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Tag: men’s 4×10 k relay

  • Canadian Men: ‘Just Wasn’t Our Day’ in World Championships Relay

    Canadian Men: ‘Just Wasn’t Our Day’ in World Championships Relay

    Ivan Babikov sets out on the third leg for Canada in Friday's 4 x 10 k relay at the 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Out of contention by Devon Kershaw's second leg, the Canadians finished 12th.
    Ivan Babikov sets out on the third leg for Canada in Friday’s 4 x 10 k relay at the 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Out of contention by Devon Kershaw’s second leg, the Canadians finished 12th.

    FasterSkier’s coverage of the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, is brought to you by the generous support of Fischer Sports.

    VAL DI FIEMME, Italy – The Canadian men had no reason to believe they couldn’t contend for the podium in the Friday’s 4 x 10-kilometer relay at Nordic World Ski Championships.

    In the last week, they had already been there with Alex Harvey notching a career-best bronze in the individual classic sprint – a best for a Canadian male at World Championships as well. Harvey and Devon Kershaw went on to place fourth in the freestyle team sprint, just three-hundredths of a second from third, and on Wednesday, Ivan Babikov set another new mark of fourth in the 15 k freestyle individual start.

    With those three primed for the relay, it seemed anything was possible. Scramble leg Lenny Valjas was a bit of an unknown coming off a long bout with strep throat, but everyone knew what the 24-year-old was capable of, with two individual World Cup podiums this season.

    But as athletes often say, relays are relays, and anything can happen.

    In an effort to get in front and out of trouble early, Valjas started strong for the team, taking the lead on a long downhill halfway through the first of three 3.3 k laps. At the end of the first loop, he remained within 3.7 seconds of eventual-winner Norway up front, and moved from 13th in the pack to seventh by the end of the second lap.

    Lenny Valjas heads out of the stadium alongside Italy's Dietmar Nöckler on the first leg of Friday's 4 x 10 k relay at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.
    Lenny Valjas heads out of the stadium alongside Italy’s Dietmar Nöckler on the first leg of Friday’s 4 x 10 k relay at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

    Valjas charged up the big climb out of the stadium in fourth behind Germany’s Hannes Dotzler, Sweden’s Daniel Richardsson and Evgeniy Belov of Russia, but lost contact with the leaders on the second half of the course.

    Valjas tagged Kershaw in 11th, 11.6 seconds back, in a chase group with Czech Republic, France and Belarus.

    “I blew up for the last 100 meters,” Valjas said. “But other than that I was happy with the effort, happy to be out of bed.”

    While the group caught up to the nine others on the first kilometer of the second leg, Kershaw worked hard to hang on, holding onto 11th through the first lap. The next time around, he slipped to 12th, four seconds behind France’s Maurice Manificat.

    Unable to stay with the Frenchman, Kershaw fell nearly 20 seconds out of contention midway through and handed off to Babikov in 12th, 1:47.3 seconds out of the lead and 39.1 behind Finland in 11th.

    “I was in a pain cave like I’ve never been in. I was a mess,” Kershaw wrote in an email.

    Burdened by stomach problems for since mid-January, he explained he felt good enough out of the start, but was having some issues with his skis, specifically his kick.

    “For sure the skis weren’t the best-ever, but even with the skis I had I should have been able to limit my losses,” he continued. “I was struggling to even stay on my feet coming down the last hill. And that’s after getting just shelled by 1:50. One minute fifty. In a classic race. … The last lap was just so, so, so difficult. It was the worst-feeling race of my entire career – and that’s not being dramatic.”

    Canada's Devon Kershaw tries to stay in contention on the second leg of Friday's 4 x 10 k relay at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. He finished his leg 12th and the Canadians finished in the same position.
    Canada’s Devon Kershaw tries to stay in contention on the second leg of Friday’s 4 x 10 k relay at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. He finished his leg 12th and the Canadians finished in the same position.

    “Devon’s body just wasn’t there,” head coach Justin Wadsworth said. “It’s been up and down for him all year, especially in the last six weeks with his stomach issues. Some days in training he feels great, like team sprint day, he felt great, and then other days he feels horrible.

    “We had doctors look at it and we still need to do more looking at it to make sure we know what the problem is, but right now it’s like rolling the dice.”

    From the third leg on, the Canadians struggled to stay relevant, skiing alone for the rest of the race. Babikov tried to close the gap, but realized early it would be near impossible to catch anyone. Ahead of him, American Noah Hoffman was pushing with Finland and France to cut down a 30-second gap, but they were at least 50 seconds from his reach.

    “It was hard to ski by myself and see no one around,” Babikov said. “Today didn’t feel super great, not as good as two days ago.”

    He and the rest of the field were also fighting warming conditions above 10-degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) as the race wore on under the beating afternoon sun.

    Alex Harvey takes it out for Canada on the last leg of the 2013 World Championships men's 4 x 10 k relay in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Positioned in 12th without anyone around him, Harvey finished 12th for Canada.
    Alex Harvey takes it out for Canada on the last leg of the 2013 World Championships men’s 4 x 10 k relay in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Positioned in 12th without anyone around him, Harvey finished 12th for Canada.

    Babikov tagged Harvey as their anchor in 12th, 2:41.5 out of first. Finland was a minute and 15 seconds ahead of them in 11th. Harvey completed the final three laps alone, finishing in 12th, 2:39.3 behind Norway.

    “I’m feeling good,” Harvey said. “It’s been five days since I’ve raced now. I was feeling pretty rested this morning so just used that as a prep for the 50 [kilometer classic mass start on Sunday].”

    The Canadians’ finish tied their result from the 2011 World Championships in Oslo, but it wasn’t even close to what they were hoping for. In 2009, the team was fifth with Kershaw, Harvey, Babikov and the now-retired George Grey. They placed seventh in the 4 x 10 k at the 2010 Olympics.

    “Just one of those days that we should not really think about much and forget,” Babikov said.

    Valjas was healthy, but hadn’t raced in over a week, Harvey explained. “And Devon had a rough one, really rough one,” he said.

    “It’s racing and when the body just isn’t there there’s nothing you can do about it,” Wadsworth explained.

    “We have a good team and today just wasn’t our day,” Valjas said. “We’ll make it there.”

    — Audrey Mangan contributed reporting

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  • Norwegian Men Rack Up Seventh-Straight Relay Title at World Champs

    Norwegian Men Rack Up Seventh-Straight Relay Title at World Champs

    Petter Northug (l) checks back before celebrating Norway's victory in the 4x10 k relay at 2013 World Championships on Friday in Val di Fiemme. Calle Halfvarsson (second from l) anchored Sweden to silver, Russia's Sergey Ustiugov (second from r) was third, 0.2 seconds ahead of Italy's David Hofer.
    Petter Northug (l) checks back before celebrating Norway’s victory in the 4×10 k relay at 2013 World Championships on Friday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Calle Halfvarsson (second from l) anchored Sweden to silver, Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov (second from r) was third, 0.2 seconds ahead of Italy’s David Hofer.

    FasterSkier’s coverage of the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, is brought to you by the generous support of Fischer Sports.

    VAL DI FIEMME, Italy – After so much buildup, so many strategic moves throughout the men’s 4 x 10-kilometer relay at the 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships on Friday, everything almost literally came to a grinding halt in the fourth and final leg.

    The worker bees hard done their jobs for the first 30 kilometers of the race, making the last 10 into something like a Sunday stroll on a 10-degree Celsius (50-degree Fahrenheit) afternoon.

    As expected, Petter Northug was among those controlling the pace early in the anchor leg. Norway’s relay closer for the last four World Championships, he wasn’t about to use his reserves too early. The frontrunners of the six-man group, Italian David Hofer and Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov weren’t keen on going hard, either.

    Just to show how slow they were going, Northug started single sticking, basically walking up the second climb.

    “It went slower than when you take your mother on Easter,” he later told NRK, according to a translation. “There were a lot of tactics, and I get what I want.”

    As the pack approached the high point of the 3.3 k course, all six men stood up. Hofer did so first to let German Axel Teichmann and Ustiugov pass by, and Switzerland’s Remo Fischer, Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson and Northug casually tucked behind him. Several thousand spectators watching the antics on the stadium big screens booed with dissatisfaction. Come on guys, this is a race.

    Petter Northug prematurely shrugs off Norway's seventh-straight men's relay title at World Championships on Friday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. He beat Sweden's Calle Halfvarsson (second from l), Russia's Sergey Ustiugov (third) and David Hofer of Italy in fourth for his second gold of the week. (Photo: Fiemme2013)
    Petter Northug prematurely shrugs off Norway’s seventh-straight men’s relay title at World Championships on Friday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. He beat Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson (second from l), Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov (third) and David Hofer of Italy in fourth for his second gold of the week. (Photo: Fiemme2013)

    But in a World Championship relay, that’s how it often goes.

    “You need to race a little bit tactical, come from behind, save power for the last round because then you know it will be attacks,” Northug explained.

    He quietly hovered near the back within a second or two of the lead until he decided it was time to go. Everyone knew some kind of surge would come, they just didn’t know when.

    While the front guys played mind games, American Tad Elliott made up 59 seconds after starting in ninth. He caught the group on the second lap and led Northug up the second climb.

    By the next hill, however, Elliott’s effort caught up with him and the 25-year-old Colorado native started to slip behind. Meanwhile, Finland’s Matti Heikkinen continued to make up ground on the leaders after starting nearly a minute and a half back in 11th. Heikkinen reached the group on the third lap and surged to the front early, but failed to hold on halfway through. He fell to the back of the group in seventh while Northug took the lead. Hofer and Ustiugov skied behind him, followed by Halfvarsson, Fischer and Teichmann.

    With about 1 ½ k remaining, Northug led the downhill into a relatively boring part of the course. Before then, nothing really happened on the straightaway before the second-last descent. Northug caught his competitors off guard and attacked on the flat, where Halfvarsson in second responded quickest.

    In his first World Championships, the 23-year-old Swedish anchor knew this was his moment and managed to get ahead of Northug on the fast downhill, taking the inside corner on the sharp bottom curve.

    While Halfvarsson and Northug battled back up to the top, Ustiugov and Hofer put their heads down trying to hang on. The Swede led the final downhill, looking back to see how close Northug was. Really close.

    The two sped over the last bump before the stadium and began the much-anticipated sprint showdown. Northug free skated alongside Halfvarsson to take the lead and just before finish, he let everyone know who the winner was. With Halfvarsson a few meters behind, Northug put his hands out and shrugged. No big deal.

    Now a nine-time world champion, Northug claimed the seventh-consecutive world champs relay victory for Norway, in which he and Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Eldar Rønning and Sjur Røthe combined for a winning time of 1:41.37.2.

    Sweden (Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, Marcus Hellner and Halfvarsson) came up 1.2 seconds short for its sixth silver medal of the week. Russia (Evgeniy Belov, Maxim Vylegzhanin, Alexander Legkov and Ustiugov) edged Italy (Dietmar Nöckler, Giorgio Di Centa, Roland Clara and Hofer) by 0.2 seconds for third, 2.4 seconds behind Norway.

    Eldar Rønning hoists teammate Petter Northug after the Norwegian anchor sealed the team's seventh straight World Championships relay victory on Friday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Tord Asle Gjerdalen (l) and Sjur Røthe (r) join the party.
    Eldar Rønning hoists teammate Petter Northug after the Norwegian anchor sealed the team’s seventh straight World Championships relay victory on Friday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Tord Asle Gjerdalen (l) and Sjur Røthe (r) join the party.

    “Two hundred and fifty meters before the line I knew it was gold,” Northug told reporters. “So that feels amazing.”

    “It’s awful fun to win the relay, and a dream to fight against Sweden at the end,” he told NRK. “I know what that rests on my shoulders. It is almost a scandal to be number two.”

    His teammates set him up according to plan. Their scramble leg, Gjerdalen again filled in for Martin Johnsrud Sundby, who’s been out sick since Wednesday’s 15 k (Gjerdalen started in his place and earned bronze). Easily recognized as Norway’s Aviator-wearing guy, Gjerdalen wore his trademark sunglasses while putting the team in second at the first exchange, just 0.3 seconds behind Germany’s Hannes Dotzler.

    (The Germans ended up seventh behind Finland in fifth and Switzerland after Teichmann crashed twice on the last lap. “Throughout my career, I’ve never had so much bad luck,” the 33-year-old Teichmann told Südkurier.)

    On the second classic leg, Rønning kept the Norwegians close and tagged to Røthe in fifth, 3.4 seconds behind Switzerland’s Dario Cologna, who skied a commanding second leg. Italy, Russia and Germany were also in the mix, along with Sweden’s Olsson, who tagged to Hellner four seconds back in sixth.

    “It was tough,” Olsson told reporters. “In my case, maybe the glide wasn’t 100 percent today compared to some of the other competitors on my leg. It’s tough on the mind, too, when you don’t have the maximum skis under your feet.”

    After taking his second-straight silver to Northug, who won Wednesday’s 15 k individual skate, Olsson told NRK: “He loses maybe one in a hundred sprints. It’s amazing how he does it again and again. No matter how the race is, he always wins.”

    Norway's Torde Asle Gjerdalen (r) puts the team in contention early on the first of four 10-kilometer legs in Friday's relay at 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Norway won by 1.2 seconds over Sweden.
    Norway’s Torde Asle Gjerdalen (r) puts the team in contention early on the first of four 10-kilometer legs in Friday’s relay at 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Norway won by 1.2 seconds over Sweden.

    On the third leg, Legkov lifted Russia to first by the last exchange, 0.6 seconds ahead of Hellner. Røthe came through after the Swede in third, 2 seconds behind Legkov.

    “The idea was that Petter should never have been in the lead on the last stage,” Hellner told NRK.

    While he didn’t lead from the start, he was close enough to capture it.

    “I did everything I could, but I had nothing to answer. I had no strength left,” Halfvarsson told NRK.

    “I tried to get a few meters up in the last uphill, but he is too strong,” he explained to reporters. “I had no chance. I’m happy with the silver because this is my first medal, but when it’s so close to gold, it’s not so fun.”

    Northug suggested Sweden should’ve chosen someone else and said his team was surprised to see Halfvarsson listed as its anchor.

    “But we say thank you,” Northug told SVT. “All glory to him, he beat several strong sprinters, but he still has a ways to go.”

    For Røthe, who also started his first World Championships relay, the gold was everything he’d hoped for.

    “It’s great to be world champion,” he told NRK. “It was a fun duel with Sweden.”

    “A big job for the whole team, but the last guys, they’re just walking, slow, slow, slow and doing a massive sprint,” Gjerdalen told reporters. “That’s entertainment, that’s excitement and a lot of adrenaline. The whole stadium was just quiet. It’s cool!”

    At the finish, the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, congratulated Northug.

    “Nice that you stopped by,” Northug reportedly said.

    “We did not talk so much,” he explained to NRK. “He said it was a close fight, and seemed very pleased that Sweden had taken the silver.”

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