anchor.

    Kjoelstad and Hattestad paired up in this event on the same course two years ago to win World Championship gold.

    Kjoelstad has not had much of a presence on the World Cup this season, with only one start prior to this weekend. With the usual highly competitive Norwegian men’s field, Kjoelstad is still looking to punch a ticket to this year’s World Championships.

    “Ola did a great job on the last round and took the victory home for us,” Kjoelstad said after the race. “Now I have to be strong next week to qualified for the World Championships in Oslo.”

    Hattestad, the former Sprint Cup champion, paired with Anders Gloersen to win the only other World Cup team sprint competition – a skate affair in Dusseldorf, and with a victory in Friday’s skate sprint, he should be in position to defend his double gold from the 2009 World Champs.

    The Swedish team of Jesper Modin and Larsson remained in the fight until the last hill, foiling Kjoelstad’s efforts to get away on the second-to-last lap.

    Larsson attacked hard on the last leg, and was able to open a gap on the first climb. Few can match Hattestad in the finish stretch of a classic sprint, so Larsson knew he had to get clear early.

    “I attacked on the first uphill to get a good gap to the others,” Larsson said. “It worked out but I was very tired on the last uphill and Ola closed the gap.”

    Larsson’s attack was pre-meditated. “I had chosen this strategy because I knew that I would not be able to follow Ola on the last uphill,” he explained.

    Overall the Swede was pleased with his race, and should have another shot at the Norwegians in Oslo.

    Norway had an impressive day as John Kristian Dahl led the second team to a third place finish. Dahl and teammate Eirik Brandsdal bested the French duo of Jean Marc Gaillard and Cyril Miranda.

    As is usually the case in men’s team sprint events, the field remained tightly packed for the majority of the race, with skiers merely jockeying to be in position for the final lap. But it was all for naught as Hattestad played his cards perfectly, and would not be beat.

    No North American participated in the men’s event. The Americans have all returned to the US, while Len Valjas is currently the only Canadian man in Europe.

    The World Cup continues next weekend in Estonia with a 15km classic individual start and a classic sprint.

    Valjas is currently schedule to compete for Canada.

    Men’s World Cup Classic Team Sprint – Results

  • Northug Faces Piller Cottrer, World Elite at Home

    Petter Northug (r) racing at the 2010 Olympics in Whistler.

    Petter Northug Jr. is excited to welcome World Cup greats onto his home turf in Troendelag on June 25 through 26. The event, the Tour de Troendelag, consists of three races: a roller ski city criterium on June 25 in Trondheim, then a summer ski race on the Kirkebyfjellet mountain on the morning of June 26 and concludes with a roller ski pursuit race in the afternoon.

    “I’m excited to welcome Pietro Piller Cottrer (ITA), Anders Soedergren (SWE), Jaak Mae (EST) and other top World Cup racers to my stomping grounds. It will be fun to race against those guys in a slightly different setting,” Northug says to www.langrenn.com.

    Northug, the defending champion from last year’s Tour de Troendelag, will arrive at the race venue straight from a national team training camp and is prepared to fight. Northug will face a Piller Cottrer who is eager to make up for the painful loss to Northug at the Holmenkollen 50K this winter, and a Soedergren who is reported to be in killer shape these days. But Northug doesn’t think he’ll be at a disadvantage.

    “I’ll do my first workout that Friday with the national team in Sandane, then the Stjoerdal race as my second. I don’t fear racing after a flight,” says Northug.

    Former Olympic gold medalist, world champion and Norwegian national team member Frode Estil is among the event organizers. He is working hard to get both Alexander Legkov (RUS) and Axel Teichmann (GER) to compete next week, and is confident at least one of them will show. He regrets to report that Dario Cologna (SUI) won’t be coming, although it looked promising for a while. Among the local favorites are international stars including Eldar Roenning and Johan Kjoelstad, as well as Team Troendelag’s next generation of elite skiers.

    “This is one of the few arenas where juniors and the up-and-coming elite skiers can race with the best in the world. And the feedback is that they find it incredibly motivating,” says Estil, explaining that recruitment is one of the main goals of the Tour de Troendelag.

    Source: Langrenn.com

  • Can North Americans Unseat the Scandos in the Sprint?

    Emil Joensson (SWE) will have his hands full holding off Norway's Ola Vigen Hattestad, but he is the favorite for the men's sprint today

    Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted sprinters on their arrival at Whistler Olympic Park this morning for the men’s and women’s sprint.

    This is a big chance for the Canadians and the U.S.—all six Americans are capable of qualifying for the heats, with three medal hopefuls in Kikkan Randall, Torin Koos, and Andy Newell.  The Canadians are set up just as well, with Devon Kershaw, Sarah Renner, Dasha Gaiazova, and Perianne Jones gunning for the heats, and hopefully more.  Defending Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford should be able to qualify as well, but she is unlikely to repeat her Torino performance due to the change in technique from skate to classic.  With a good day, any of the other Canadians could also make the heats.

    That is one of the most exciting aspects of sprinting – there are so many skiers with a legitimate shot at qualifying, and though Nat threatens to quit every time I say it, once you are in the heats, anything CAN happen.

    The big hope for the US is obviously Andy Newell.  A consistent top-10 World Cup sprinter, the podium has eluded Newell in recent years.  He can’t be considered a medal favorite, but the finals are realistic.  Newell told FasterSkier that his goal is to advance to the finals and once there, give it his best shot.

    Koos is a bit an unknown quantity.  Will the Torin who finished 2nd in qualifying, just behind Emil Joensson, in Canmore show up?  Or the one who failed to qualify for the heats during the entire first World Cup period?  His form is good, and Canmore demonstrated he has the speed right now.  After battling illness in 2006, Koos will be looking for redemption, and the heats are likely.

    After those two, both Garrott Kuzzy and Simi Hamilton have the speed to advance, but they will have to have their best races.  While they did qualify in Canmore, their races would not have been good enough for the full field they face today.

    On then women’s side, Kikkan Randall needs to be on her game to advance in classic.  She is improving steadily, and at this point is definitely a top-30 classic sprinter.  While it would be nice to predict her battling for the podium, she has yet to show that she has that level in classic.  A top-10 would be a great result for Kikkan.

    Holly Brooks also qualified in Canmore, and like Hamilton and Kuzzy, could do so here, but will have to have the race of her life.

    On the Canadian side, Sarah Renner rejuvenated her sprint career in Canmore, finsihing 3rd.  A repeat is unlikely, and she is not a sure thing for qualifying.  But on home soil, look for her in the heats.

    Gaiazova and Jones are both capable of the top-30, with Gaiazova the more likely.

    For the men, Kershaw will be gunning for a medal.  He has been on the World Cup sprint podium in the past, and with the home crowd cheering him on, he will be in the running.  He is a somewhat inconsistent sprinter – never a sure thing to qualify, so hopefully he will be in top form.

    The rest of the Canadian men, led by Stefan Kuhn, will need perfect performances to advance, but no one can be counted out.

    And the favorites?

    For the men, it comes down to Ola Vigen Hattestad and Emil Joensson.  The two are a clear step above the rest of the field in sprinting.  My gut is Joensson, but Hattestad has an almost Northug-like ability to pull out a win from the jaws of defeat.  The two men race with contrasting styles, with Joensson preferring to race from the front.  Hattestad is very patient, biding his time before making a big move – often on the biggest climb.  Both are powerful doublepolers.

    From there, you can pick any number of men for the podium.  Northug should be in the hunt, especially after his disappointing 15k.  The other Norwegians, Petersen and Kjoelstad are certainly medal-capable, as is young Teodor Petersen of Sweden and his teammate, the veteran Bjorn Lind.

    But then there are the Finns, the Russians, the Germans – however you slice it, it will be a battle, with no sure things.  And with a nasty corner at the bottom of the course, crashes are not unlikely.

    The favorites on the women’s side come down to the usual group – Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) and Petra Majdic (SLO).  But they will be challenged by young Hannah Falk of Sweden as well as the always strong Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN).  Marit Bjoergen (NOR) is an interesting pick, and while the gold seems unlikely, a second medal in these games is in reach.

    Predictions

    Men:

    Gold – Emil Joensson (SWE)

    Silver – Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR)

    Bronze – Petter Northug (NOR)

    Women:

    Gold – Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)

    Silver – Hanna Falk (SWE)

    Bronze – Petra Majdic (SLO)

    Top Americans:

    Andy Newell – 6th

    Kikkan Randall – 11th

    Top Canadians:

    Devon Kershaw – 12th

    Sarah Renner 27th