Tag: Liberec

Newell’s Sixth Headlines American Performances in Liberec

Andy Newell (USA) competing in Canmore, Alberta, last month. He was sixth in the classic sprint on Saturday in Liberec, Czech Republic.

Andy Newell’s sixth-place finish in the classic sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic, brought his number of top-six showings up to three for the season and ties his best classic result from the past three years. Coming from an American team that seems to reach some new milestone every day that fact may seem routine, but for Newell it raises his confidence significantly as he looks ahead to the rest of the winter.

“I was feeling good, the fitness is good, the skiing felt great,” he said on the phone from Liberec. “When I went to the line in the final I knew I’d been working hard all day but I still thought I had a good shot at the podium, at least.”

It turned out that the earlier rounds were more draining than he expected. As Sweden’s Teodor Peterson blasted out of the gate, Newell was unable to keep up and wound up finishing 20 seconds behind him.

“It’s frustrating not to be on the podium having made three finals this year,” he said.

But he handled a few factors on Saturday that he thinks will make future bouts in the final round easier by comparison. The short running time of the women’s 850-meter race abbreviated the men’s rest in between heats by almost half, and on top of that Newell’s qualifying place put him in the worst possible quarterfinal: the last one.

“I just ran out of gas a little bit in the final and I think a lot of that has to do with being in the last bracket,” Newell said. “I qualified eighth, which means I’m in the last quarter, and pushed hard in my quarter to move on. You run the risk when you push so hard in the quarter, and you’re in the last bracket, that you don’t have much time to recover. That was kind of even magnified more today.”

Practice handling the worst-case recovery scenario, and still making it to the final, means Newell is hoping that future sprints will be a breeze, relatively speaking.

“Today was good practice because of the quick turnaround. The next time we run a World Cup sprint if I’m not in that last bracket — and even if I am — it’s going to feel like I’m recovering a lot better because today was so short,” Newell said. “It was a good workout even though it wasn’t the result it was really looking for.”

Bjornsen in action at U.S. Nationals earlier this week.

Newell was the lone American, man or woman, to make it past the qualifying round on Saturday. Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins both sat out to recover from the Tour de Ski, but the depth of the U.S. Ski Team this year means they are able to field a full team sprint team this weekend.

Four American starters — Sadie Bjornsen, Erik Bjornsen, Skyler Davis and Sophie Caldwell —arrived in Liberec earlier this week for their first European World Cups of the season, and for two of them, it was their first time racing at that level across the pond ever.

Sadie Bjornsen, for what must feel like the umpteenth time, missed the top-30 by under a second and was the top woman in 34th. For the Americans who’ve been racing in the U.S. at altitude all fall, Liberec’s low elevation took some getting used to, and Bjornsen thought that might have been a limiting factor.

“I actually don’t feel bad after this big travel. I felt good, I just didn’t go hard enough,” Bjronsen said. “This is a good sign though, because I crossed the line feeling good. Today it would have been better if it was longer, because I think my adjustment from altitude may have been smoother. I just simply needed to stand in place and move my limbs really fast to remember how to move fast as sea level.”

The women raced only one lap of the 850-meter loop. Minimal natural snow cover leading up to this weekend meant that manmade snow had to be carted in for a course to exist, and the women completed a single lap to the men’s two.

“It was very short, but I wasn’t thinking of that as a bad or a good thing going into it. I just knew I wasn’t going to have to pace it — just go from the gun!” Bjornsen said.

Sophie Caldwell, in her first career World Cup in Europe, was 38th in Liberec and less than two seconds out of qualifying. Being her first classic sprint and against a much deeper field than she saw in Canada, her expectations were simply to do the best she could.

“I wasn’t sure how I’d feel after traveling overseas,” Caldwell said. “I obviously would have loved to qualify in the top 30 and think it is possible but today wasn’t the day. It was encouraging to see that none of us were very far out of the top 30 though.”

Ida Sargent was 42nd, 2.96 seconds out of 30th. In a race as short as 850 meters everything had to go perfectly, and Sargent didn’t pick the right skis on Saturday.

“I struggled with ski testing and selection today and my race was affected by that,” she said. “The race was so short and fast that there wasn’t any room for things to go wrong.”

Sargent is optimistic about the rest of the post-holiday season, though. “I had lots of energy and I’m feeling good so [I’m] looking forward to more racing,” she said.

The men had four athletes in the classic sprint. After Newell, Simi Hamilton was 41st, 2.12 seconds out of qualifying. Hamilton spent the holiday at home and returned to Europe just after the New Year, and felt his racing legs had yet to return to 100%.

“I was a little disappointed with how the day turned out for me, personally, but the WC fields are always so tight and if you are off your game even by 1% it can be the difference between having a great day and day that ends too early,” Hamilton said.

“In the past, my best races have come after I’ve gotten some time to get into a rhythm of races, especially on the World Cup. Today was the first race back after over a month, so I’m confident that my form will come back in these upcoming weeks… My energy felt good and I’m very psyched to get my body ramping up to these hard efforts again.”

Erik Bjornsen and Davis were 47th and 55th, respectively. Liberec is Davis’ first European race of the season and Bjornsen’s first experience overseas at the World Cup level.

Bjornsen, whose start right was his reward for being the SuperTour leader at the end of Period 1, felt his race was on par with his ability.

“I’m still new to the World Cup level so I don’t have a place goal, except that I would love to ski some heats before the end of the year,” he said. “I think the field seemed a little harder then the field in Canada.”

Bjornsen and Davis both expect to feel better the further they get from their trans-Atlantic travel days.

“I definitely wanted to try to qualify in top 30 but knew I may not be feeling top notch,” Davis said. “I’m never very good at traveling but definitely felt like I’m getting better at it…I think it will take a least another week for me to be feeling ready to romp.”

The U.S. has two men’s and one women’s team entered in the team sprint on Sunday. Hamilton and Newell will pair up, as will Davis and Bjornsen. The women will again ski 850 meters each leg, and Bjornsen and Sargent will start for the U.S.

Results.

January 12, 2013
Peterson Back on Top in Liberec Sprint

Teodor Peterson (SWE), seen here in Stockholm, Sweden, last season, won the classic sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic, on Saturday for his first World Cup victory since last February.

In the first regular-season World Cup race of the New Year Teodor Peterson (SWE) was back on top on Saturday in the classic sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic. Peterson and teammate Emil Jönsson charged hard in the final straight to overtake Norway’s Pål Golberg and go one-two for Sweden in a photo finish, Peterson edging Jönsson by a few centimeters in the lunge to take the win. Golberg was third, just 0.6 seconds behind.

“I have had some good competitions this winter but no victory,” Peterson said. “I will try to keep the winning momentum for the rest of the season.”

Eirik Brandsdal (NOR) took fourth, 2.8 seconds behind Peterson. The top four created a significant gap on fifth and sixth by the end of the race; Tim Tscharnke (GER) was 12.2 seconds back in fifth, and Andy Newell (USA) took sixth (+20.7).

Though there were a few notable skiers that chose not to race and recover from the Tour de Ski, Peterson was not without tough competition in Liberec. Jönsson has had multiple sprint victories this year, World Champion Ole Vigen Hattestad (NOR) was on the start list for the first time all year and was, prior to Saturday, unbeaten at the venue.

Peterson himself has had consistent results near the top of the podium thus far but was unable to reach the level he attained last season. After Saturday, with his first win since last February in Moscow, Peterson has put himself back on the radar as the days until World Championships dwindle.

“The other two victories have felt differently,” Peterson told Sweski. “[Today] I was just tired and not even sure if I had won.”

The course in Liberec was modified due to limited natural snow cover leading up to the weekend. The men raced twice around an 800-meter loop that race organizers had covered with manmade snow. The women completed just one lap, and because the starters didn’t wait the usual five minutes before starting the men, recovery time in between heats was shorter than usual. Many of the men commented on feeling unusually tired after the race.

“They’d just run the men’s heat right after the women’s heat. Instead of maybe ten minutes of recovery we got maybe six minutes, which is kind of a big difference if you’re in that last quarterfinal,” Newell said.

The rounds leading up to the final also featured more carnage than there has been this season. Øystein Petterson (NOR) fell in qualifying and didn’t even make the heats. There were multiple crashes in the first semifinal; Alexander Panzhinskiy (RUS) fell mid-race, and Nikita Kriukov (RUS) also went down and took Hattestad with him. In the resulting confusion Mikhail Devjatiarov (RUS) interfered with Jönsson, for which Devjatiarov was penalized and relegated to sixth in the heat.

The high crash rate might have had something to do with the stress of looming World Championships team selections. Petterson, for instance, has likely ruined his Val di Fiemme chances. “I’m just really upset right now,” he told Norwegian broadcaster VG Nett. “I do not train twice a day to disappoint myself as I did today.”

But for all the early mishaps, the final went comparatively smoothly. The Scandinavians charged hard from the start and quickly created separation on Tscharnke and Newell.

“I still thought I had a good shot at the podium at least, but then when we started the final those guys took it out hot for sure,” Newell said. “Even on our first lap, it definitely took the wind out of myself and Tim. We were both struggling pretty bad in the final coming from the heat before.”

Golberg, Jönsson, Peterson and Brandsdal charged hard, vying for an advantageous position on around the corners. When Golberg began to create separation over the last hill before the stadium, Peterson thought for sure the race was over.

“I was a bit out on top and did not think I could come up with…Golberg again,” Peterson said to Sweski.com.

He and Jönsson would not give up, however, and the pair inched forward on either side of Golberg to finish within half a second of each other.

“It was nice to throw out a foot in front of Emil’s little foot,” Peterson joked in the press conference later.

Jönsson was disappointed to lose by such a small margin, but was good-natured about the loss. “Of course I’m not satisfied, I’m not even [the] best Swedish,” he said, laughing. “I am happy for [Peterson] to take his first victory of the season.”

Golberg, so close to earning his first World Cup gold at age 22, felt capable of winning on Saturday but just didn’t have the 100-meter closing speed.

“I felt very sharp today,” Golberg told the NRK. “The last 50 meters was a bit too long, unfortunately.”

Jönsson went home to Sweden on Saturday directly following the race, citing the need to rest and recover from a recent knee injury.

“The body is tired after the Tour de Ski and the stitches [are] still in my knee after I fell and then completed the race in Oberhof during the Tour,” he told Sweski. “There is no real harm, but it [hurts], especially when I go freestyle.”

* * *

Andy Newell (USA), shown here in classic action last season, finished sixth in Liberec for his third A-final appearance of the season.

For Newell, who won his quarterfinal and advanced to the finals as a lucky loser in the semis, Saturday’s result proved his classic sprinting is on par with the skate results he’s produced this year. Sixth place was his best classic sprint result in three seasons.

“I’m happy to know that I can make the final in both skate and classic sprints this year, which is a good feeling,” Newell said.

To get there, he had to successfully navigate some aggressive skiing on the part of his competitors. Anssi Pentsinen (FIN) cut him off around a corner in the semis, and to avoid colliding with him Newell reached out and tapped him to keep their skis a safe distance apart.

“I was wondering if anyone saw that,” he laughed. “Yeah he totally squeezed in on me on the corner and I had to put a hand on him. I was hoping that the cameras didn’t catch it, because every time you do that you can definitely run the risk of getting disqualified.”

The move may have saved his race. Multiple crashes in the first quarterfinal meant that the lucky losers would likely come out of Newell’s heat, so he knew that a top-four would give him a good shot at moving on.

“We’d seen the heat before and knew they were a little bit slower because there were some tangle ups, so…we were just fighting for those top four spots.”

Racing resumes in Liberec on Sunday with a freestyle team sprint.

Results.

January 12, 2013
Musical Champ, Malvalehto Rises to First World Cup Victory in Liberec Sprint

Mona-Liisa Malvalehto (FIN) makes a call to report the good news after winning Saturday’s classic sprint in Liberec for her first World Cup podium.

Sixty-six World Cup starts, 66, Canadian women’s coach Eric de Nys reiterated. That’s how long Finland’s Mona-Liisa Malvalehto went without a podium since her first World Cup start more than 12 years ago.

On Saturday, the 29-year-old mom achieved her first in the 0.85-kilometer World Cup classic sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic. She won the qualifier, dominated the heats and went on to ski away from her five competitors in the final – one of them being Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk. By comparison, Kowalczyk has started some 170 individual World Cup races (not including stages), made the podium 54 times and won 24 of them.

But enough about Kowalczyk. Saturday belonged to Malvalehto, a multitalented individual with multiple national accordion titles.

That’s right. Two years ago, Malvalehto, who studied music in college, went on BBC’s Maestro celebrity reality show to test her skills at conducting. She won. “I do not remember when I last experienced such adrenaline,” Malvalehto said after leading an orchestra through Beethoven. “It is the most difficult thing.”

As for Saturday’s race, Malvalehto said it was simply “unbelievable.” Just as she did every time around Liberec’s one-lap sprint course, she started hard and let the others chase. In the final, Gaiazova was quickest to react, tucking behind her in second until losing some momentum before the final hill.

Kowalczyk had moved up and squeezed between them, and three women – Kowalczyk, Gaiazova and Maiken Caspersen Falla – were left fighting for second. Kowalczyk took it in a photo finish, 1.7 seconds behind Malvalehto’s winning time of 2:03.8. Falla was third, just ahead of Gaiazova, who notched a personal best of fourth.

“All I could think about was double poling as hard as I could,” Gaiazova said on the phone. “I thought, ‘I’m somewhere in the front and there’s a chance for the podium,’ but all I could do in that moment was double pole.

“I did the best I could, I’m definitely happy with my PB,” she added. “I think there is more good things to come.”

“[Malvalehto’s] had sixty-six races to get to where she is,” de Nys said on the phone. “That’s proof that you just can’t give up, and you gotta keep going out there day after day and it’s gonna come through.”

Two of his athletes, Gaiazova and Perianne Jones, were on a similar track, he added. Both tallied career highs on Saturday, with Gaiazova in fourth and Jones in ninth. What worked for the Canadians, and for Malvalehto, was that the course was shortened from 1,700 meters to 850 meters the night before.

“It would’ve been a 4:10, 4:20 sprint,” de Nys said of the 1.7 k course, which was changed at the coaches’ meeting on Friday. “FIS made it clear a few years ago that they want sprints to be around three minutes. It’s not a sprint if it’s over three minutes.”

For Malvalehto, the winner of Saturday’s qualifier and every heat thereafter, the speed session was a testament to her fitness.

“I knew that I had a good training period at home,” she told FIS News after the race. “When I heard that it was only one lap, I knew that this was my race. For me, not too long is a little bit better.”

The last time a Finnish woman won a World Cup was 2009 with Aino-Kaisa Saarinen’s 10 k home victory at the Kuusamo Ruka Triple. A month later in December, Matti Heikkinen won the 15 k in Davos, Switzerland.

“It was a very big day for me,” Malvalehto said. “I think I would not be the winner not having my two-year old kid.”

Her teammate, Saarinen qualified in fourth, 4.54 seconds behind Malvalehto’s winning time of 2:04.06, and went on to place 17^th after being eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Kowalczyk as the second-fastest qualifier (+3.35) won her quarter and semi despite looking somewhat tense in the latter. She edged Falla by 0.1 seconds in the semi, with Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg and Celine Brun-Lien finishing less than a second later to advance as lucky losers.

In the final, Oestberg went on to place sixth (+29.7) after breaking a pole and getting a replacement at the bottom of one of the last descents. Brun-Lie placed fifth (+4.5) behind Kowalczyk, Falla and Gaiazova, who all lunged at the finish.

For Kowalczyk, coming off her fourth-straight Tour de Ski title, the Liberec podium was pretty standard: she’s made it in every individual race she’s done in there.

“I was not sure about today, but I have always been on the podium in Liberec,” Kowalczyk said at a press conference. “I did not feel too tired after the Tour. … I am feeling very good but at the World Championships the sprint course will be tougher and longer.”

Falla said she didn’t mind the short distance.

“It was something new,” Falla said. “I am happy for the third place. It is a good sign for me before the World Championships [at the end of February].”

For Gaiazova, it also signaled good things to come.

“I’m happy that results are coming along,” Gaiazova said. “I love classic sprinting. Even though it’s so close to the podium and being third would’ve been sweet, I’m still super happy to be in the final and fight for the finish for the podium.”

Women’s results

January 12, 2013
More trouble for Steira

NORWAY – Achilles pain has mared Kristin Stoermer Steira for a long time this spring, and forced her to skip her plans to race the 5,000 meter event at the European Championships in Barcelona (SPA). However, after she bagged her plans for the championships, she discovered her injury was more serious than she initially thought. Steira was recently diagnosed with a stress fracture in her heel, and will have to use crutches for the next couple of weeks. She won’t be able to do any load-bearing activities for at least four weeks.

“After two rounds of cortisone injections that didn’t help and cross-training, which also didn’t help, we found the stress fracture,” Steira notes on her home page. “It’s pretty depressing to say the least. But I have to deal with reality and train in whatever way I can.”

Kristin Störmer Steira is a skate specialist who also performs well in double pursuit events. She’s been tagged the “eternal fourth” after just missing the podium several times at some of the big championships. However, at the 2009 World Championships in Liberec (CZE), she skied into a silver medal, and at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, she skied the third leg for the Norwegian relay team that hauled home the gold.

Steira is also an accomplished track and field athlete, and has been a staple among the top Norwegian distance runners for a long time. Steira is also the Norwegian trail running champion.

From www.langd.se July 11, 2010, by Kjell Erik Kristiansen. Translated by Inge Scheve.

July 13, 2010
Lasting Images from the Last Days of the Nordic World Ski Championships

The penultimate day of the ski championships in Liberec, Czech Republic was one of ebullient hope for the future of American skiing with the races and results from the young women’s performances in the 30 kilometer mass start skate.

This day also demonstrated the heights nordic sports the U.S. is reaching with Billy Demong’s win in big hill, single jump 10 kilometer (a.k.a. the Gundersen HS134/10.0), capping off three individual nordic combined gold medals in three races here in Liberec.

That night, Billy wasn’t much interested where he’d add World Champion to his name. Rather, he was psyched because for too long Billy thinks Americans have been indifferent to being among the best in the world for far too long. “Think of kids coming up skiing and jumping today and seeing what we did here,” says Billy. “I remember watching Todd (Lodwick) jump to fourth, then finish 13th at the Olympics and what this did to change my thinking about what is possible in sport.

“Now Americans are seeing medals in jumping, combined and cross-country. What this will do to change the thinking of young, ambitious Americans about winning World Cups, World Championships and Olympic medals…. man, this is what is so exciting about today.”

I couldn’t put it any better.

The scene at the feedzone during the women’s 30 kilometer. Sitting just back of the action, I couldn’t help but think about the whole support system it takes to be fighting it out among the Kristen Stoermer Steira’s and the Tobias Angerer’s of the world – club coaches, national team coaches, service industry people, physical therapists, servicemen, race organizers, jury members – the list is a long one.

I also couldn’t help but wonder about the day when I’d be in a similar position, taking in the scene at a World Championship when an American would be the first to enter into this picture.

The lead pack of fifteen rolls through the feedzone. The trail breaks to go around an island of coaches, giving more space for athletes and coaches to not miss in the refueling handoff. No more than fifteen seconds later, Liz Stephen leads a chase pack of five. Morgan Arritola, too, is not far behind.

Here, Liz gets her flow on during the rolling sections of the challenging 7.5 km loop in Liberec.

Liz hunting down Charlotte Kalle with a world junior champion trying to hang on. Elite company.

The Czech crowds were out in force. During the men’s 4x10km relay, 37,000 paying fans lined the course. Add in media, special VIP’s, athletes and support staff, and 40,000 people were all out in the elements, taking in world championship skiing.

Two days before the big hill, ten kilometer nordic combined race, Demong misplaced his race bib. The team didn’t finish the day’s competition. Two days later, Demong came back to win. He was asked immediately after his victory how he was able to go from such a low to earning his first major championship so soon after.

“I know how to deal with such a situation,” said Billy. “I missed a medal in Salt Lake by a hair’s breath and it bothered me for many months. Then I finally realized I had to forget it, otherwise it would have destroyed my life.”

Six medals takes something special. It takes a team. It also takes making the most out of the situation. This was brought home to me listening to a conversation on the bus to the race venue. The storyteller was talking about two teammates who had to find a way to make it work between them. Twice a week, Bjorn and Thomas would train together. Somedays, they would end their workout almost in a fistfight. Bjorn thought Thomas was arrogant. Thomas thought the same of Bjorn. Or something like that. The specifics to this hardly matter. What matters, though, is that no matter what they always decided when and where they were going to meet up again and train together because they knew they needed each other to be the best.

March 2, 2009
Boulder Nordic Sports Reports From Liberec

Boulder Nordic Sports Nathan Schultz was in Liberec waxing with the US Ski Team. He posted several reports, including the following on yesterday’s final event. Nathan provides an excellent behind-the-scenes look at ski preparation, and the races in general.

Early reports from Nathan can be found here:

World Champs Women’s 15km Pursuit

World Championships Report Days 1 & 2

Northug Takes Another Gold in Fast Finish

by Nathan Schultz

Petter Northug won a tough 50km freestyle today in Liberec, completing a sweep of the three mass-start races that ended skating (30km Pursuit, Relay, 50km skate). This was the second day in a row where the organizers allowed service pit stops where athletes could exchange skis. This made for a bit more work for us service guys, but it also added excitement to the race as new tactics played into the race.

The extra distance of today’s race had Northug more tired than his previous two wins and so he actually had to ski hard all the way to the finish, unlike his previous two wins where he could prance around a bit before finishing.

James Southam and Garrott Kuzzy started solidly, but lost ground toward the finish. James was happy with his race as he was able to stick with the lead pack through about 35km before he dropped off.

The pit stops added a little bit of tactics to the race as it did in yesterday’s women’s 30km event. The Italian women decided to skip the ski exchange while almost everyone else stopped and exchanged skis for freshly waxed (and cleaned!) skis. The Italians gained a little ground each time they skipped the pit, but by the end of the race, it was obvious that their skis were slower and that they were tired out from pushing harder than everyone else who had exchanged skis roughly every 7.5km.

We had two guys in the pit taking athletes skis, running to the wax cabin, re-waxing them, and then running them back out so the athletes could have them on the next trip through the stadium on the 7.5km laps. We once again had great skis, though, so all of the work was well worth it.

Once the race finished, we packed up the wax cabins and loaded up the vans to go to Lahti. The athletes fly out Monday (some home, some to Lahti). All of the European teams have completely disappeared to take a few days at home before traveling to Lahti. The Americans, Canadians, Australians, Japanese, Kiwis and other non-continental teams are left in what is an eerie vacuum in a place that has been teeming with activity and excitement for two weeks. It’s a painful reminder of the extra toll that European racing and travel has on the non-continental teams.

Well, it has been a very successful championship, with the US bringing home 6 medals. The Nordic Combined team was super all week, taking gold in all three individual events and a bronze, Kikkan Randall brought home an historic silver for the cross-country team, and Lindsay Van took gold in the first-ever women’s jumping world championship. Kris Freeman narrowly missed a bronze medal by 1.3 seconds in the 15km Classic, and showed his form again in the opening leg of the relay. Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola showed that they belong among the best in the world with breakthrough races that certainly will give them confidence to continue building their results. All in all, a great week for the US and a sign that the future of US XC-skiing looks brighter. Maybe not quite bright yet, but definitely brighter.

Petter Northug leads the charge to the finish (Photo: Swix Sport)

March 2, 2009
Northug Wins World Championship Finale

Men's World Championship 50km Freestyle Podium – Liberec 2009 (Photo: Swix Sport)

Liberec, Czech Republic – Petter Northug (NOR) won the men’s 50km freestyle mass start, the final event of the 2009 World Championships. Northug moved his way up thorugh the pasck over the last 10 kilometers, positioning himself for the final sprint. He crossed the line .7 seconds ahead of Russian Maxim Vylegezhanin. Tobias Angerer (GER) took the bronze, two seconds behind Northug.

Petter Northug leads the charge to the finish (Photo: Swix Sport)

The victory earned Northug his third gold of the Championships. He also won the pursuit and anchored the Norweigan relay team.

“It was a very hard race for me,” said Northug. “I tried to be in top group as tt was difficult to escape. So I ran with them. Now, when the shape is great I hope for a gold medal in each race.”

Petter Northug displays his World Championship medals – Liberec 2009 (Photo: Swix Sport)

The big surprise of the day, however, was Vylegezhanin, skiing in his first World Championships. The 26-year old had never stood on a World Cup podium, his previous best result was 6th in the 20km mass start in this season’s Tour de Ski. He finished 24th in the World Championship pursuit earlier in the week.

“I am very happy,” said Vylegezhanin. “I am satisfied with this medal. It is my first medal in the World Championships and I not been on a podium in a World Cup race before. The first races were not very good for me. The key today was the long distance and my great skis.”

Veteran Angerer claimed his third medal of the Championships – he won silver in both the relay and the team sprint, and now has six World Championship medals for his career, including four silvers, but no gold.

Added Northug, “Tobias and Maxim were in the top group during the whole race and Maxim is very good in 50 km races. It was very difficult because Tobias pushed very hard.”

Angerer took advantage of the option to switch skis during the race. “I felt relaxed,” he said. “I believed in myself before today’s 50 km race and that was very important. My first lap was not good to me. My skis were not perfect. But after changing my skis I felt very good, and at the beginning of the last hill I tried to escape, but I did not succeed and the finish sprint was too fast for me. I am very happy about my skiing now!”

The main pack stayed close – at 15km, 43 skiers remained within 20 seconds of the lead. At the halfway point, the pack had barely diminished – 40 skiers remained in contention. In an interesting move, Italian Christian Zorzi broke off the front at 23 kilometers, opening a lead of 12 seconds. He held a lead for four kilometers before being swallowed back up by the pack. Zorzi ultimately finished 12th.

Vincent Vittoz (FRA) attacked at 34km, and NOrthug went with him. The two opened up a 10 second gap, but the pack again closed within two kilometers.

By 30k, skiers began slipping off the back, and with 10 kilometers to go, the pack was down to 26 skiers. As the kilometers sped by, Northug, Angeregm and Vylegezhanin positioned themselves within the top 10 and the opportunity to sprint for a medal.

Canadian Ivan Babikov skied in the main pack for the entire race, finishing 16th, +15.7 seconds. The strong result came despite several crashes and a broken pole.

“I had a tough day today with the crashes and broken pole,” said Babikov, who was first in the Final Climb at the Tour de Ski earlier this year. “It’s tough any time you crash because you use up so much energy, but it makes it even tougher in a race this long. I got passed by so many people and had to ski much harder to get back to the front. It makes it really difficult.”

“It was an up and down World Championships for sure,” concluded Babikov. “The relay was incredible and we were all so happy. I had some tough days, but in the end, I have to be happy with 16th today. It is not too bad of a day.”

James Southam led the US in 39th place. Southam skied well through 30km, staying solidly with the leaders. He began to drop off slowly, and by 45km was clearly done. He dropped 3 minutes to the leaders in the last 5km, ultimately finishing +6:37. Teammate Garrott Kuzzy was 44th, +9:56. Kuzzy dropped off the pace more quickly than Southam, losing contact by 16 kilometers. But he battled to the end, outsprinting Mikhail Gumenyak (UKR) at the finish.

“Our athletes skied as hard and as fast as they could the whole day and that’s all we can ask for,” U.S. Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said.

Chris Butler (CAN) was 40th, +8:07.

Men’s World Championship 50km Freestyle Mass Start – Complete Results

Watch the race on Universal Sports

March 1, 2009
Kowalczyk Wins World Championship 30k, Stephen 17th

Women's Podium – World Championship 30km (Photo: Swix Sport)

Liberec, Cazech Republic. Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) won her second gold of the 2009 World Championships, skiing to victory in the woen’s 30km freestyle mass start. Liz Stephen led the US in 17th.

Kowalczyk made a move with under a kilometer to go, opening a gap she was able to hold to the finish. Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS) was second, +8.8. The battle for silver was extremely tight. Medvedeva outsprinted bronze medalist Valentina Schevchenko (UKR) and 4th place finisher Therese Johaug (NOR).

“I’m very tired, really tired. This is really a huge and amazing success – it was a dream for me. During the race I tried to be in the leading group and then at the end I planned to attack on the last uphill – my tactic worked and I was able to ski away. It’s good that there was so many people from Poland here and I’m happy that there is Evgenia and Valentina with me on the podium – they are my friends.”

Kowalczyk also won a bronze in the 10km classic.

Kowalczyk brings it home (Photo: Swix Sport)

Said Medvedeva, “I’m very satisfied. The entire race was very good for me. All was really perfectly prepared. I was little bit worried about the downhills, but after my last change of skies, I felt very happy with them. I knew that the last climb and the last downhill would decide the race and I felt confident because of my skis. It was also the reason that I tried to attack in the finish.“

For the frist time in a World Championship or OIympic event, skiers were allowed to exchange skis during the race. Many skiers took advantage of this opportunity and changed skis in the stadium at 11.25km and at 18.75 km.

Evgenia Medvedeva takes the silver (Photo: Swix Sport)

Schevchenko liked this opportunity. “I felt very well and my skis were good. I really do not like mass starts, because there are too many issues that can influence your race. But I was changed my skis twice and I think it’s a very good thing. Most of the girls used this opportunity, except the Italians and I felt that in some parts of the track, they were a little worse.”

It has been 10 years since a Ukrainian won a World Championship medal – Irina Terelia won a bronze in Ramsau.

Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola continued to post impressive results in their first World Championships. Stehpen, who finished 15th in the pursuit, cracked the top 20 again, finishing 17th in today’s freestyle race. Arritola just missed the top-30 in the pursuit, made that mark today. She finished 22nd, 30 seconds behind her teammate.

Stephen was 2:42 behind winner Justyna Kowalzcyk of Poland. One third of the way through the race, the pack remained large and Stephen was hanging at the back. But by 13km, along with skiers like Charlotte Kalla and Claudia Nystad, she fell off the back and a smaller chase pack formed.

“It was not the best start ever. I had a couple falls and a few tangle ups. Mass starts are kind of crazy,” Stephen said. “We just worked our way up through the field. It takes some energy to get up to the pack, then I just focused in and tried to chip away and keep pushing.”

“To have two in the top 25 in a distance race, I don’t know if we’ve ever done it,” U.S. Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. “It’s unbelievable, this is their first real taste, their first World Championships. The future is really exciting.”

“I started bib 42 and the start is always crazy. We were way back for first lap or two, but then worked our way up,” Arritola said from the finish area at Worlds where she and Stephen watched Billy Demong win gold in the final Nordic combined event. “You just have to trust your fitness and just be calm. This is a good confidence builder, to know your hard work is starting to pay off.”

Caitlin Compton finished 48th as the final US skier in the event.

Top Canadian Sara Renner did not start the race, and teammate Dari Gaiazova did not finish, leaving Shayla Swanson as the lone representative. Swanson skied to 40th place.

The women are done racing at the World Championships. Only the men’s 50km remains.

Women’s World Championship 30km Freestyle Mass Start – Complete Results

Watch the race on Universal Sports

February 28, 2009
Norway Wins World Championship Relay, Canada 5th

Petter Northug celebrates relay gold at the World Championships, Liberec 2009 (Photo: Swix Sport)

Liberec, Czech Republic – Petter Northug is on his way to cementing his position as one of the all time great Norwegian relay anchors, once again overcoming a deficit before powering it on in the finish to claim the men’s 4x10km relay gold over Germany.

Northug, at 23, already has anchored a number of impressive relay victories, and now has a World Champinship gold in the event. This was Norway’s fifth consecutive World Championship relay gold.

The race broke apart quickly, a rare occurance in these mass-start events. Usually a large lead pack stays together through the first leg. But by 8 kilometers the lead group was down to six teams, and one kilometer later, Canada and Germany were 10 seconds off the front. At the first handoff, the field was stretched out and a minute separated 1st and 7th.

Devon Kershaw (CAN) skied an impressive first leg, leading the break with Germany’s Jens Filbrich. The two had 13 seconds on third place Estonia, and Norway was a full 25 seconds back in 6th.

Over the next five kilometers, Finland and Estonia caught Germany, while Canada’s George Grey was unable to hold the pace. Veteran Odd-Bjorn Hjelmeset worked to bring Norway back into contact with the leaders.

At the halfway point, it was Germany and Finland tagging first, 14 seconds up on Estonia, and 22 up on Norway. Tore Ruud Hofstad skied the first skate leg for the Norwegians and took 8 seconds out of Franz Goering’s (GER) lead. Finland, with the relatively inexperienced Teemu Kattilakoski skiing slipped back to third 41 seconds out.

Northug took the tag 14.5 seconds behind Axel Teichmann. The young Norwegian did not wait to close the gap, and just two kilomters in, the two were skiing together. Northug let Teichmann lead, sitting behind the tall German, before making his move and cruising to victory in the home stretch.

“I closed the gap to Axel quite fast on the first two kilometers and then I tried to relax a bit,” said Northug. “I launched the attack before the finish on the uphill and saw that Axel could not follow we and I knew I would take the win. I am not dangerous- not dangerous at all, but I know that I have a strong finish.”

Teichmann was not happy to settle for silver. “I tried to go away during the race but I wasn’t able to do it. These conditions are not my favorite and I tried to change my way of skiing as my coaches suggest. But I couldn’t manage it on this wet snow. For sure, at this moment I am disappointed, but a bit later I will be happy to have a medal.”

The Norweigan classic skiers struggled a bit today, starting with scramble leg Eldar Roenning. “I skied very fast in the first two laps of my round but in the third one I was tired and my skis were not the best anymore. It is great to get a gold medal and I must say that Petter again did a great job for us.”

Added Hjelmeset, “I felt like Eldar, I was trying to close the gap. It was hard work as I was alone and also I felt very tired in my last lap. I have to say that I’m proud of our team and especially of Tore Ruud – he had an amazing race today. When he changed to Petter I said to Petter that you have now to go and take it – the gold medal.”

Finland maintained position in third, and continuing a strong showing at the World Championships. The Finnish men have been overshadowed by the women’s team in recent years, but with a bronze in the Team Sprint and another in today’s relay, they are enjoying success at a level unmatched since before the team was decimated by the 2001 doping scandal.

Said Matti Heikkinen ““This is really a great day for the Finnish Ski Team. It is the first relay medal after 2001 for the Finnish men. In today’s race, I tried to follow the leading group and not lose too much. I am happy about my second medal in this World Championships and will celebrate together with my team.”

Canada turned in a very impressive performance, finishing 5th, just behind Italy. The Italians did not ski well in the classic portion of the race – Roland Clara and Valerio Checchi combined to leave the team 1:22 down and in 10th place at the halfway point. But Pietero Piller Cottrer posted the fastest time on the third leg and brought the Italians back into the top 5. Meanwhile, Canadian Grey handed off to Ivan Babikov in 5th place. Babikov overtook Estonia, and with 10km to go, Canada was in 4th, under 40 seconds off the podium.

20-year old Alex Harvey took over, leading Italy’s Giorgio DiCenta and Sweden’s Mathias Fredriksson by 18 seconds. The rising Canadian star was unphased and held the lead for the first 5km. But the experienced DiCenta was closing, and by the 6.5km mark, had caught Harvey. Fredriksson, hoever, had not been able to stay with DiCenta, and remained well back in 6th. With one kilometer to go, Italy and Canada remained together, but DiCenta had more left at the end and was able to ski away by 9 seconds.

“That was by far the best result we’ve ever had. It takes four guys to ski well and we knew we could be competitive. Personally I have had a hard World Championships and it just feels so great to crank it open,” said the 26-year-old Kershaw

This is the first time that the Canadian men have ever cracked the top 10 in a World Championship relay.

“That was an absolutely bullet-proof performance,” said Dave Wood, team leader, National Ski Team. “We had super good legs today and were in the fight for fourth until the final kilometer. That really was an incredible day for us.”.

The US, led by Kris Freeman, started very well. Freeman, in his last race before season-ending surgery continues to demonstrate that he is in top form. Freeman skied the 4th fastest leg, coming in 16.8 seconds off the pace, and ahead of Norway, Finland, Sweden and Russia among others. He tagged to Chris Cook who battled to maintain position. Halfway through his leg, Cook still had the US in sixth, but continued slipping back and was 9th at the next tag. At this point the US was still mixing it up with several teams, and held a sizable gap on Russia and the Czech Republic. James Southam took over for the first skate leg. He was no match for Russian Alexander Legkov, who skied the 4th fastest leg time, but kept the US within striking distance of the top 10. Andy Newell took over for the anchor in 11th. Newell has not completted a World Cup distance race since the early season. It showed, and while there was no lack of effort, he lost between 10 and 20 seconds per kilometer to the leaders, and the US team slid into last place.

Australia and Great Britain were lapped and had to withdraw.

Of Note:

– Emmanuel Jonnier (FRA) skied the fastest anchor leg of the day ,moving up from 12th to 9th.

– The home Czech team did not fare well, finishing 12th.

Men’s World Championship 4x10km Relay – Complete Results

Watch the race on Universal Sports

February 27, 2009
Updates From TeamToday – Silver For Kikkan and Life In Czech

If you haven’t checked in with TeamToday recently, it is worth a look. Photos from the the women’s sprint medal ceremony.

The top 3 – Kikkan on the left! (Photo: TeamToday)

See all the photos

And…

Life in Czech

by Morgan Arritola and Liz Stephen

We arrived in Czech, a new country for both of us, and, after a brief confusion getting through Prague, arrived in Liberec.

First stop, accreditation, where we had our pictures taken (a nice touch after a 13 hour drive), our all access granting credentials were made (going anywhere here without these is not an option), and picked up our complementary six packs of beer with our race packets.From there, we preceded to get lost in Liberec for another hour trying to find our dorms, but arrived at last and realized it is not JO’s anymore.There are hundreds of guards standing watch 24 hours a day, the autobahn was rerouted for us, and since entering the boarder of Czech, billboards line the streets leading the way to the venue. People are fired up and the snow falls every day, life is good.

Read more and view the photos

February 26, 2009
Finland Defends Relay Title

Liberec, Czech Republic – The Finnish team defended their World Championship title in the women’s 4×5 kilometer relay this morning, behind a strong anchor leg from Aino-Kaisa Saarinen. Germany took the silver in a sprint finish with Sweden.

The favored Finns appeared to be on pace for an easy victory, on par with the Team Sprint yesterday. Pirjo Muranen, the bronze medalist in the individual sprint, skied the first leg. She tagged off in second, 4.3 seconds back of Poland, led by Justyna Kowalczyk, a strong position as she was 10 seconds up on third place Russia and 13 up on Norway. Poland, despite the strength of Kowalczyk, does not have the strength to contest for a top relay spot at this point.

Veteran Virpi Kuitunen headed out for the second leg, and quickly buried the field, easily overtaking Poland and extending the lead to 31 seconds over second place Norway at the tag. With the race half over and Saarinen waiting in the anchor spot, it appeared that the rest of the field was relegated to battling for Silver. But Riitta Liisa Roponen struggled mightily. Her leg time wsa 14th out of 15 teams, over a minute back. But fortunately for the Finn’s the deficit at the final exchange was just eight seconds to Norway.

Norway was led by consistent, if unspectacular, skiing from Marit Bjoergen, Therese Johaug, and Kristin Stoermer Steira. 18-year old phenom Marthe Kristofferesen skied the anchor leg, but was unable to maintain position. She was overtaken by Saarinen, and eventually Germany and Sweden as well.

Meanwhile, Saarinen guaranteed her fourth medal, and third gold, of these Championships, opening a gap, and cruising to a 13 second win.

“It is amazing – my third gold,” said Saarinen. “The entire team did a great job and I was able to enjoy my round on the top of the last uphill – it is a great feeling. I can really smile with three gold medals, but on Saturday is the last race and I will be fighting there.”

Germany’s silver medal push was led by young biathlete Miriam Goessner. Goessner skied the third leg, taking the handoff in 6th, 1:11 behind the leader, and 40 seconds out second place. Goessner, with an incredible performance, moved the team up to fourth, and within 16 seconds of the lead. Veteran Claudia Nystad took over and was able to hold off a hard charging Charlotte Kalla of Sweden for the silver.

Goessner, just 18 years old, enjoyed her cross-country experience, but will continue to focus on biathlon. “To get a medal today is great. I felt really good during my entire race, and was able to push hard. It is also great for me to ski with such big names like Kristin Steira. The Cross-Country women’s team is great and I also have to say thank you to Manuela Henkel – I was skiing today on her skis. But I will not change to Cross-Country – Biathlon will be my sport.”

Kalla also had an excellent race, bringing Sweden back to the medal hunt from 6th place. She made up 40 seconds on Norway and 20 on Germany, catching the two team on the last climb to set up the fight for silver.

“It was amazing,” said Kalla. “I felt great and was able to push hard. I saw Claudia in front of me and also the Norwegian, and then I just attacked on the last uphill. We were fighting hard but at the end, Claudia was stronger.”

The US team of Kikkan Randall, Morgan Arritola, Liz Stephen nd Caitlin Compton finished 14th in the 15 team field. Both Randall, who was racing in her third race in three days, and Stephen had strong races. Randall scrambled tagging off in 6th place, 27 seconds down on the lead, and just 14 seconds behind Norwegian Marit Bjoergen in 4th. Arritola was not able to match her performance in the pursuit, ranking 14th in the second leg, but still handed off to Stephen with the team in 9th place.

Despite posting the 8th best leg time, Stepehn dropped the team one place to 10th. Her time was just 20 seconds slower than Steira of Norway.

Compton took over on the final leg, but struggled through the 5km course, and the team slipped back to 14th place.

Canada did not field a team.

Of Note:

– Japan finished a solid 7th, led by Masako Ishida’s excellent second leg. Ishida posted the second fastest time, just 10 seconds behind Kuitunen.

– Sylwia Jaskowiec gave Poland 50% of a medal capable team along with Kowalczyk. Her third leg was the seconds fastest, only 4.3 seconds behind Goessner. But the other two Polish skiers were both 13th in their legs.

– Italy, a potential medal contender, was foiled by a poor first leg by Antonella Confortolla. She lost over a minute to the leaders, and the Italians were never able to recover despite strong legs from Marianna Longa and Arianna Follis. They ended in 5th.

– The home Czech team finished 13th, 7 seconds ahead of the US.

Women’s 4x5km World Championship Relay – Complete Results

Watch the race on Universal Sports

February 26, 2009
Saarinen and Kuitunen Dominant in World Championship Team Sprint Victory

Liberec, Czech Republic – Aino-Kaisa Saarinen and Virpi Kuitunen skied away from the competition to bring home the gold for Finland in the women’s classic Team Sprint competition. The pair posted a 20 second victory over Silver medalists Sweden. Italy was another 3.8 seconds back to take the bronze.

Saarinen and Kuitunen set a fast pace early, stringing out the pack on the first lap. Their lead was 3.5 seconds after one lap, and a full 13.4 seconds after two. They maintained the pace and cruised in for the gold medal. Finland defended their title in the event – Kuitunen paired with Riita Liisa Roponen to win in 2007.

“After the qualification we knew, that we had to be strong,” said Saarinen. “We made a power to attack early and it worked. I was a bit surprised that nobody could chase me when I was attacking, I expected that somebody would follow. We discussed tactics after the qualification and decided it would be the right thing to attack early and try to go away. During the handoff we always said just “go for it” and in the last one I just said ‘enjoy!’ to Virpi.”

Saarinen now has two golds and a bronze in these World Championships.

And while the qualification was closr, they still held a 6.9 second advantage in their semifinal.

Lina Anderson, who led Sweden to the silver along with teammate Anna Olsen, knew the FInns would be tough to beat.

“We are very happy with our second place today. Finland was very strong and we knew it would be very tough to beat them. But we are very happy with silver. The tactics were the same as in the semifinal: take it easy and to be strong and be ready for the finish.”

The Italian team was also pleased with their medal. Marianna Longa continued her excellent World Championships. She won silver in the 10km, was 4th in the pursuit, and now has a bronze from the team event. Her teammate, Arianna Follis, the gold medalist in yesterday’s sprint was surprised by her perfrmance, saying, “It’s a little bit strange for me because I am not that good in the classic technique, but my Marianna is very strong. We won this medal together, and are very happy!”

The US team of Laura Valaas and Kikkan Randalljoined their male counterparts as the first team to miss the finals. It was not close, however, as the they were over 30 seconds out of the final lucky loser spot. They finished in 11th place. Randall, who favors the skate technique, was also coming of a long day yesterday, when she won the silver in the individual sprint.

Sara Renner and Perianne Jones skied Canada into the final, moving thorugh as a lucky loser. The two skied a strong race in the finals to finish 6th.

“We had two goals at the beginning of the day. Get into the top-six and buy diapers and I’m so happy I was able to get both accomplished,” said Renner, who is travelling with two-year-old daughter Aria. “Perianne skied exceptionally well today and when you get into the top-six in the world that shows you have arrived.”

Added Jones, “I was so happy to cap off the World Championships with this result. This is a super important result for me. It is an Olympic qualifier so I don’t have that hanging over me anymore, but to finish in the 40’s all the time on the World Cup is hard to take, and this gives me some confidence for sure.”

Heading into the final lap, Renner handed off to Jones in ninth place, and the youngster from Almonte, Ont., stepped on the throttle to move the Canadian duo into sixth spot, and her best-ever international finish.

The Canadians were 1:03 behind the winners, and 13 seconds out of 5th.

Women’s World Championship Classic Team Sprint – Complete Results

Watch the race on Universal Sports

February 25, 2009
Family and Friends React To Randall’s Silver

Debbie Randall, Kikkan’s mother, was up at 3am watching the live timing updates on the FIS web site. “It’s excruciating, it’s awful! I get twice as nervous as she does.” As Kikkan’s number one fan, Debbie is always right on top of the results as they come in. “Kikkan called about 5:30am and said she was ecstatic. She said the best part was being hugged by Jeff and Erik, and then she was whisked away to all the doping controls and stuff. I’m sure she’s flying [emotionally] over Liberec somewhere right now.”

Debbie is the sister of Betsy Haines, 1985 Lake Placid Olympian and wife of Chris Haines, 1976 Innsbruck Olympian. Never called short on a race celebration, the Randall clan won’t miss this chance either. “I called my sister this morning and we’ll all get together and have some Champagne. I’m still trying to get a hold of my Dad who’s in the hospital in Florida. He always loves to hear about her. I know what he’d say: ‘Why didn’t she win first?’”

“When she called she said that the press didn’t know what to do with her,” Debbie recalled about Kikkan’s phone call. They are so used to those Norwegians and Finns that they couldn’t figure out how to deal with it! What’s going on with the U.S this year!?”

APU coach Holly Brooks lives deep in the team’s email network. She first got a text from a fellow coach early tuesday morning and also an email from APUNSC Head Erik Flora. “I just got this email to the team from Erik (Flora, Kikkan’s APU Head Coach) that said ‘Kikkan won a sliver medal today! Yeeeaaaaaahhhh!’” Holly recalled from Tuesday morning while visiting family in Seattle after the Birkie. “It was like a Y and ten E’s and 20 H’s, and Erik doesn’t do that!”

And Randall, thousands of miles away on one of the biggest stages in the ski world, is grateful for the supprt and inspiration of her family, coaches, and the Alaskan ski community. “The list of people who have helped me is long, for sure. It’s definitely been running through my head today at hyperspeed,” said Randall following her podium appearance. “My aunt Betsy and uncle Chris were good role models growing up. Knowing that they went to the Olympics let me know it was possible. My parents always encouraged me, but never forced me. I had some great coaches along the way especially a high school track coach that helped me get on a year-long training track. And ski coaches like Frode Lillefjell and Jim Galanes.”

“And I have to thank my community in Anchorage, who sponsored me to get me to this level, and [Olympian and fellow Alaskan] Nina Kemppell, who showed me the ropes. It’s just an amazing group of people.

“It was an individual medal today but shared with a lot of people,” she concluded.

February 25, 2009
Norway Takes World Championship Men’s Team Sprint Gold

Liberec, Czech Republic – The Norweigan duo of Ola Vigen Hattestad and Johan Kjoelstad took the gold in the men’s Team Sprint competition this morning, a day after finishing first and second in the individual sprint. Tobias Angerer and Axel Teichmann claimed silver for German in a photo finish with the Finnish team of Ville Nousiainen and Sami Jauhojaervi.

As is often the case in team sprint events, the lead pack remained tightly grouped throughout with nine of ten teams within 9 seconds of the lead heading into the last leg. Hattestad once again demonstrated his exceptional ability to finish at the front of such a pack.

“It was a really tough race,” said Hattestad. “In qualification I felt strong, but in the final I was a little bit tired. I tried to ski as fast as possible during the race and was tired on the last hill. But in the finish I felt strong, and even better after I crossed the line.”

Teichmann switched skis heading into the final lap, a move that paid off.

“I used different skis in the semi final and they were really good. I used them for two laps in the final, but they were slower, so I changed them for the third lap. The new skis turned out to be very good and Toby had a good position after his third lap and I used it. I knew I had a chance to pass maybe two guys in the finish.”

Added Angerer, “It was a very tough race. In sprint relay you have a lot of changes in position. It was a very hard race from beginning. The tempo was very fast. I thing we had the right position in the right moment. Axel’s finish was really great and we are very very happy with the medal. There was some pressure on the team the last few days, but it is gone and we can concentrate on relay and 50km.”

In the team sprint, the top three teams in each semifinal advance to the finals automatically. The next four fastest advance as lucky losers. Norway won the second semi, while Germany made it through as the first lucky loser. Finland won the first semifinal.

The US team of Kris Freeman and Torin Koos were in position to advance, holding the top spot entering the final lap. But Koos was unable to maintain the pace, and slipped off the back. Only one lucky loser came from this heat, and the US was left as the first team on the sidelines. They ended the day in 11th place.

The Canadian team of George Grey and Devon Kershaw fared better, advancing out of the semis as the final lucky loser. In the final they skied with the main pack, hanging between 6th and 9th place. On the last lap Kershaw was unable to maintain the pace, and brought the team home in 9th place, +9.7 seconds.

Men’s World Championship Team Sprint – Complete Results

Watch the race on Universal Sports

February 25, 2009
Hey, It’s No Huge Surprise

by Peter Graves

Peter Graves, a former U.S. Ski Team coach, is a noted nordic television commentator for Universal Sports, columnist for Ski Racing Magazine and a longtime follower of the nordic scene, having announced at the first FIS Cross Country World Cup in Telemark, WI, in 1978. You can watch highlights of the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships on UniversalSports.com presented by High Sierra. Graves reflects on an historic day for U.S. nordic skiers, who lead the medal count at Nordic Worlds.

Everyone knows what a big week this has been. Reporters slather on the superlatives, use words such as unbelievable, amazing, or it’s a miracle. The more enlightened types among us simply sit back with a wry smile and absorb it all with a kind of zen-like attitude.

So it was this morning when we woke up. I got to the computer early and joined the live FIS Timing of the sprints at the Nordic Ski World Championships. Andy Newell and Kikkan Randall were in good shape after qualifications. I had coffee and rejoined the big show. The finishing information was amazing. Alaska’s Kikkan Randall had won a medal – a silver. Was I dreaming? I think not.

My partner [Dartmouth ski coach] Cami Thompson winced when I hollered, “Cami, it’s just unbelievable.” Cami is the kind of person who gets right to the point and to the heart of the matter.

“Well, I don’t think it’s unbelievable at all. They’ve been moving toward this for years”, she wisely counseled me.

Thanks to Cami for putting it into proper perspective, and U.S. Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg, too, whom I spoke with a short while after the race.

“Yeah, it is really cool”, Vordy said in his typical understated way. “No doubt Kikkan raced really well, one of her best ever. She’s strong and fit, skied tactically well, and had great skis.”

I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. “But this is huge! What’s the reason all this is happening this week,” I asked like a child who was on the brink of opening Christmas gifts around the tree.

“Well, there’s a lot of reasons,” the coach figured. He reminded me that all this wasn’t about the stars in order or the luck a winning of lottery. The athletes had worked very hard to do this. He talked about team and community. He said, “this isn’t just about the U.S. Ski Team, this is about U.S. skiing. We are all one country.” He’s so very right.

For all of those living, or since dead, who have helped build this platform – everyone – this sport is in your debt. There are too many to speak of. This is a nordic world here that is steeped in tradition.

Vordy spoke of people that are helping out in Liberec like Erik Flora, Nathan Schultz and others who are here helping on their own dime. That’s impressive, that’s community.

Flora has been Kikkan’s coach at the famed APU (Alaska Pacific University) program, the program that launched many great careers.

Today I spoke with my old friend and former U.S. Ski Team nordic combined coach Tom Steitz of Steamboat. He, too, was over the moon with the combined results. “I can believe it. The program has been working on this for a long time. The coaches, Dave [Jarrett] and Chris [Gilbertson] were on my team. The tradition is so strong. For all the people who believed in us for so long I am very grateful, it’s kind of hard to put this all in words,” he said.

Following the event I talked with Kikkan.

”This has been an amazing day. In sprinting anything can happen, but it is an incredible day for me and for us. I have had to overcome a lot,” Kikkan said. “From a couple of surgeries and blood clots, I didn’t return to training until June.”

Years ago, at Fort Lewis College in Colorado, I had been on the ski team with Kikkan’s uncle Chris Haines, himself an Olympian. I couldn’t help but think how proud Chris would be, and Aunt Betsy [Haines], as well, who was on the 1980 Olympic team in Lake Placid.

Kikkan said, “They, and my parents, made me believe anything was possible and I’ve had great coaches and role models along the way.”

Furthermore, this year hasn’t been easy, and, she said she started slow on the World Cup tour.

“Today”, she said, “it all came together. I was worried at the start. After my warmup my legs felt heavy, then something kicked in. I felt like Steve Prefontaine. I led the race from the front.”

I was proud to hear what she had to say. On the amazing amount of publicity this has generated she would add, “Americans like to see Americans win medals.”

This APU program member is a star on and off the race course.

She left the call with one more nugget for us. “We have a strong team, everyone is working so hard, training together. We are one, cross country, nordic combined and jumping.” So very well said.

Perhaps it seems fitting for us to take a breath, ponder the significance of all this, and not be too surprised anymore. There is enough out of all this to derive a lifetime of joy and celebration on skis.

We’ve all been doing something right for many years.

Source: USSA

February 24, 2009
Follis Wins World Championship Sprint

Liberec, Czech Republic – Arianna Follis (ITA) won the women’s 1.3km freestyle sprint at the World Championships. American Kikkan Randall finished second, just ahead of Pirjo Muranen (FIN).

Follis, who posted the second fastest qualifying time behind Russian Natalia Matveeva, claimed her firs World Championship Gold Medal. She also won a bronze in 2005 in Sapporo.

“It is an incredible day. I have a gold medal and I am the World Champion! I used the same tactics to stay second or first and then in the last uphill go faster and faster to finish. My husband prepared my skis and all servicemen worked very hard and did good job. It is a nice track here, very hard, very tough. Especially the last uphill was difficult. I am going to race tomorrow and also two others races.”

Randall looked strong throughout, but Follis had more left in the finish stretch. Muranen finished only .1 seconds behind Randall, but that time makes the race seem closer than it was as she was not in a position to challenge the American.

“The medal means a lot for me,” said Muranen. “It has been a long time since I had an individual triumph – it was in Lahti in 2001. A lot has happened during these years. I am very proud of this medal!”

Randall became the first American woman to win a World Championship medal in cross-country skiing.

“It feels amazing. I’ve known in the back of my heart all along that it was possible,” Randall said. “Considering where I was eight months ago – in the hospital with a blood clot – it feels incredible. I’m just so happy.”

Randall’s teammates Liz Stephen, Laura Valaas, and Morgan Smyth finished 40, 42 and 53 respectively. Stephen was just over two seconds outside the top-30.

Women’s World Championship Freestyle Sprint – Complete Results

Watch the complete race on Universal Sports

February 24, 2009
Northug Wins Men’s World Championship Pursuit

Liberec, Czech Republic – Petter Northug (NOR) won the men’s 30km World Championship Pursuit, skiing to a 3.1 second win over Anders Soedergren (SWE).

Northug captured his first individual World Championship medal with a strong attack on the last climb.

The mass start pursuit can often end in a mass sprint to the line, consisting of 20+ athletes. But today was different.

The main pack stayed together through the entire 15km classic portion of the race, with 30 skiers within 8 seconds of the lead. Soedergren made a big move during the skate leg, opening a gap and was immediately chased by Northug, Giorgio Di Centa (ITA), Alexander Legkov (RUS), Tobias Angerer (GER) and Roland Clara (ITA). The chase group was able to reel in the Swede to set up Northug’s final push.

Said Soedergren, who won his second silver World Champinship medal (he was 2nd in the 50km in 2003), “I am very happy. This season was difficult because I lost a lot of time – I had problems with health in the summer, also a surgery in November. I am very glad that after all my problems with health I have prepared well and I am in good shape at the right moment. I knew that I had to attack before the last meters. I tried my best but the others are very strong as well. We have a strong team here and I hope we can win a gold medal in the relay competition!”

DiCenta claimed the bronze, +11.9, his second career World Championship medal.

“It was a tough race,” said DiCenta. “I did not have the best skis, but I was able to follow the leading group. I am very satisfied with my fourth medal at the World Championships (2 relay medals and two individual medals). I will not compete in Sprint but try to ski as best as I can in the relay and 50 km.”

North AMerica was led by 20-year old Alex Harvey in 22nd, his best World Cup finish. Harvey was only 46.8 seconds in back of Northug, and just over 20 seconds out of the top 5. HIs teammate Devon Kershaw was unable to bounce back from a tough wax day in teh 15km classic. Kershaw, who has medal potential, finished 27th, +1:22.3. Kershaw again suffered from bad skis – both in the classic portion, causing him to lose contact with the lead group, and in the skate, even after he regained contact. Kershaw reports that a number of other top skiers, including Dario Cologna, Lukas Bauer, Axel Teichman, and Pietro Piller Cottrer. Kershaw also poitns out that while Harvey’s skate skis were quite good, the young Canadian’s classic skis were as bad as Kershaw’s – and he still finished 22nd.

You can read Devon’s full report on his blog.

Ivan Babikov in 40th and Chris Butler in 44th rounded out the day for the Canadians.

The US started only two skiers, James Southam and Leif Zimmerman. Zimmerman did not finish, but SOutham turned in an excellent effort, finishing 33rd. After scoring his first World Cup points in Whistler, Southam told FasterSkier, that while he was pleased, he knew the Whistler field was weak, and was aiming for a top-30 in a full world Cup field. He missed that goal today – barely. He was 12 seconds out of 30th and 40 seconds out of the top 25. He skier especially well in the classic portion, sitting in the middle of the lead pack at the transition.

“That was James’ best result by 15 places so that was really good for him,” U.S. Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. “He skied his best in the classic part and faded a little bit towards the end of the race, but still, that’s his best Worlds finish. He’s got to be really happy with that.”

Vordenberg also talked about the challenging waxing, saying, “”It’s been similar every day with the waxing being pretty tricky. It takes a lot to get it all dialed in. It’s a little bit of a stressful situation, but I really like it because it’s going to be a lot like this in Vancouver. It’s really good practice for us. It’s been stressful but in a really good way. We’re learning to work in these conditions and come up with good skis.”

Racing continues on Tuesday with the men’s and women’s freestyle sprint.

Of Note:

– Half of the 20 finishers were at least 30 years old.
– 15km Classic champion Andrus Veerpalu (EST) 19th, while the silver and bronze medalists in that race (Lukas Bauer and Matti Heikkinen) finished 25th and 11th respectively.
– Overall World Cup leader and 2009 Tour de Ski Champion Dario Cologna (SUI) faded hard in the skate leg and finished 41st.
– 20 skiers were lapped and required to withdraw from the race.
– Another 12 skiers withdrew form the race prior to being lapped.
– 41 Nations were represented.

Men’s 30km World Championship Pursuit – Complete Results

February 22, 2009
Kowalczyk Wins World Championship Pursuit, Stephen 15th

Liberec, Czech Republic – Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) won the women’s 15km pursuit at the Nordic World Championships in Liberec. American Liz Stephen finished 15th.

Kowalczyk claimed her second medal in two races at the Championships. She won the bronze in Thursday’s 10km classic. Kowalczyk edged out Norweigan Kristin Stoermer Steira by 1.7 seconds. Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN), the gold medalist in the 10k took the bronze, +8.0.

A lead group, consisting of the top three and Marianna Longa (ITA) and Valentina Schevchenko (UKR) broke away from the field just after the 5km mark. Schechenko was the first to fall off the back, at 11km, with Longa dropping the pace not long after, setting up the battle for the gold. Longa ultimately claimed the 4th spot, +21.5, with Schechenko in 5th, +44.2.

Kowalczyk was ecstatic at the finish, and grateful to Steira who pushed the pace for much of the race.

“Kristin, thank you very much- you worked really hard during the entire race. We both know that we aren’t very good in the finish sprint so we tried to make the decision before. At 10 km, I was thinking that I am tired and Kristin is so strong, but on the last uphill I saw that Kristin was tired as well. I pushed hard on the last 300 meters. 2 years ago I lost the medal in finish; today I closed my eyes and pushed.

“Tomorrow I am going to back home to Poland – Shopping and celebrating. I will stay just for two days and coming back for relay and 30km races. This morning, I was thinking that today it will be a big fight with Kristen, Aino-Kaisa and Valentina Shevchenko. In 1978, Poland won a gold medal in Cross-Country at the World Championships, so it’s a very important victory for me.”

Saarinen stayed close to the top two, but was unable to maintain direct contact over the last kilometers and was not a factor in the final sprint.

Said Saarinen, “It is amazing; it was my best result ever in pursuit, so I am really happy. Of course when I started the race I decided to compete for the victory, but today, there were two girls faster than me. I think I got some extra energy from my previous medal and I think that my skiing today was relaxed. I didn’t feel pressure anymore and I think I enjoyed the race.”

This was Steira’s fourth World Championship medal, and third in the pursuit race.

“I had a good day today and I am very satisfied with my race today and the silver medal. I was afraid of Justyna’s sprint. I tried, but half way down the finish stretch, I saw it was going to be silver today.”

Stephen turned in the best major international performance of her young career, finishing 15th, +1:57. A stronger skater at this point, Stephen held a solid position in the middle of the pack for the classic leg, hitting the transition in 28th place. She immediately began moving up, and ultimately posted the 7th fastest skate time on the day.

“I tend to try to hang with the masses in the classic portion, then really turn it on in the skate when people are starting to fade,” Stephen said.

She finished just behind defending overall World Cup Champion, and 2009 Tour de Ski winner Virpi Kuitunen (FIN), and ahead of Norweigan star Marit Bjoergen.

“It’s been the experience of a lifetime. The more we get to race over here, the more normal it becomes and it’s fun to know we can mix it up with the best,” a bubbly Stephen said after her race.

“I had really good skis and spent most of my warmup testing out skis. It worked out well. I was able to ski really relaxed and came in mid pack. Then I worked my way through in the skate, trying to pick off people as I went,” she added.

Her teammate Morgan Arritola also had an excellent race, finishing 32nd, +2:56.

“I’m so excited. Liz and Morgan skied well. I am proud of how they raced and couldn’t be happier,” U.S. Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. “It’s been a great Championships so far.”

The two are scheduled to race the 4x4km relay as well.

Caitlin Compton also race for the US, finishing 59th.

Canada was led by Sarah Renner in 21st. Renner was 9th in the 10km classic, and while she continues to ski well, she has made it clear that she will not be satisfied with anything less than a medal.

Daria Gaiazova in 47th and Shayla Swanson, 48th, joined Renner for the Canadians.

Women’s 15km Pursuit – Complete Results

Watch the video on Universal Sports

February 21, 2009
Freeman 4th in World Championships

Kris Freeman after the men's 15km World Championship (Photo: Torin Koos)

Liberec, Czech Republic – Kris Freeman skied his best race in 6 years, finishing 4th in the World Championship 15km individual start, just 1.4 seconds out of the bronze medal.

Freeman had a very similar result in 2003 in Val di Fiemme, Italy, also finishing 4th, 2.1 seconds out of third.

“Fourth place is just not the place you want to be at World Championships. This has happened to me twice now. I don’t know whether I should have a party or go cry somewhere,” Freeman joked after the race.

Freeman was recently diagnosed with compartment syndrome and will undergo surgery in a few weeks. He had to cut back his training and has only been classic skiing since the diagnosis. But despite the challenges, Freeman turned in a performance the nearly put him in the record books. The US has won only one World Championship medal in cross-country skiing.

Freeman appeared to be in good form last weekend in the final World Cup prior to the Championships. He finished 16th after being in the top 3 for the first two thirds of the race. But it is a significant jump up to the podium, and every skier in the race had trained and peaked for this week of competition. On this day Freeman was the fourth best skier on the planet.

The waxing was extremely challenging and many racers chose hairies.

“Ten minutes before the start we were all huddled around the benches trying to figure out what skis to go with,” Freeman said. “Those kind of conditions are always very stressful.”

The skis worked well and he started conservatively. Last week he was in the lead at 3km, this week he sat way back in 43rd place, nearly 30 seconds off the leaders. At every checkpoint from then on, he moved up.

“You definitely want to be moving forward, I knew based on last week that my fitness was there, so I was confident in going out a bit slower and building through the race,” he said.

By 5k he was in 21st and at the 10km mark he had climbed all the way to 6th. But he was still 20 seconds off the podium. With each passing kilometer he closed on eventual third place finisher Matti Heikkinen (FIN). With 1km to go Freeman was just under 9 seconds out of the bronze, but he ran out of race, and Heikkinen was able to barely hold on.

“He’s only a second and a half from the podium, which is a little short of our goals, but he skied so well,” Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. “It was as good as he could ski, he skied to the max.”

Action photo of Kris in the race

Watch the race on Universal Sports

February 20, 2009
Veerpalu Wins World Championship 15km, Freeman 4th

Liberec, Czech Republic – Kris Freeman (USA), battling compartment syndrome, turned in his best result in six years, finishing 4th in the men’s 15km classic in Liberec. Veteran Andrus Veerpalu (EST) edged hometown favorite Lukas Bauer (CZE) for the gold.

The 38-year old Veerpalu, skiing in his eighth World Championships, trailed Bauer for much of the race, taking over the lead after the 12 kilometer mark and skiing to a 6.3 second victory. Veerpalu won the World Championship gold in Lahti in 2001. A stronger classic skier, the veteran Estonian had only four top-10 World Cup finishes this season, none better than 7th, until today.

“In the morning I felt that I was in the good shape but there was trouble with the weather,” said Veerpalu. “I chose no wax skis at the last moment and it was the right decision today. I didn’t start fast. I enjoyed the first lap and I pushed hard in the second and third lap. On the last hill I gave everything.

“I am very happy and also feel a bit sorry for Lukas – it is his second time behind me and this time in front of his home crowd.”

Bauer, the defending overall World Cup Champion, has been focusing on these World Championships for some time. Racing on his home snow, it would be a perfect opportunity to claim his first World Championship medal. He skied fast out of the start, and held steady throughout the race, but Veerpalu had just a bit more over the last kilometers.

“It was very hard race for me and also for others,” said Bauer. “I was very nervous, much more than before other races. I was satisfied when our service team chose micro-contact skis. I was very satisfied the whole race but in the end I wasn’t strong enough. I also had slippery skis towards the end of the race. I’d like to start in Sunday’s Pursuit and also in the 50 km, but the most important race for me is over.”

Matti Heikkinen (FIN) was the surprise bronze medalist, 16.4 seconds behind Veerpalu. Heikkinen had never even finished on a World Cup podium before today.

“It was a surprising day for me. Yesterday I thought that I could be in top fifteen and top ten would be great. I gave it my all and was pushing hard at the end of the race. During the race I realized I can get a medal and I pushed and pushed – I’m able to go over my body’s limit which maybe some of you saw at the finish. But I am fine now – I needed only a little recovery time.”

Freeman, the top US distance skier, missed out on a medal by just 1.4 seconds.

Read more about Kris’ performance.

The Canadians were led by George Grey in a strong 21st. Devon Kershaw was a disappointing 37th, 3.7 seconds behind teammate Alex Harvey in 36th. Chris Butler was 54th.

For the US, Freeman was followed by James Southam in 49th and Chris Cook in 52nd.

Men’s 15km World Championship – Complete Results

Watch the race on Universal Sports

February 20, 2009