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Tag: Mariya Guschina

  • Kalla Continues to Dominate in Gällivare; Russia Sweeps Men’s 15 k Classic

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BbpElh6gxkx/?taken-by=kalla_87

    Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla.

    For the second day in a row, Charlotte Kalla, a name synonymous with the yellow and blue of Sweden, stood atop the podium, placing first in the women’s 10-kilometer classic International Ski Federation (FIS) race on Saturday in Gällivare, Sweden. On Friday, Kalla won another individual-start race, the 5 k freestyle, by a margin of 8.8 seconds. She more than doubled that time gap by the finish of Day 2, winning the 10 k classic in 27:55 minutes, 17.7 seconds ahead of Russia’s Yulia Tchekaleva in second place. Natalia Nepryaeva, also from Russia, skied to third, 40.9 seconds back of Kalla.

    “I am feeling good and I think I am where I should be at this moment,” Kalla wrote in an email. “I had a good feeling on the classic race and handle the condition well. On Friday I opened hard and tried to push hard all the way.”

    Known as a skate powerhouse, Kalla has improved her classic skiing and is now a double threat. “I have improved my classic technique the last years,” Kalla explained. “When I am in shape it doesn’t matter if it is skating or classic. I am glad I managed to ski well in the condition we had. It was a little bit soft because of the snowfall.”

    Although a home FIS event for Sweden, Russia secured six of the top-10 spots with Sweden settling for three. Japan’s Masako Ishida, the only non-Russian or Swede outlier in the top 10, placed fourth (+1:02.4). Russians Anna Zherebyateva raced to fifth (+1:08.8) while teammate Yulia Belorukova was sixth (+1:12.8).

    Sweden took the next two spots with Stina Nilsson in seventh (+1:20.9) and Anna Haag in eighth (1:20.9). Russia rounded out the top 10 with Anatasia Sedova placing ninth (+1:24.1) and Mariya Guschina in tenth (+1:25.0).

    Sweden’s Ida Ingemarsdotter, a World Cup regular, placed 11th (+1:30.6).

    Kikkan Randall was the only U.S. Ski Team member at the race, and a day after finishing eighth in the 5 k skate, she finished 15th (+1:48.1) on Saturday. In an email, Randall explained that snow had fallen continuously for the last 24 hours in Gällivare.

    “Conditions were pretty nice, the track was a little soft and a lot of racers here made the pole track a little punchy,” she wrote.

    Considering the massive time-zone shift from her home in Anchorage, Alaska, to Central European Time, it appears Randall is adjusting well.

    “I felt decent today, not too tired from the jet lag or yesterday’s race. I wanted two back-to-back races to get ready for next weekend’s triple World Cup opener,” she wrote, referring to the first three World Cup races in Kuusamo, Finland, starting Friday, Nov. 23.

    Throughout Saturday’s 10 k, Randall steadily improved her overall placing: she was 32nd at 4.2 k, 23rd at 6.8 k and locked into 15th by 9.2 k.

    “It was definitely good to race a 10km classic today,” Randall wrote. “I had trouble really digging into my race gear on the first lap today. I think I was skiing a little stiff and not carrying my momentum down the track. Nepryaeva [the third-place finisher] caught me going into the 2nd lap and that was the jumpstart I needed. I was able to match her pace for most of the rest of the race and it helped me find better technique and tempo.

    “I wanted to be a little stronger today but I got some really important feedback on where I’m at and what I need to work on as the race season progresses,” she added. “My fitness feels pretty good and now it’s just a matter of fine-tuning.”

    Emily Nishikawa was the only Canadian entered on Saturday and finished in 51st (+3:39.3). Sixty-nine women started the race, 38 from Sweden, 17 from Russia, seven from Japan, two from Switzerland and Estonia, and one each from the U.S., Canada, and Poland.

    Yesterday’s 12th-placed skier, Russian Evgenia Shapovalova, who was recently handed down a lifetime Olympic ban by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), did not start the race.

    Russia Sweeps

    In Friday’s 10 k skate in Gällivare, only Swiss star Dario Cologna kept the Russians from sweeping the top nine by placing third. In that race, Evgeniy Belov and Sergey Ustiugov of the Russian national team finished first and second, respectively.

    Saturday was a different race, a 15 k classic, but with a similar thread and no Cologna as a Russian foil.

    The Russian men finishing in unison to take first, second and third in the men’s 30 k skiathlon, the final race of 2017 U23 World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. Alexander Bolshunov (8) was deemed the winner, Alexey Chervotkin (1) was second, and Denis Spitsov (11) third. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)

    It was Russia, Russia, Russia.

    Alexander Bolshunov, winner of the 30 k skiathlon at 2017 U23 World Championships, won the race in 37:13, one second ahead of Maxim Vylegzhanin in second. Alexey Chervotkin was third (+5.1).

    Classic specialist, Kazakhstan’s Alexey Poltoranin finished fourth, 13 seconds off the podium, and Cologna placed fifth (+22.1).

    Despite being on Swedish soil, the rest of the top 10 became a mostly Russian affair. Russian teammates Alexey Vitsenko and Artem Maltsev placed sixth (+29.5) and seventh (+37.4), respectively, Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson interrupted the trend by tying Russia’s Evgeniy Belov for eighth (+38.0), and Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh took 10th (+40.1).

    There’s a pattern: Russia took 14 of the top-20 places. Twenty-eight of 126 starters were from Russia, with the vast majority of the field being Swedish. Outside of the top 10, Sweden’s Daniel Rickardsson was the next-best Swede in 12th (+49.6).

    Devon Kershaw (World Cup Team), who finished 12th on Friday, once again led Canada in 20th (+1:06.7). At 6.8 k, Kershaw was ranked 15th, and at 9.6 k he was down one spot to 16th. By the 11.4 k checkpoint, he began slipping further in the standings.

    “Today was a tough one,” Kershaw wrote in an email. “I felt pretty good but conditions were soft, so you had to really feather it (the technique) – especially on the climbs.  Pacing wise I think I was doing pretty well, but in the last 2.5km today I was missing any semblance of a kick to the finish and ended up conceding a few seconds to those around me, knocking me from about 15-16 to 20th.”

    Although an interval start race, Kershaw never found a strong pacing partner. “I was skiing alone – no help at all today,” Kershaw wrote of his solitary effort. “It would have been so helpful! Especially that last lap when things get tough. But in individual start races, you need to learn to do it alone. So good to try and get used to that “time trial” feeling.”

    Three other Canadians competed, with Graeme Killick (World Cup Team) finishing 50th (+2:32.3), Jack Carlyle (Alberta World Cup Academy) 91st (+4:06.1), and Brian McKeever (Para Nordic Team) 110th (+5:16.0).

    As of press time, Fasterskier could not confirm if the International Ski Federation (FIS) held an emergency meeting to discuss the involvement of IOC-banned Russian skiers in FIS-sanctioned races. Of the six IOC-sanctioned Russian skiers, four are men: Belov, Vylegzhanin, Alexander Legkov, and Alexey Petukhov. All four skiers raced on Friday, however, Legkov and Petukhov (and Shapovalova, one of the two women sanctioned by the IOC) did not contest Saturday’s race.

    Racing continues in Gällivare on Sunday with classic sprints.

    Results: Women | Men

  • Guschina Leaves Erzurum Field In The Dust; Bjornsen Chases Tight Pack For Fifth

    Guschina Leaves Erzurum Field In The Dust; Bjornsen Chases Tight Pack For Fifth

    Mariya Guschina (RUS) on her way to a dominating win in the women's 10 k at U23 World Championships.

    ERZURUM, Turkey — In her first race at these U23 World Championships, Mariya Guschina (RUS) had no trouble sticking with the standard set by her Russian teammates this week, claiming the gold medal by 26.7 seconds over Polina Medvedeva (RUS).

    Second through fifth place were tightly packed—Martine Ek Hagen (NOR) took third, only 1.3 seconds out of silver, Emma Wiken (SWE) was 0.4 behind Hagen in fourth, and APU’s Sadie Bjornsen (USA) crossed the line 3.5 behind Wiken for fifth.

    With yet another victory by a wide margin in Erzurum, what’s the Russians’ secret?

    “There is a great team spirit in our squad,” said Guschina. “Everybody is working very hard. Coaches, service as well as athletes are all trying their best. That is why Russian skiers have collected so many medals here.”

    Medvedeva, who had expected to be battling Buschina for the win, had a similar take on the Russian dominance in Erzurum: “It feels great to be on the podium with her. We share our big day together.”

    Martine Ek Hagen (NOR).

    Hagen’s bronze medal was briefly in question, as she took the wrong lane in the stadium as she came through for her second lap. Britt Ingunn Nydal (NOR), who was skiing in front of her, went into the finish lanes when she should have stayed in the lap lane. Hagen followed her before realizing the mistake and skiing back to the correct track.

    “Suddenly I hear our team doctor screaming,” said Hagen. Nydal realized her error after Hagen, and lost a few more seconds.

    The jury decided that Hagen’s mistake hadn’t given her an advantage, and she was allowed to keep her bronze medal along with a written warning.

    Norway’s team doctor, Kjell Vegard Mykland, thought the stadium hadn’t been fairly set up.

    “You have to choose the right lane a little bit too early on the straight [after coming around the corner],” Mykland said.

    Hagen agreed that the required lane change was in a difficult position after coming down a long descent into the stadium.

    “I don’t know, I was so focused it was probably me, but when you’re racing downhill, you come fast, and it’s not the best to change course. It was a little bit difficult.”

    After losing time with the mistake, Hagen said she became dispirited. She ended up 0.3 seconds out of the silver medal.

    “I think maybe I lost a little bit of motivation… It was an ok race, but I’m looking forward to Saturday now even more,” said Hagen.

    Sadie Bjornsen (APU/USST) on her way to fifth in the 10 k classic.

    On her sixth trip to World Juniors/U23s, Bjornsen posted a career best fifth place in the 10 k classic. It was a close race for rest of the podium, and Bjornsen was well aware of it as she powered through the second and final 5 k lap.

    “I knew it was going to be close,” she said. “[Bryan] Fish told me at the top of the second hill that five seconds was five places—I was just trying to go for it with every bit that I had.”

    Bjornsen skied a tactically smart race, and was able to stick to the plan she’d laid out for the race.

    “The first time around she was in 10th, and six seconds would get her five positions,” said Fish.  “That kind of information, when it’s that tight, can really help to motivate an athlete.”

    Bjornsen (USA). Photo: Terje Alstad.

    Bjornsen said skiing a bit slower in the beginning was part of the plan.

    “That didn’t worry me; I planned to do the first lap conservatively. Then…on the second lap I planned on hammering the hill,” said Bjornsen.

    “It was one of those splits that was one off the checklist: ‘OK, this is where I want to be.’”

    Emily Nishikawa (CAN) was the second North American on Thursday in 17th (+1:47.8). She had hoped for a top-20, but was happy with a solid effort.

    “It’s hard to put a number on it, because you never know who’s going to be here,” Nishikawa said of her goals going into the 10 k.

    “I was happy with it…I pushed hard and did as well as I could have.”

    Becca Rorabaugh (USA) was 29th, Marlies Kromm (CAN) was 35th, Annika Hicks (CAN) 37th, and Heidi Widmer (CAN) was 28th.

    Women’s 10 k results

    Emily Nishikawa (CAN), 17th.
  • Lahteenmaki Leaves Women’s 10 K Behind; Nishikawa 16th

    Lahteenmaki Leaves Women’s 10 K Behind; Nishikawa 16th

    Finland's Krista Lahteenmaki on her way to the win in Thursday's 10 k freestyle in Otepaa, Estonia. Photo courtesy of Langd.se

    If one of the races at the 2011 World U-23 Championships was a foregone conclusion, it was probably the women’s 10 k freestyle.

    The top-seeded athlete on Thursday’s start list in Otepaa, Estonia was Finnish powerhouse Krista Lahteenmaki, a World Cup silver medalist—and the results were predictable.

    In an effort that serves as a stark benchmark for the rest of the U-23 women, Lahteenmaki skied to the win by a full minute over Russia’s Mariya Guschina, with Norway’s Hilde Lauvhaug in third.

    Only 15 athletes were within two minutes of Lahteenmaki’s time of 26:33. Canada’s Emily Nishikawa was the top North American in 16th, while Sadie Bjornsen led the Americans in 23rd.

    Canada's Emily Nishikawa racing to 16th place.

    After Wednesday’s junior races went off in cloudy weather, with moderate temperatures, Thursday greeted athletes with a beautifully clear, crisp, and frigid morning—the first time in a week that a color other than gray graced the Estonian skies.

    The snow was squeaky and slow, and temperatures on the coldest areas of the Otepaa trails were close to the legal racing limit of negative four degrees Fahrenheit. The women raced wearing buffs, mittens, and even athletic tape on their cheeks to stave off frostbite.

    Their course, three laps of a 3.3-kilometer loop, took the athletes out of the stadium and on much of the same terrain as last weekend’s World Cup here, through a pair of open fields on an expansive hillside.

    Lacking on Thursday, though, was the brutally steep climb near Otepaa’s ski jump—as well as the spectators. No more than 25 viewed the race from the stadium, while farther out, the course was lined with more coaches than fans.

    Lahteenmaki has raced in front of much larger crowds in the 2011 Tour de Ski and at the 2010 Olympics, but the setting didn’t seem to make much of a difference to her. By the end of her first lap, she was already 25 seconds up on German Denise Herrman, her nearest challenger, and never looked back.

    “She can do this kind of performance when it’s needed,” said Ilkka Jarva, the Finnish U-23 coach—noting that part of Lahteenmaki’s success can be attributed to her health. This year, it’s been good; last year, she was battling an infection with Mycoplasma.

    Still, Lahteenmaki’s victory almost didn’t happen. After her hemoglobin levels tested high before last weekend’s World Cup races and she received a five-day ban, she nearly decided to leave Estonia.

    Instead, according to Heidi Lehikoinen, her spokeswoman, she did a 10 k time trial on the distance race course—recording a time, 29:12, that would have put her in the top 20 of the World Cup field. She had another hemoglobin test on Tuesday before the U-23 racing started, and passed.

    “I was happy that I could ski today,” Lahteenmaki said in the press conference.

    Fortunately for the rest of the field, the 10 k was the only event Lahteenmaki is contesting at U-23’s—she’s departing Otepaa for the Finnish national championships later this week, then competing at the 2011 World Ski Championships in Oslo.

    After her podium finish in a stage of the Tour de Ski earlier this month, it’s conceivable that Lahteenmaki could crack the podium

    American Sadie Bjornsen on her way to 25th.

    in Norway—or at least at future Worlds.

    “It’s just a question of time, I think, when she will take the big win,” Jarva said. “The potential is there.”

    Nishikawa, meanwhile, recorded her personal best U-23 finish with a “really good race,” after warming up with a 46th place in last weekend’s 10 k classic World Cup, when she said she was feeling a little jet-lagged.

    On Thursday, she latched onto Germany’s Monique Siegel, who was starting as Nishikawa lapped through the stadium after a controlled, conservative start. At 3.3 kilometers, she was sitting 25th, before moving up nine places by the finish.

    “I didn’t want to start too fast,” Nishikawa said, noting that she doesn’t get “too wound up” for races.

    U-23’s is often sparsely-attended, and on Thursday, a mere 42 athletes completed the women’s race. Many of Norway’s best athletes were racing at home at their national championships, and the field wasn’t quite as competitive as usual.

    But with Lahteenmaki at the top, there was no question that the world’s U-23 women had a good barometer in the Finn.

    “The U-23—it’s always a little bit thinner, for sure,” said Eric Bailey, one of the Canadian coaches. “But…obviously, there’s still some pretty nice-quality skiers here.”

    Link to full results.