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The team sprint is like a pump rocket, slowly building pressure for a final eruptive takeoff. Six 0.65 km laps each in rapid succession. Short recoveries between legs mean the athletes slowly wind up the effort while staying out of trouble, not wanting the rocket to misfire and lose it’s peak potential. Stay in the pack, drafting and in control, don’t crash or break a pole are sound strategies.
Chaos in the exchange zone, Richard Jouve tags Lucas Chanavat during the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The men’s event evidenced this metaphor perfectly. The pack stayed close and looked comfortable with no crashes through the first half. As the final four exchanges progressed, you could feel the pressure from the pump steadily rise (in this case, three pumps wearing red, navy, or royal blue lycra) fighting against the confines of the bottle.
At the 7th exchange, just after the half-way mark, the pressure reached its limit and the launch began. Richard Jouve of the France 1 team accelerated from the exchange zone, making an effective push to stretch out the field. Italy’s Francesco De Fabiani and Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov kept close on his tails, and although the remaining pack did not immediately lose contact, it became increasingly clear who the podium contenders would be.
Foot on the gas, Richard Jouve accelerates to spread out the pack for the final half of the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Next exchange, Russia took the reins, with Gleb Retivykh setting pace. Yesterday’s sprint winner Federico Pellegrino looked confident as he tucked in behind the Russian, the winners of the two qualifying rounds squaring off. Lucas Chavanat of France kept close contact in third.
With the Dresden skyline as a backdrop, Italy’s Francesco De Fabiani leads Richard Jouve of France and American Kevin Bolger during the team sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Russia continued their up-tempo from the front during the final lap where the three leading teams separated from the chasers. Heading into the lanes, all three teams had a chance. Retivykh took charge off of looker’s left, while Chavanat fought for centimeters on lookers right. Pellegrino tucked in behind the Frenchman, priming himself to sneak a boot around at the line.
Real estate was limited and Retivykh had unmatched finishing speed on the day, crossing the line for the win in 15:01.14. Chavanat stopped the clock +0.19 seconds behind in second, and Pellegrino carried the Italians to third (+0.58).
Down the home strech, Gleb Retivykh takes the victory for Russia at the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)The Russian victors Gleb Retivykh (L) and Alexander Bolshunov (R) shake hands after the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“It is a very nice competition every time we come to Dresden…” Retivykh told FIS after the race. “We worked together really well and with tactics. The Russian teams took the podium today for women and men. We’re happy.”
Prior to today’s win, Russia was in a three-year drought for team sprint victories. Russia last won the event in February, 2017 during a pre-Olympic World Cup in PyeongChang, China. Retivykh was also the anchor on that day.
The men’s podium of the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. The Russia 1 team of Alexander Bolshunov and Gleb Retivykh stole the show, with Richard Jouve and Lucas Chavanat of France in close second, and Italy’s Francisco de Fabiani and Federico Pellegrino in third. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Behind the podium finishers, the U.S. team of Kevin Bolger and Simi Hamilton stayed in the mix, skiing strong in the middle of the pack and close to the leaders through the final two laps. With two laps of the course to go, Bolger and Hamilton began to lose contact along with the remaining teams, fading from 2 seconds back at 6.5 k to finish 12.57 seconds behind in 9th.
Kevin Bolger (bib 18) rounds the curve with Italy’s Francisco De Fabiani during the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)Simi Hamilton keeps the U.S. team in the mix during the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“Even though the result wasn’t exactly what we wanted today I thought we skied really well and fought through both heats,” wrote Hamilton after the race. “I felt great in our semi, and still pretty good for the final, but things were incredibly scrappy and we just kind of kept getting caught in the back with tangles, broken poles, and the likes. Team sprinting can be so fun and so frustrating at the same time, but it was just really, really cool to ski with Kevin today and I’m so psyched with how he’s skiing right now.”
Simi Hamilton fights to the finish with Jovian Hediger (SUI), Renaud Jay (FRA) just behind. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The Bolger-Hamilton duo had placed fifth in the first semi-final in a tight finish, 0.69 seconds behind winners Italy I ( De Fabiani and Pellegrino).
In the second men’s semi-final, the U.S. team of Logan Hanneman and JC Schoonmaker placed 10th (+27.21) and did not advance.
The World Cup takes a holiday break until the Tour de Ski which is scheduled to begin on January 1.
The men’s podium of the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. The Norway I team of Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Erik Valnes took the win over the Norway II and Finland teams. (Photo: NordicFocus)
From under the umbrella to inside the snow globe. Fat flakes were falling in Planica, Slovenia at the start of the freestyle team sprint. A painful mix of speed and endurance, each team member skied three 1.2-kilometer laps for a total of 7.2 k. Comprising the victorious Norway I team, Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Erik Valnes stopped the clock at 16:54.52. Fellow countrymen Håvard Solås Taugbøl and Gjøren Tefre took the Norway II team to second place (+1.29) followed by the Finnish team of Ristomatti Hakola and Joni Mæki in third (+1.43).
Coming into the third exchange at the halfway mark of the race, the pack of athletes included all ten teams, no one able to break apart the masses in the slow conditions. A variety of teams including Norway, Finland, and France took turns trying to create a gap, but wasting energy too early in the slow snowy conditions risked hazard.
The Norway II team of Håvard Solås Taugbøl and Gjøren Tefre tag off in a tight field during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
By the fourth exchange, there was no longer time to wait. Skar of Norway I pushed by Tefre of Norway II began to surge. He quickly created a small gap to all but Richard Jouve of France and Hakola of Finland I who went with the leaders in red.
Though the density was lowered, the spread of the top eight teams was less than nine seconds as they made the final exchange. Having mingled with the leaders throughout, the American duo of Kevin Bolger and Logan Hanneman sat in fifth, less than three seconds back on the Norwegians.
Densely packed inside a snow globe, Norway pushes toward a 1-2 sweep in the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Winding up the energy in the final leg, Norway again made a push to break apart the field. Allowing them to lead to the climb at halfway, then working his way around the outside, yesterday’s sprint champion Chavanat made a go at the lead. Cresting the hill, Chavanat’s V2 was outmatched by two men in red jump-skating as though indefatigable even after 3.5 k’s of sprinting.
Valnes exploded off the front, leaving the threesome of Tefre, Mæki, and Chavanat duking it out to a close finish. Bobbling as he crossed into an opening, Tefre tangled skis with Mæki, but both men lost little momentum as they headed into the final straightaway.
Perhaps spent from his attempt to lead, Chavanat’s tempo could not match the others and he was overtaken in the final meters. Tefre slid his boot over the line just ahead of Mæki, leaving the French team 0.07 seconds off the podium.
The Norway I team of Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Erik Valnes took home the cheese at the freestyle team sprint in snowy Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“It was a challenging day [for conditions], just as yesterday,” Skar told FIS at the finish line. “But it’s the same for everyone so you just have to deal with it and do your best.”
He explained how the wet falling snow affected tactics and how the race unfolded for the Norway I team.
“It was so close and then with this weather it is almost impossible to go alone in the front. I tried the last half, but it was difficult, but we had to try and Erik was the best guy at the finish.”
Kevin Bolger accelerates out of the exchange during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
After losing contact with the leaders in the final lap, the Americans held on for 7th place (+21.19).
In a post-race call, Whitcomb explains that the team of Bolger and Hanneman was not finalized until the morning, when original anchor Simi Hamilton, who took 12th in the rain yesterday, was forced to withdraw after coming down with a cold. Because of the adjustment, the team lost their start position in the semifinal and began at the back of the field. The men finished eighth in the fast first round, from which the top three teams went on to be the top three teams in the final. The Americans advanced to the final with the last lucky loser spot.
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb on the men’s team sprint.
Kevin Bolger (second from left) keeps the USA team in contact during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“Logan and I had the weather on our side today!” wrote Bolger in an email. “I was skiing well but punched it to the front of my semi-final on the second lap and got a bit flooded from that. Luckily, Logan skied really well on his final lap to bring us into qualifying contention!
“The Final felt a lot better,” he continued. “I skied a lot more conservatively and tactically better and am happy with how I moved forward. I was a bit surprised when Logan came into the Tag zone leading but was ready to head out and give it my all for the last lap!”
Logan Hanneman stays in the mix behind Norway during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
At 26-year-old, Sun Valley native Kevin Bolger is in the midst of his third season of World Cup starts, landing inside the top-30 on eight occasions. Hanneman, who hails from Fairbanks, AK, has much less experience on the World Cup. Whitcomb explains how weekends like this one, where many of the all-arounders are resting for the Tour de Ski, consequently narrowing the field and improving the odds of sprinters like Hanneman who are often on the cusp of qualifying for the rounds.
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb on Logan Hanneman’s development on the World Cup.
“The final was just nuts,” wrote Hanneman in an email about his day. “It was snowing so hard. The pace was much more pedestrian than the semi final. I found myself with an open lane up the last hill of my second lap, and made what I thought was a low energy move up into the lead… turns out it was all adrenaline because come my last lap I was dying. But Kevin skied great during the whole final, and we were able get beat some teams in the final. Very happy with the day for sure!”
The men’s podium of the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (center) took first ahead of Lucas Chavanat of France (L) and Håvard Solås Taugbøl of Norway (R). (Photo: NordicFocus)
Davos, Switzerland: gifted athletes, throngs of spectators lining the course, plenty of Vitamin-D and a spectacular day for the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint. Racers chased down and skied away from their long afternoon shadows as the sun moved across the cloudless bluebird sky.
The crowds were in for a treat. In sprint racing, heats often have significant variance. Some will be fast, some will be slow with a final upsurge in intensity at the end. In today’s event, heats were fast and tight. Winning times were comparable, lucky losers waited with bated breath through the end.
Improving upon their performance in the opening classic sprint in Ruka, two Americans qualified for the heats. Simi Hamilton qualified in 8th and Kevin Bolger in 30th.
Lucas Chavanat of France models composure during the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the first heat of the quarterfinals, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who had qualified in 5th, threw down against France’s Lucas Chavanat, who was the top qualifier. Perhaps making a statement, Klæbo set the tone of the heat, quickly moving to the front and holding his position to comfortably take the heat with Chavanat behind him.
During his round, Hamilton marked the leaders, the Italian favorite Federico Pellegrino and Erik Valnes of Norway. Hamilton maintained contact throughout, fighting through the finish to place third in his heat. His time survived the three subsequent heats each by a fraction of a second to advance as a lucky loser.
Italy’s Federico Pellegrino leading Erik Valnes of Norway in the quarterfinals of the 2019 skate sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Simi Hamilton hunts down the leaders in the quarterfinal of the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Onto the semis. In the first heat, Chavanat took control from the gate and held it through through the last turn, the stacked group of competitors tucked in closely behind him. Klæbo stayed tucked into the middle of the pack. In the final straightaway, Klæbo swung around overtaking his teammate Valnes in the final meters, besting Chavanat by a toe.
In a tuck and on the hunt. Not an easy victory for Johannes Høsflot Klæbo during the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the second wave, Hamilton stayed just behind the Norwegian leaders Håvard Solås Taugbøl and Sindre Skar — in the mix but out of trouble. In the final stretch, a pack of five contenders charged toward the finish. Crossing in a photo finish with Gleb Retivykh of Russia, Hamilton was deemed 4th and advanced again as a lucky loser.
At the start of the final, none of the men took the reigns and the first climb looked calm. Chavanat emerged at the front after the descent, but the field behind him stayed tight. Dueling once more, Klæbo tucked in just behind Chavanat, marking him closely and staying low in his draft.
In the final high-velocity stretch, Klæbo and Chavanat were neck-in-neck as the crowd roared. Leading by inches, Klæbo charged with unmatched tempo. He added two jump skates before throwing his boot across the line ahead of the Frenchman in a photo finish. Chavanat was just 0.05 seconds behind Klæbo. Laughing breathlessly, they embraced and congratulated each other at the finish.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway checks his position relative to his opponent, Lucas Chavanat of France, at the finish of the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) and Lucas Chavanat (FRA) congratulate one another after a photo finish in the final of the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. Klæbo won by a margin of 0.05 seconds. (Photo: NordicFocu)
Håvard Solås Taugbøl of Norway finished third (+1.36) — his first career World Cup podium, followed by Sindre Skar (+1.54), Retivykh (+3.19), and Hamilton (+4.82).
“It was a really tough fight and Lucas was very strong all day,” Klæbo told FIS at the finish. “It was really cool to see that he was that strong again. In the quarter-final, the speed was really high and I was trying my best at a final and was a bit in front of him, but it was a really good fight.”
Håvard Solås Taugbøl of Norway celebrates his podium finish at the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Klæbo’s victory makes him the first male athlete to win five consecutive World Cup sprint events. The last athlete to do so was Marit Bjørgen who won a remarkable eleven in a row between 2003 and 2005. He also became the first athlete to win three World Cup sprint events in Davos. Today’s third consecutive win allowed him to surpass Pellegrino, who won in 2014 and 2015.
In his interview with FIS, the sprint champion was also asked about sharing the podium with his teammate.
“It was really cool to have Håvard on the podium today,” said Klæbo. “I think in Norway we are quite happy today.”
Hamilton has a history of racing well in Davos. He placed 12th last season and 9th in 2017. At 5,100’ Davos is one of the highest elevation venues on the World Cup, but much lower than his 8,000′ hometown of Aspen, Colorado.
In his post-race interview, Hamilton shares why this course suits him well and how this performance gives him confidence on the season ahead. He also discusses his opening performance in Ruka and the tight spread throughout the heats.
Simi Hamilton skis to an 8th place result in the qualifying round of the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Post-race interview with Simi Hamilton.
In a post-race call, head coach Matt Whitcomb discussed Hamilton’s performance, fitness, and headspace going into the qualifier.
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb about Simi Hamilton’s sprint day in Davos.
Racing in the speedy second heat of the quarterfinals with Hamilton, Bolger was eliminated after finishing sixth in his heat and finished 30th.
“It was a step in the right direction,” wrote Bolger in an email. “Last year I came here and qualified 31st so to be on the right side of that this year felt good! I’ve been struggling a bit to find my form so to get into some heats today is a big confidence booster going forward.
“Simi and I had a ripper of a heat and it was really awesome to see him go all the way through to the final,” he continued. “I wish I could have joined him but [it will happen] in time. I’m excited to find some more fitness and keep progressing into semi-finals and hopefully some finals this year!”
Kevin Bolger crests the top of the climb during the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Whitcomb gives depth to Bolger’s performance and the role it plays in terms of his starts for the season.
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb about Kevin Bolger’s performance and physiology.
Outside of the heats, Logan Hanneman finished in 31st after skiing the same qualifying time to the hundredth of a second as Bolger (+6.86). (It apears that in the event of a tie, the skier with the lower FIS points is the winner.) Canada’s only entrant Russell Kennedy finished 42nd (+8.07).
Canada’s Russell Kennedy qualified in 42nd during the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Logan Hanneman on course during the qualifying round at the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Post-race, Whitcomb explains why the tie in the qualifier went to Bolger for who advanced to the heats.
Post-race call with Matt Whitcomb about qualification.
Norway swept the men’s podium of the 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint in Falun, Sweden. With a narrow margin, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (center) took the win over Emil Iversen (l) and Sindre Bjørnestad Skar (r). (Photo: Instagram Screenshot @fiscrosscountry)
The World Cup made its final European stop in Falun, Sweden before the field heads across the pond to Quebec City for the final series. For the men, the weekend opened with a 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint, a last test before the freestyle sprint in Canada.
Heading into the weekend, Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo sat comfortably in the lead for the overall sprint standings with string of six back-to-back wins, not including a win at the World Championships. The 22-year-old phenom had earned a remarkable 604 points and held a lead of 145 points over second place, his friendly rival from Italy, Federico Pellegrino. Klæbo had not lost a sprint since the second World Cup weekend in Lillehammer where a broken pole in the semifinal took him out of contention. He was also humbled in the first race of the season where he looked over his shoulder and laid off the gas too soon, allowing Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov to take him at the line.
While the top of the podium might be more memorable than the other positions, in reflecting on the season, one cannot overlook Pellegrino’s freestyle sprint results. The Italian has landed on the podium, most frequently in second, in all but one skate sprint event this season — the city sprints in Dresden where he was issued a yellow card for obstruction in his quarterfinal, leaving him in 30th for the day. Eirik Brandsdal of Norway sat in third, followed by his teammate Sindre Bjørnestad Skar in fourth, and Gleb Retivykh of Russia in fifth.
Despite Falun sitting roughly 60 degrees north in latitude, a fair amount of grass showed aside the ski jumps and between the folds of the ribbon of snow making up the course. Above freezing temperatures and plenty of sun quickly caused the windy course to become chewed up, especially on some of the downhills and corners. With variable weather leading into the weekend as well, the event coordinators reportedly kept the course closed, even to athletes, techs, and coaches in an effort to preserve a solid track. But despite their best efforts, the course was no match for the sun.
As athletes skied their qualifier, the course eroded; uphills became soft and piles of corn snow could be found on the outside of the curves. This made for an exciting day of races as the sprints became a test of both speed and surefootedness. With numerous crashes in the heats for both men and women, tactics had to include staying on their feet as the athletes’ primary goal.
Federico Pellegrino (right) leads Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (yellow bib), Ristomatti Hakola (bib 4), and Lauri Vuorinen (bib 30) during the quarterfinal of the 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint in Falun, Sweden. (Photo: Instagram screenshot @chiccopelle/@nordicfocus)
As expected given their introduction, Klæbo and Pellegrino went one-two in the qualifier. The two then met head to head in the first heat of the quarterfinal, where they debuted their chosen strategy of hanging back for the first half of the race, then slowly moving into better position before the last 30 seconds where they fired on all cylinders. Klæbo made his move a bit sooner than Pellegrino, demonstrating his signature powerful jump skate as he climbed a granular hill. Pellegrino took things closer to the wire, blasting his way into second place with a no pole skate in the final stretch. The two finished just 0.4 seconds apart in a heat where less than 1.5 seconds separated first through fourth.
The remainder of the quarterfinal heats proved to be close as well, in particular, the third heat, which ended in a four-way photo finish between Skar, Francesco De Fabiani of Italy, Richard Jouve of France, and Andrew Young of Great Britain. As the heat did not prove to be the fastest, only Skar and De Fabiani advanced even though the men were only separated by 0.2 seconds in all.
The course continued to keep things interesting in the semis, where Klæbo and Pellegrino faced Martin Bergström of Sweden, Bolshunov, Skar, and Miha Simenc of Slovenia. Again, Klæbo could be found toward the back 1:30 into the race, but his tactic did not play out as smoothly for him as it did in the quarters.
Rounding a curve late in the long downhill that caused so many skiers to lose their footing, Klæbo found himself boxed out by Bolshunov, forcing him wide into the loose corn on a turn. This robbed the Norwegian of some of his momentum, making it harder for him to position himself with a jump to the front as he did before.
Federico Pellegrino (right) leads Alexander Bolshunov, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (left), and Miha Simenc (back) around a turn through loose granular snow during the semifinal of the 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint in Falun, Sweden. (Photo: Instagram screenshot @chiccopelle/@nordicfocus)
Charging down the final stretch, Skar held the lead with Pellegrino on his tails. Klæbo surged desperately close behind, battling for position with Bolshunov and Bergström. With a final lunge, Pellegrino slid his boot across the line first, just 0.11 seconds head of Skar. Klæbo crossed 0.27 seconds behind Pellegrino in third, holding his breath that the heat would be fast enough to allow him to advance to the final as a lucky loser. Bergström finished fourth 0.91 seconds back, with an unlucky Bolshunov only 0.03 seconds behind him in fifth.
While not as close as the first, the second semi still kept spectators on edge. A broken pole took out Lucas Chanavat of France who had qualified in fifth and was seen as a favorite to win the heat. From there, Emil Iversen and his teammate Brandsdal skied comfortably to take first and second in the heat respectively. Luckily for Klæbo and Bergström, the second heat was indeed slower than the first, so both were able to advance. This put Bergström, who skied for the University of Utah, in unchartered territory, as the 27-year-old had never before made the finals in a World Cup sprint.
Perhaps this fact made Bergström more inclined to take the plunge. At the top of the perilous downhill midway through the final, the six men who had skied as a group to that point stood up and exchanged glances, not wanting to lead until later in the race. While his opponents paused, Bergström charged down the hill in front, staying on his feet through the curves. His lead did not last long, as he was overtaken by the three Norwegians, Iversen, Skar, and Klæbo, and by Pellegrino.
Neck in neck at the finish of the 1.4-kilometer freestyle race in Falun, Sweden. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (far right) took the win over Emil Iversen (left) and Sindre Bjørnestad Skar (right center). Federico Pellegrino (left center) walked away empty-handed in fourth. (Photo: Instagram screenshot @chiccopelle/@nordicfocus)
Heart rates collectively increased for the racers and the crowd as Skar rounded the corner into the finish in first, just ahead of Pellegrino.
Had Klæbo’s tactic failed him again? Just on the leaders’ tails, Klæbo and Iversen skied furiously to reel them in. With little room to spare, Klæbo battled his way to the front, throwing his foot to stop the clock at 2:52.38. Iversen too overtook the fading Skar and Pellegrino, sliding across the line just 0.1 seconds behind Klæbo, with Skar 0.18 seconds behind to close out the Norwegians’ podium sweep. Pellegrino was left with the wooden medal after crossing the line in fourth, 0.71 seconds behind Klæbo. Bergström took fifth (+1.97) and Brandsdal sixth (+2.18).
“It was a really hard race,” Klæbo told the International Ski Federation (FIS) after the finish. “The conditions are quite difficult, especially on the downhills. So it was tough, but in the end there, it was really good conditions and it was a fair fight to the finish. So a bit of struggle in the semifinal, but in the final, a bit better.”
The Norwegians celebrate after sweeping the men’s podium of the 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint in Falun, Sweden. With a narrow margin, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (center) took the win over Emil Iversen (l) and Sindre Bjørnestad Skar (r). (Photo: Instagram Screenshot @emilivers)
U.S. skier Simi Hamilton (USST), qualified in 16th, but a hangup on an uphill early in his quarterfinal robbed him of his momentum and disrupted his plan, leaving him fifth in his heat. Hamilton ended the day in 22nd overall. Kevin Bolger (USST) advanced to the heats where he was eliminated, finishing in 27th overall.
Also for the U.S., Logan Hanneman (APU) placed 39th, and Ben Saxton (SMS T2) was 60th.
Alex Harvey of Canada ended his race in 31st. He was the only Canadian entered.
While two out of four entrants finishing in the top-30 is a positive result for the U.S., head coach Chris Grover explained that luck was not in their favor. In both the men’s and women’s races, crashes and tangles plagued the Americans throughout the day.
“Today was a day where everything started great, but it seemed like one version of misfortune struck followed by another, unfortunately,” Chris Grover told FasterSkier in a call. “But people were healthy, the service team made great skis all day long, so that was really good.”
Bolger had perhaps the best luck of the day.
“Kevin might have been the only guy who didn’t have a significant hangup or bauble out there,” reported Grover. He also felt that Bolger skied well technically, though Bolger felt his race left room for improvement.
“I’m very happy to have come here and qualified with such a strong field,” wrote Bolger in an email. “I was feeling very strong leading into the quarterfinal, unfortunately, a few mistakes led to me losing some time and positioning in my heat, so I can say I’m a little upset leaving the day not having moved on or finishing better. But every race is a learning experience, and I’m looking forward to the next race and applying new tactics!”
Despite feeling strong, Hamilton struggled a bit to feel powerful in the soft conditions during his qualifier. At the start of the heats, he felt poised for a good day but was struck by the poor luck Grover mentioned.
Simi Hamilton on course during the 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint in Falun, Sweden. (Photo: Instagram screenshot @simihamilton/@nordicfocus)
“In the quarter, I wanted to get up front, or as far up as I could, just so I could have the first line into those downhill corners and try to control the heat,” explained Hamilton in a call. “I got off to an okay start, not great, but I just kind of slotted behind Chanavat, knowing that he would probably ski pretty well and ski toward the front, so I felt like I was in a great position.
“At the end of the long straightaway at the start, there’s a hard right-hand corner that goes into the little steep climb, and I just got completely skied into by one of the Finns, Mæki,” he continued. “I almost went down, but kind of saved it, but lost some pretty valuable time there and ended up getting stuck at the back. I still felt good at that point, my energy felt great, but I couldn’t really make any moves past people on the two climbs. And the nature of how the course was holding up today, it was pretty much impossible to pass people on the downhill corners, just because there was basically one line through the corners today and it was incredibly sketchy.”
This experience was frustrating for Hamilton, who is known for his agility on skis. Typically, the downhills and corners would have played to his strengths.
“I’m still psyched about where my fitness and shape are right now, and I’m still mentally engaged with everything, so I’m looking forward to the races coming up in Quebec,” he concluded.
The season has left Hamilton with “mixed feelings” as he has not been able to achieve the results he has felt capable of. He has also faced his fair share of illness.
“I think there have been points in the season that I’ve been really proud of an happy about,” he reflected. “I feel like I’ve had quite a few races this year where I was really close to having a great day, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t quite get there. I’m thinking specifically about the two skate sprints in the Tour [de Ski], both of those were bittersweet because I felt great for both of those, and in Toblach, I had that weird fall on the uphill, and then in Val Mustair, I felt pretty good again but had a pretty tough heat with Chanavat and Pellegrino and couldn’t quite move on. So I’ve felt like in quite a few races, I was just ready to break through and it didn’t quite happen.
“But at the same time, I think that there were a lot of positive moments and positive signs,” he continued. “I knew that my fitness was quite good all season, so I have a little more confidence in that, and have just kind of tried to enjoy it. It was definitely a bummer to get sick in January and miss Dresden, and then January and early February were just not awesome for me with getting sick and missing some training, and then a pretty bad weekend in Lahti. There were some down moments for sure, but looking back on the good races, I’m pretty proud of those.”
After three Olympics and consistently racing on the World Cup circuit since 2010, the 31-year-old Aspen, CO native feels that he is in the twilight of his career.
“All season, I was debating whether I was going to keep coming after this year or not, and right now I feel pretty fired up still and pretty motivated. I know that there are some really specific things that I can work on, so I haven’t fully made a decision yet, but I am definitely leaning toward skiing one more year. So right now, I’m just trying to focus on putting together the best sprint in Quebec and the best weekend in general that I can and have fun there skiing with a big North American team and have a lot of friends and family cheering us on, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Racing in Falun continues tomorrow with 10/15k freestyle events.
Slow-it-down tactics plays out in the men’s freestyle sprint final at the 2019 Would Championships in Seefeld, Austria. (Photo: ARD screenshot)
2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria 1.2 k/ 1.6 k freestyle sprint
Welcome to The Rundown, your quick primer of need-to-know information about the day’s racing. We’ll be updating this digest as the day goes on with additional results, photos and quotes. The Rundown is NOT a race report; stay tuned for complete race reports later today with interviews from the day’s top racers.
The women’s 1.2-kilometer freestyle sprint at the 2019 World Championships in Seefeld, Austria was won by Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla in a time of 2:32.35 minutes. Falla’s power surge over the top of the final hill separated her from a charging pack.
Stina Nilsson of Sweden placed second (+1.66), while Norway’s Mari Eide placed third (+2.84). Jonna Sundling of Sweden was fourth (+3.17), Germany’s Victoria Carl fifth (+5.71), and Maja Dahlqvist of Sweden sixth (+31.49).
All four Americans entered qualified for the heats. Sophie Caldwell qualified as the fastest American in fourth. Caldwell was 1.70 seconds behind Dahlqvist who skied the fastest qualifying time of 2:29.44 minutes.
Sadie Bjornsen qualified in 14th (+4.38), 15th (+4.61), and Julia Kern in her first World Championships qualified 22nd (+6.32).
Diggins advanced to the second semi where she placed fourth (+0.37). Diggins ultimately placed eighth overall.
Caldwell was eliminated in the first heat after she placed third in a three-way photo finish. She was the second highest ranked American placing 14th overall. Bjornsen placed 18th in the final standings, while Kern ranked 23rd.
No Canadian women advanced to the heats. Dahria Beatty just missed out as she placed 31st (+8.05) with only the top-30 skiers advancing to the heats. Katherine Stewart-Jones finished in 40th (+9.95), and 52nd (+12.20).
In the men’s 1.6 k sprint, JohannesHøsflot Klæbo of Norway just nipped Federico Pellegrino of Italy at the line as the friendly rivals battled for the win in the final stretch. Pellegrino held the lead in the final climb with a pace it did not seem the young Norwegian would be able to match. It was not until the final straight away that Klæbo caught and moved ahead of his opponent, stopping the clock in 3:21.17 with Pellegrino just 0.23 seconds behind.
Gleb Retivykh of Russia finished third (+1.37), Richard Jouve of Francefourth (+1.99), Emil Iversen of Norway fifth (+2.25), and Lucas Chavanat of France sixth (+21.5).
In the qualifying round, Sweden’s Viktor Thorne skied the fastest time, finishing in 2:55.58. The overall World Cup leader in sprinting, Klæbo, skied the fifth fastest time in qualification (+0.91). Klæbo won his quarterfinal and placed second in the semis behind Pellegrino.
Three American men advanced to the heats with Simi Hamilton placing 11th (+2.90), Logan Hanneman (APU) 20th, and Kevin Bolger (SVSEF) 23rd (+5.97). Andy Newell did not place in the top 30 and ended his day in 41st.
Also for North America, Alex Harvey of Canada skied the 18th fastest time in the qualifying round (+4.06). His teammate, Len Valjas, finished 42nd (+11.66), and Evan Palmer-Charrette finished 64th (+17.43). Russell Kennedy was ill and did not start.
Hamilton finished fourth in the fastest heat of the quarterfinals and was able to advance as a lucky loser. Neither Bolger nor Hanneman advanced from their quarter. Bolger’s final ranking was 19th, Hanneman 27th.
Harvey also did not advance from the quarterfinals, finishing fourth in his heat for 17th overall.
Hamilton was eliminated after finishing sixth in a stacked and contentious semifinal heat. Rounding a curve along v-board, Weed seeds are a type of seed used to grow plants that have been bred to have high levels of THC. Growing weed seeds is a process that can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. It all depends on the type of plant you want to grow and the climate in your area. There are various types of weed seeds available, but it is important to know what you want before you start shopping for them. Source: weedseeds.garden Klæbo tangled skis with Sergey Ustiugov of Russia. Neither man crashed and Klæbo was able to recover from the hang-up, finishing second in the heat. Ustiugov finished fifth and did not advance. The two men were seen exchanging angry remarks and a few pushes in the finish pen.
Italy’s Federico Pellegrino (c) after winning the men’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint on Saturday in Cogne, Italy. His teammate, Francesco de Fabiani (l) placed second and France’s Lucas Chanavat third. (Photo: FIS Instragram screenshot)
The sun illuminated the alps in Cogne, Italy, the final World Cup stop before the FIS World Championships in Seefeld, Austria. Nestled in the mountains, the Aosta Valley is home to both Federico Pellegrino and Francesco De Fabiani, who seized the opportunity to delight the home crowd. The 1.6-kilometer freestyle race was also a chance for Pellegrino to earn his 12th individual freestyle sprint victory, tying for the second-most overall for any World Cup athlete with Kikkan Randall and Sweden’s Stina Nilsson. Marit Bjørgen of Norway holds the most with a remarkable 24 skate sprint victories.
Pellegrino won the qualifier in a time of 3:10.57, followed by Lucas Chavanat (+0.20) and Richard Jouve (+1.65) of France, Sergey Ustiugov of Russia (+2.12), and Simi Hamilton of the United States (+3.83).
While no Americans made the heats in Lahti last weekend, four placed in the top 30 on Saturday in Cogne. After Hamilton, Logan Hanneman qualified in 15th (+5.44), Andy Newell in 27th (+8.38), and Kevin Bolger in 28th (+8.42).
Federico Pellegrino carries the Italian Flag as gives his countrymen a thums up after winning the 1.6-kilometer freestyle race in Cogne. (Photo: Screenshot FIS/Nordic Focus)
When the heats began, it seemed that Murphy’s Law began to take effect, as numerous crashes took out many hopefuls for the final round. In the first heat, Ustiugov led the pack to a fast start, positioning himself in front through the early climbs. Pellegrino marked the Russian, staying close to his tails and maneuvering past him on a curve at the end of the course’s long descent. While cresting a roll just after Pelligrino’s move to the front, Ustiugov caught a ski and crashed, losing contact with the remainder of the men in the heat.
From there, Pellegrino took control through the finish, leaving himself time to stand up before the line. Behind him was a close fight for second place between Baptiste Gros of France, Russell Kennedy of Canada, Mathias Rundgreen of Norway, and Karl-Johan Westberg of Sweden. Gros took second, while Westberg and Kennedy were eventually able to advance to the semifinals as lucky losers thanks to the heat’s fast times.
In Hamilton’s quarterfinal, the fourth of five, a tangle between Jouve and Alexander Bolshunov of Russia took place just in front of the American, who had tucked himself in toward the back of the pack for the first half of the race (Bolger had been slated to race Quarterfinal 4, but did not start). Luckily for Hamilton, he was quick on his feet and dodged their skis as he maneuvered between them unscathed, moving into second position amidst the men left standing. With a hard press back to the pack from Jouve it was the American and the Frenchmen in a duel to the finish behind Sweden’s Marcus Grate. Grate took the quarterfinal win, while Hamilton snagged the automatic advancing spot by 0.1 seconds ahead of Jouve.
“I think the course caught everyone off guard,” Hamilton explained. The course itself featured a single long climb long sweeping descent and a few gut punching rollers before a sharp corner to the finish.
“At least for the guys especially, I think people thought it would spread out a little bit more because it was kind of a longer course and the first climb was so long and such a grinder climb that I think people thought that it was going to spread out and that there would be less contact because of that. But really, it’s pretty crazy, I think almost every men’s heat, especially I think in the quarter and maybe the semis, definitely had a lot of bumping and some crashes.”
Bolger’s decision to sit out the quarterfinal stemmed from his focus on races to come at World Champs. He told FasterSkier in an email that he has been battling a cold and wanted to be conservative to ensure that he is in top form during the sprint in Seefeld on Thursday.
“I’m feeling great this afternoon and looking ahead now to the sprint at World Champs!” he wrote. Bolger ended the day in Cogne in 30th.
In Semifinal 1, Kennedy led the group through the first half of the course, with Pellegrino, de Fabiani, Gros, Chavanat and Sondre Turvoll Fossli of Norway tucked in patiently behind him. Pellegrino took charge in the second half as he skied to the win, spreading his competitors out behind him. Just behind, in a fight for second place, Chavanat outsprinted De Fabiani, with Fossli taking fourth.
Kennedy ended his day in 12th, his career-best result in an individual World Cup event (at the time of publication, FasterSkier had not received comment from Kennedy).
“I felt very good from the beginning of the day,” wrote Kennedy in an email. “I got some good insight from Alex Harvey before the race and did a good job executing what he had suggested! Was super excited after the qualifier.
“I haven’t been know for my finish, so my strategy was to get as many lucky loser spots as possible,” Kennedy explained. “I picked a hard quarter and then went for it to try to make a fast heat in the semi. It was a good strategy but I didn’t have quite as much as I had hoped for in the end.”
In Semifinal 2, Hamilton relied again on patience as he tucked in toward the back of the group through the first half, slowly moving ahead in the final 600-meters. Toward the end of the long descent, yet another crash took place as Jovian Hediger of Switzerland tangled skis with Håvard Solås Taugbøl of Norway and Tom Mancini of France. Marcus Grate of Sweden took the win with Hamilton just behind. As the first heat ended up much faster than the second, both De Fabiani and Fossli advanced to the final as lucky losers.
While there were no crashes in the final, a problem with Pellegrino’s pole spiced things up for the Italian sprint specialist in his quest to win at home. Heading up a hill in V1, as his arm swung forward, he suddenly no longer had a pole attached to the strap on his right hand. Impressively, the Italian did not lose any momentum and continued up the climb where he was handed a new pole which he calmly exchanged without losing his position in third.
He stayed tucked in behind Chavanat and De Fabiani as the three began to separate themselves at the front. Pellegrino surged at the last climb to position himself for a close fight in the final stretch. As the trio of men powered through the straightaway, Pellegrino pulled away from his opponents throwing his arms up in celebration as he crossed the line in first, stopping the clock at 3:09.01. De Fabiani took second (+0.48) besting Chavanat in third (+0.51) by 0.03 seconds. Hamilton landed just off the podium in fourth (+3.91), followed by Fossli in fifth (+4.03), and Grate in sixth (+27.90).
Federico Pellegrino showers his teammate Francesco De Fabiani with champagne as they celebrate taking first and second in the 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint in Cogne, Italy. (Photo: Instagram screenshot @chiccopelle)
The crowd of Italians cheered as Pellegrino and De Fabiani congratulated each other with an embrace at the finish. In his interview, Pellegrino thanked his countrymen for their support.
“They gave me a lot of pushing,” he told FIS. “I needed this before the World Ski Championship, I tell them to come, and I see that a lot of people came.”
He later added, “Today was difficult to focus but I needed this energy by my people, by region, my valley, because I know now that when I go to Seefeld I have the responsibility to give everything that I can.”
From crashes to illness, Hamilton has had several strokes of bad luck this season. Saturday, things turned around for the 31 year old.
“I’m psyched for sure,” he told FasterSkier in a call. “I feel like I’ve been really fit this year and fast and I haven’t really had a great opportunity to show that. I had some frustrating races in the Tour and stuff, so it felt really good to kind of finally be able to put all the pieces together.”
Sitting above 5,000 ft in elevation, Cogne is one of the higher courses on the World Cup. However, it is still nearly 3,000 feet below Hamilton’s hometown of Aspen, Colorado.
“The conditions were kind of right in my wheelhouse with a little bit of altitude, fast cold snow, and bluebird skies, and being in the big mountains made me pretty happy,” he said. “I think it’s a great sign leading into World Champs and I know that I’m really fit right now. Training the last month has gone really well and I’m just psyched to be able to hopefully put together another good one in a few days [in Seefeld].”
Hamilton is known for being an agile skier, which was certainly to his advantage given the number of mishaps in Saturday’s event. In both the quarters and the semis, Hamilton’s early patience positioned him to avoid any hang ups. While his positioning was part of the plan, the way things played out was unforeseen.
Simi Hamilton skis past a stunning backdrop on his way to a fourth place finish in the 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint in Cogne, Italy. (Photo: Nordic Focus / Instagram screenshot @simihamilton)
“In my quarter, my tactics were to try to ski that whole first climb really kind of relaxed and I knew I probably wasn’t going to be able to relax a lot if I was leading pack so I just kind of settled in closer to the back and then tried to get around people on the long downhill, but that was kind of the place where the course took everyone by surprise. I think people thought that there was going to be a lot more passing going on in that downhill and they didn’t really, it just kind of stayed as one tight glob all the way down so I wasn’t able to move up there.
“For sure, I got kind of lucky with there being that big crash with Richard and Bolshunov coming up toward the finish in my quarter and I was able to get through that unscathed,” he continued. “I still felt good at that point so I think that I would have been able to put in a good finishing sprint and hopefully moved on anyway, but it definitely helped me to be able to ski past those guys when they were on the ground and then move on that way.”
Despite the risk of ending the day early, Hamilton enjoyed the chaos on course.
“It was a good course, really fun, and I think some crashes are always kind of good because that means it’s more exciting as a sprint race,” he said. “I think people are more psyched to watch a race where there’s some bumping and grinding, it’s always much more fun to race when it’s kind of like that anyway.”
Two more Americans ended the day in the top 30, with Andy Newell placing 23rd and Logan Hanneman 27th.
Erik Bjornsen did not make the heats, placing 39th. Also for North America, Russell Kennedy of Canada qualified in 12th (+5.30). Alex Harvey did not make the heats and finished his day in 48th and Evan Palmer-Charrette 59th.
Racing in Cogne continues tomorrow with 10/15k classic races.
Sweden’s Stina Nilsson leading the U.S. Ski Team’s Sadie Bjornsen during Saturday’s freestyle sprint in Toblach, Italy. Nilsson won the first stage of the Tour de Ski, Bjornsen placed sixth overall. (Photo: ZDF Screenshot)
FIS World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 1 1.6 k Freestyle Sprint
Seventy-five skiers began the 2018/2019 women’s Tour de Ski in Tobalch, Italy with a 1.3-kilometer freestyle sprint.
The U.S. Ski Team’s (USST) Sadie Bjornsen was the fastest qualifier finishing in 2:35.95 minutes. Sweden’s Linn Soemskar was second (+0.14), and Stina Nilsson third (+0.40).
Jessie Diggins (USST) qualified in 6th (+1.38), and Sophie Caldwell 9th (+1.60).
The final was dominated by Nilsson as she took her second World Cup win of the season. The Swede won the final in 2:36:26 minutes, with her teammate Ida Ingemarsdotter in second (+3:00) and Diggins in third (+3:07). Russia’s Yulia Belorukova was fourth (+3:16), Soemskar fifth (+3:26), and Bjornsen sixth (+3.40).
Caldwell ended her day ninth overall after being eliminated in a tight first semi-final — first through sixth were separated by 0.7 seconds.
For Canada, Dahria Beatty placed 49th (+9.42), and Emily Nishikawa 61st (+12.88).
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (bib 1) from Norway winning the men’s final in Toblach, Italy. Klæbo looked in form during the first stage of the 2018/2019 Tour de Ski. (Photo: ZDF screenshot)
For the men, 105 athletes began qualification. Johannes Høsflot Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norwayof Norway marked the fastest qualifying time in 2:16.86 minutes. Frances Lucas Chavanat was the second fastest qualifier (+1.22), and teammate Richard Jouve third (+1.95).
Simi Hamilton (USST) qualified in 8th (+3.00), while Kevin Bolger (USST) was 13th (+3.98).
No other North Americans qualified for the heats.
The men’s final went to Klæbo with Jouve and Chanavat in a close second (+0.34) and third (+0.39) respectively. Sindre Bjørnestad Skar of Norway was fourth (+0.76). teammate Emil Iversen was fifth (+1.67), with Alexander Bolshunov in sixth (+3.17).
Hamilton looked strong in the second heat moving up the right side of a climb when he stumbled and fell. Hamilton finished the day in 26th. Bolger was eliminated in the fifth heat after he placed fifth. (Russia’s Bolshunov won heat five in what was the fastest heat.) Bolger finished 21st overall.
Erik Bjornsen (USST) finished in 76th (+10.38), and Ben Lustgarten (CGRP) 105th (+15.23).
For Canada, Alex Harvey placed 50th (+7.16), Lenny Valjas 55th (+7.46), and Bob Thompson 62nd (+8.10).
Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (l) edging Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov (3) and Norway’s Eirik Brandsdal (not shown) in the first semifinal of the men’s classic sprint at the World Cup in Drammen, Norway. Klæbo went on to win the final, ahead of Brandsdal in second and Bolshunov in third. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)
In the classic venue that are the Drammen city sprints, it was a singular affair from start to finish during the men’s World Cup 1.2-kilometer classic sprint on Wednesday. In a race format that tapered from a field of 61 skiers to the winner, one only needs to track the skier in the overall World Cup’s leader bib to follow along.
The yellow-bibbed skier, Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, didn’t surprise with his sprint win in Drammen as much as place another high performance stamp on his 2017/2018 campaign.
Klæbo won the qualifier in 2:49.32 minutes. Teammate Eirik Brandsdal skied to second in the qualifier, 3.5 seconds behind Klæbo. Russian Alexander Bolshunov skied the third-fastest qualifying time, finishing 4.48 seconds back. This puts some things in perspective, if anybody thought Klæbo would bloat in his post-Olympic gold medal glow — he won three golds in PyeongChang — you’d be wrong.
Klæbo would have have good reason to cash it in. What exactly does the 21 year old need to prove? Coming into Wednesday’s race, Klæbo had already captured the Sprint World Cup Crystal Globe. It’s the Norwegian phenom’s second-consecutive overall sprint title.
Yet Klæbo is also on the verge of sealing up his first Overall World Cup title. After the Drammen sprints, Klæbo leads the overall standings with 1308 points. Behind him, Martin Johnsrud Sundby of Norway (who did not contest Wednesday’s sprint), trails in second place with 980 points total.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo leads his quarterfinal with fellow Norwegian Fredrik Riseth (l) and Sweden’s Emil Jönsson (30) at the World Cup classic sprint in Drammen, Norway. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)
“It was really important to me to get the 100 points today,” Klæbo told the International Ski Federation (FIS) after the race. “I need as many points as I can get against the other guys for the [overall] Crystal Globe. I will race the Holmenkollen 50 k this weekend and I know it will be tough. Also it’s great to win here in front of all the people. I was second here last season and I’m really happy to now have won Drammen.”
Let’s circle back to what Klæbo needs to prove, beyond padding his overall lead by another 100 points by winning the Drammen sprint. He’s proving at his young age, pending any monumental flameout, that he’s setting the stage for a historic international cross-country ski career.
This season alone, Klæbo has won six of nine individual sprint World Cups. He’s won 10 World Cup races in total. That win total puts Klæbo in rarefied company: in the men’s field, only Petter Northug (with 10 wins) and Sundby (16 wins) have won 10 or more World Cup races in a single season.
Winners want to win. Amidst the five-deep crowd surrounding the sprint course featuring Drammen’s iconic Bragernes Church, with his pink-themed flare, Klæbo proved once again he is a consummate winner.
There was his dominating qualifier. Then there was Klæbo’s quarterfinal, in which he looked less threatening. He won the first quarterfinal by 0.7 seconds in a photo finish with Brandsdal. That heat seemed to be a test run, as if Klæbo were feeling the course out and asking himself how it skied with five other bodies jousting for tracks and inside lines. There was never the hallmark Klæbo burst of speed or any real dominance. Klæbo kept in contact up the long initial uphill, and down through the tight and sinuous S-turns after the course’s highpoint.
If in fact the first quarterfinal was a dress rehearsal, Klæbo must have realized that any real podium threats would be drag racing up the final quarter-kilometer climb that finished nearly smack-dab in front of the church.
The first semifinal featured the day’s top-three qualifiers: Klæbo, Brandsdal and Bolshunov. (Bolshunov advanced by winning the second quarterfinal.) The three skiers finished 1-2-3 with Klæbo taking the win in another photo finish with Brandsdal.
Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov leads five Norwegians in the men’s classic sprint final at the World Cup in Drammen, Norway: (from l to r) Eriik Brandsdal, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (yellow bib), Sindre Bjørnestad Skar (10), Kasper Stadaas (16), and Emil Iversen. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)
Tactically, Bolshunov played his hand early. Determined to break Klæbo, the Russian led out hard and took the sharp end of the race in earnest. At the top of the course, Bolshunov had strung the five other skiers out behind him. Moments before the highpoint and entering the technical downhill S-turns, Bolshunov and Klæbo gave a burst of speed and distanced themselves by 10 meters. As Klæbo learned in his heat, even with speedy skis, the downhill is not decisive. It’s more a function of skiing out front, staying on your feet and entering the final straight with enough high-octane gas to turbo the finish.
Up the final climbing stretch, which seems as eternal as some flame burning inside the Bragernes Church, Bolshunov faded slightly, while Klæbo and Brandsdal pulled ahead.
Klæbo’s second takeaway: he already knew the course was won on the final straightaway climb. If he could match Bolshunov on the remainder of the course, Bolshunov could not mirror him in the final meters.
The final played out like Klæbo’s semi. Bolshunov punched it early. Klæbo sat behind the Russian, matching him pole for pole, stride for stride. Up front was as good a place as any for Bolshunov. Besides the Russian, it was an all-Norwegian final. There was Klæbo and Brandsdal, along with Sindre Bjørnestad Skar, Kasper Stadaas and Emil Iversen.
The men’s podium from Drammen’s 2018 classic sprint. Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (c) placed first, his teammate Eirik Brandsdal (l) was second, and Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov (r) finished third. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)
Bolshunov again led up and over the top of the course, through the S-turns and through the tucking downhill. Brandsdal trailed by 10 meters, but by the final turn before the uphill to the church’s front door, the threesome had regrouped. Again, as the double poling got down to business, Bolshunov faded, Klæbo pulled away and Brandsdal could only stay a second behind the day’s winner. And of course Klæbo was able to toe the line as he bowed to the frenzied crowd. Nothing to prove except he can win with panache and win in style when the Norwegian cameras turn out in force.
Klæbo won the final in 2:44.69 minutes. Brandsdal followed 1.04 seconds back in second place, Bolshunov finished third (+3.78), Bjørnestad fourth (+6.55), Kaspar fifth (+8.71), and Iversen sixth (+11.45).
Bjornsen Reaches Quarterfinals, 18th Overall
Erik Bjornsen was the lone North American who advanced to the heats, qualifying in 26th and finishing the day in 18th.
“I was feeling good,” Bjornsen told FasterSkier after the race. “It’s a tight course. It was a bit scrappy. … It’s my first time here qualifying for the heats, so I’m learning some things, for sure.”
Bjornsen skied in the fifth quarterfinal with Iversen, Russia’s Alexander Panzhinskiy, Finland’s Ristomatti Hakola, Emil Nyeng of Norway, and France’s Lucas Chavanat.
The American skied near the back of the group but avoided any real mishaps. Although the sport is not roller derby, Drammen’s tight-and-rutted corners offer up a close cross-country skiing cousin.
The U.S. Ski Team’s Erik Bjornsen toeing the line in fourth during Wednesday’s fifth heat in Drammen, Norway. Bjornsen placed 18th on the day. (Screenshot: NRK broadcast)
“I feel like – I kind of missed a few spots,” Bjornsen said. “At the bottom corner I was pushed to the outside. I was almost moving up into second, and looking back maybe I should have gone around him on the other side.”
Up the never-ending final straightaway, Bjornsen poled himself into a position to potentially advance to the semifinals as a lucky loser. However, that didn’t pan out for Bjornsen. Iversen won the heat in 2:51.96 minutes, Panzhinskiy placed second (+0.20), Hakola third (+0.99), with Bjornsen in fourth (+1.18).
Andy Newell racing to 33rd in the men’s classic sprint qualifier at the World Cup in Drammen, Norway. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)
Also for the U.S., Andy Newell missed the quarterfinals after finishing 33rd in qualification, 0.9 seconds out of 30th. Logan Hanneman and Kevin Bolger finished 49th and 50th, respectively, and Reese Hanneman 56th. The U.S. Ski Team’s Simi Hamilton sat out Wednesday’s sprint as he is recovering from an illness.
For Canada, Julien Locke finished 51st in qualifying, Alex Harvey was 54th, and Andy Shields 58th.
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