Junior Men’s Relay:
Canada’s Turn
Junior Women’s Relay:
Watch the races here on the FIS site.
Doug Stephen has more photos here.
Tag: Molly Miller
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Junior World’s Relay: In Photos
Luke Jager for the US, bib 1, a deep breath before the scramble leg beat down. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Luke Jager: onward. He gapped the field by 25 seconds on the scramble leg. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Ben Ogden for the U.S. on his solo journey to keep his team way off the front. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Ben Ogden tags to Johnny Hagenbuch for the first skate leg. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Gus Schumacher: The Closer. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
The Win. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
From left to right: Canada’s Olivier Léveillé, Tom Stephen, Xavier McKeever, and Rémi Drolet. Second overall in the World Junior’s 4 x 5 k relay. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Bib 11, Xav McKeever for Canada fighting for position on the scramble leg. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Leg 2, Canada’s Olivier Léveillé leading the chase. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Where they belong: Canada’s Tom Stephen taking the pull on the front chase group. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Rémi Drolet — closing it out. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Drolet, almost there. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
The maple leaf group hug. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Sydney Palmer-Leger (bib 4) during the scramble leg. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Kendall Kramer on the second classic leg. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Leg 3 for the U.S., Sophia Laukli (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Novie McCabe on the fourth leg for the U.S. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
The U.S. takes second overall. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Canada’s Molly Miller tagging Jasmine Drolet: Leg one to two. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Leg three to four: Canada’s Lilian Gagnon tags Elizabeth Elliott. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Let’s not forget the Swiss who had a fine day. Here’s Swiss skier Anja Lozza closing down for the team win. (Photo: Doug Stephen) -
Junior World’s Relay: U.S. Women 2nd, U.S Men 1st, Canada 2nd
Friday was a much anticipated day across the Atlantic from the Oberwiesenthal, Germany: Junior World’s relay day.
Junior Women’s 4 x 3.3 k Relay
For the U.S. junior 4 x 3.3 k relay, oh-so-close was last year’s World’s just off the podium fourth place performance. Twelve months later and a loaded team featuring (in this order) Sydney Palmer-Leger, Kendall Kramer, Sophia Laukli, and Novie McCabe, the group skied themselves into second overall, 4.9 seconds off the winning time of Switzerland in first. The Swiss won in 35:08.6. Sweden placed third, 14.2 seconds back.
The tag to the U.S. at 9.9 k saw the team 27.8 seconds down on Switzerland, followed by the Swedes about six seconds further behind. Around 11 k, the Swedes and the U.S. were paired together in the hunt. McCabe eventually began to pull ahead into a secure second place position. In 3.3 k, McCabe locked in and chipped away nearly 23 seconds on the Swiss — who no doubt were feeling the pressure as McCabe gapped up.
Canada’s Molly Miller, Jasmine Drolet, Liliane Gagnon, and Elizabeth Elliott placed ninth (+1:25.8).
Eighteen teams started the race, with Germany and Poland disqualified for not following the marked course.
Junior Men’s 4 x 5 k Relay
The U.S. juniors, Luke Jager, Ben Ogden, Johnny Hagenbuch, and Gus Schumacher had experience on their side for Friday’s relay. Last year the foursome clinched a first ever U.S. relay win at World Juniors. That victory came down to a Schumacher anchor leg in which he outpaced the Russians by 3.9 seconds to the line.
This year, in 54:54.9, the U.S. built a cushion of 35.5 seconds on second place Canada — which was the surprise, perhaps, of these Junior Worlds. (More on that in a few paragraphs.)
But, it’s never over until it’s over. However, Jager ended this sooner than anticipated. He pegged the scramble leg, putting 25 seconds into second place Germany when he tagged Ogden. It was game over as the U.S. added a few more seconds on each successive leg in their win.
“Today ended up perfect, but in the morning we didn’t know that would happen, and with the past 2 years of great relays, we had a lot of pressure on ourselves to do it again,” Schumacher emailed. “We’d looked at the teams quite a bit, and were glad with how they looked, especially with a strong American skier to match every other strong German and Norwegian leg. I myself was fairly confident with a lot of different scenarios on the last leg, but I knew that it depended on the first 3 legs going well, and those boys exceeded my expectations in a big way. They’ll say they had great skis and that’s why they were able to splinter a stacked field, but really these boys are some of the best skiers in the world and when it comes together perfectly (which it seems to often do on relay day), there’s not much match for them. I’m so proud of this team for making a 3rd relay podium look almost easy, because it definitely isn’t. The execution out of them was unparalleled today and I’m so glad to be a part of this team. Also all of us were so proud and stoked for our women’s silver medal this morning and also the Canadian men’s silver medal! Both were great races and it’s great to see them get such good placement here. Now we’re all looking forward to some North American world cups, especially Minneapolis. Go USA!!”
Let’s get back to Xavier McKeever, Olivier Léveillé, Thomas Stephen, and Remi Drolet; starting in bib 11 for Canada. It clicked today for this group. Good skis? Surely. Inspired by their U.S. neighbors? Perhaps. Stoked by their on-site talisman Devon Kershaw (in Germany to coach)? Does that need an answer?
No matter how you spin it, this was the race of the day. Certainly unexpected, and certainly deserved for a program rebounding from low funding and in the midst of a rebuild.
At the 10 k mark, Italy, at 30.8 seconds behind the U.S., was trailed by Norway, Switzerland, Canada, and France — all within roughly seven seconds. That five team pack moved together through the final tag off at 15 k. Glued together through 16.8 k, only Norway fell off the pace. 1.5 k later, and it was Italy’s turn to feel the burn, as they fell off too.
That left Canada and Switzerland 10 seconds ahead of the now trailing Italians. By the time the next k had clicked by, Drolet, who was coming off a stellar fourth in the junior men’s 30 k mass start skate, made it real: he gapped the Swiss by 20 seconds.
It’s worth mentioning again – Canada in second overall, 35.5 seconds off the winning pace. The Italians rebounded as the Swiss fell back. Italy took third (+55.4), the Swiss placed fourth (+1:34.4).
“This is absolutely incredible,” Drolet said to Nordiq Canada after the race. “We were so stoked to start this race, and we told ourselves last night we are going to go for the medal today. This is one of the best, if not the best, World Juniors for a Canadian team in terms of results. Knowing everyone on the relay team had a top-30 at the Championships we knew this was doable.”
Adding his own poetry to the historic relay for Canada, “People don’t really understand what went down today, but it is insane,” Kershaw told Nordiq Canada.
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MSA Trials Rundown: Classic Interval Starts
Russell Kennedy (#46) caught Sam Hendry (#45) and Nicolas Beaulieu (#44) on his way to third place in the 15km. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Fresh snow greeted day two of the Mont Sainte-Anne Trials for the interval start classic. With athletes battling to qualify for U20/U23 World Championships in Oberwiesenthal, Germany and three separate World Cup trips (Falun/Scando Tour, Sprint Tour, Canmore), it was never going to be a simple matter of skier against the clock.
Antoine Cyr rocking the NorAm leader’s bib on the way to victory. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Racing started with the open men’s 15km on a 5km loop that was shared by all the elite categories. Early on, it looked like a tight four way battle, but CNEPH’s Antoine Cyr, starting last, was 14 seconds ahead after the first lap. Cyr was fastest on all three laps to win in 40:05.1, 47.5 seconds ahead of Fondeurs Laurentides’ Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier and 51.6 ahead of Canmore’s Russell Kennedy. Cyr should be selected for U23’s based on this win. In the interview posted below, he talks about his relief to know that his form is still good after a disappointing first World Cup in Europe.
The U20 and U18 men raced 10km and once again Black Jack’s Rémi Drolet displayed that full time students can be competitive, as he won both laps to finish in 26:46.2. CNEPH’s Olivier Léveillé took advantage of a late start bib to narrowly beat ULLR’s Xavier McKeever, finishing at 35.4 and 39.1 seconds respectively. This result combined with Thursday’s sprint should see both Léveillé and McKeever selected for U20 Worlds.
Olivier Léveillé took second place and penciled his name on a ticket to Oberwiesenthal. (Photo: Doug Stephen) (Drolet’s post-race interview starts with the punchline to a joke, but without the setup we miss the laugh.)
In the women’s 10km, Emily Nishikawa continued the theme of winning every lap on her way to a clear victory in 29:51.2. CNEPH’s Cendrine Browne showed that her recovery is going well with a strong second place in her less-favoured technique, finishing 48.7 back. Laval University’s Andrée-Anne Théberge completed the podium, 2:04.7 back.
Emily Nishikawa on a mission. (Photo: Doug Stephen) AWCA’s Annika Richardson was 4th at 2:15.4 to take the top U23 finish and what should be a selection for U23 Worlds.
By the time the U20 and U18 women headed out, the tracks were showing some wear, but that didn’t stop Black Jack’s Molly Miller from winning the 5km in 15:24.8, 10.9 seconds ahead of teammate Jasmine Drolet, and 11.0 ahead of Revelstoke’s Beth Granstrom. Revelstoke also took fourth with Alexandra Luxmoore at 11.1 seconds, only 0.2 seconds away from silver.
Molly Miller attacking the 5km classic at MSA Trials. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Black Jack defended their club’s reputation for developing young skiers with three U20 wins so far this weekend. Revelstoke is also starting to make waves with yesterday’s winner Elizabeth Elliott 11th today at 47.6 seconds. With 86 U20 and U18 men and 72 U20 and U18 women competing today, the future of Canadian skiing is starting to look brighter.
Sunday’s free technique mass starts should be exciting, with the U20 and Open categories merged so the younger athletes can measure themselves against the top seniors.
Results: Full Weekend (including live timing for Sunday), Interval Start Classic
Photographer Doug Stephen has a new gallery for Saturday. Athletes are welcome to download and use full resolution images if they give credit to ‘Doug Stephen’ or @vr45photography.
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MSA Trials Rundown: Qualifying for U23, U20 and More
Cendrine Browne leads her semifinal at MSA Trials. (Photo: Doug Stephen) In Canadian domestic ski racing, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. Mont Sainte-Anne (MSA) is hosting the NorAm weekend that also serves as U23/U20 World Championships qualification and has special significance in selection for World Cup starts.
Any skier who hasn’t already qualified for World Cup period 4 has had this event as a major focus for the season. The only certain paths to National Team selection for next season start with top 30 results on either the World Cup or U20 World Championships. Most of these paths start at MSA Trials.
For U20 and U23 selection, the top finisher in each of the three races is guaranteed one of the 18 to 20 places on the trip to Oberwiesenthal, Germany, with a pre-camp in Norway.
And finally, the weekend is a NorAm, which means COC leader points are on the line.
On Thursday, the action started with free technique sprints on a short but difficult course. Men, women, and U20’s all skied the same distance. Nordiq Canada’s Jeff Ellis continued the tradition of winner’s interviews, FasterSkier has the unedited videos below.
Elizabeth Elliott in charge of the U20 final. (Photo: Doug Stephen) CNEPH’s Cendrine Browne won the qualifier in 3:04.79 before winning three heats to dominate on her home trails, finishing the final in 3:01.37. Browne’s teammate Laura Leclair was second, 0.53 seconds back, for the top U23 finish ahead of Emily Nishikawa at 0.76 seconds. The presence of distance specialists Browne and Nishikawa on the podium is evidence of the sprint course’s difficulty.
For the U20 women, AWCA’s Elizabeth Elliott qualified 4th overall and swept the heats to win the final in 3:06.85. Her teammate Benita Peiffer was second, 1.66 back, narrowly ahead of Black Jack’s Molly Miller at 1.81 seconds.
For the men, NTDC Thunder Bay’s Graham Ritchie recovered well from his time in Europe to win in 2:35.69 after qualifying second, grabbing the top U23 finish along the way. Team ULLR’s Jess Cockney continued to redefine the word ‘retired’ in second place, 0.52 back. TBay’s Pierre Grall-Johnson who converted on his latest qualification win with his first open category podium, was third at 0.76 seconds.
Graham Ritchie taking advantage of the downhill finish for the win. (Photo: Doug Stephen) The U20 men provided no surprises, with the favourites front and centre in the final. Black Jack and Harvard’s Rémi Drolet dominated the day, sweeping through to the final to win by 2.57 seconds in 2:34.75. ULLR’s Xavier McKeever was second after qualifying 29th overall for 5th U20, with teammate Tom Stephen taking bronze a further 1.09 back.
Speculating on selections using the criteria documents always comes with a risk of error. That said, Leclair, Ritchie, Elliott, and Drolet should definitely be eligible for Obwiersenthal. Peiffer and McKeever should be selected as the 5th U20 athletes.
Results: Full Weekend (including live timing for Saturday and Sunday), Qualification, Heat Brackets, Final
Photographer Doug Stephen has a gallery for the Sprints and Official Training. Athletes are welcome to download and use full resolution images if they give credit to ‘Doug Stephen’ or @vr45photography.
Rémi Drolet leads Xavier McKeever, Kai Meekis, and Tom Stephen in the U20 final. (Photo: Doug Stephen) -
Canadian Western Championship: Weekend Wrap-up
Julien Locke leads Rémi Drolet and Sam Hendry during the second lap at Westerns 2019. (Photo: Doug Stephen) KELOWNA, B.C —
One week after Easterns, it was time for Westerns, and the Polar Vortex made the trip for both weekends.
At Easterns, the air was cold enough to keep the organizing committee on edge at the start of the weekend, and freezing rain complicated driving plans. At Westerns, the cold weather held off to Sunday, but falling snow on dry, salted roads created a sheet ice for Friday’s commute. Both championships had less athletes than expected, with driving conditions and weather predictions having an effect.
Photo albums and result links follow the daily summaries.
Friday, Skate Sprint
Tallon Noble leads Sam Hendry in the junior men’s A final. (Photo: Greg Redman) The action kicked off Friday with skate sprints at the Telemark Nordic trails near Kelowna, B.C., in sunshine and -11C.
Benita Peiffer (Whistler) won the 1.3km A final in 3:02.79, 0.10 seconds ahead of top qualifier Katie Weaver (RMR). Elizabeth Elliot (AWCA) took third, 2.77 back after qualifying second.
“I felt really confident going into the final,” Weaver told FasterSkier. “I led all of the race, right until the finishing stretch and Benita came up, and I think she got me right at the end.”
Despite placing second, Weaver was happy with her tactics: “I wasn’t super confident with my hop offset on those tough hills, so my goal was to get out into the lead and control the race. Kinda position myself well so I could have a good finish.”
Peiffer and Elliot grew up racing together before Elliot moved to Canmore, and were clearly enjoying racing together again, completing each other’s sentences during the post-race interview.
Elliot: “It was really fun, we had all the BC skiers that we grew up skiing with. It was super-fun to all be with each other in the same heats and…”
Peiffer: “…Back to the good old days of racing together.”
Tactics were also a shared vision.
Peiffer: “You stay with the pack going up the big hill, and then it’s really easy to draft because you have a really long downhill.”
Elliot: “If your skis work for you.”
The open men raced the same course and Julien Locke (CNST) was in dominant form, winning the qualifier and each heat by over 3 seconds, taking the A final in 2:28.23.
“I’m just here to race hard,” Locke said after his cool down ski, “so I just raced hard every round.” Locke has been fast in 2019, winning the sprints at US Nationals, Easterns, and Westerns, but he would probably trade any one of those to improve on his second place at the World Championships qualification sprint at Bishop’s University.
Junior national team member Rémi Drolet (Black Jack) outreached Telemark’s own Gareth Williams (CNST) to take second, 3.42 behind Locke and 0.03 ahead of Williams.
“Tactics were tough for me,” Drolet said. “I was slow off the start, so I was behind a little bit. Basically, I had to catch up so I was really focusing on pushing over the tops of hills really hard. In the end, it was a sprint to the finish between Gareth and I. Julien was a bit ahead [laughs at the understatement]. It was fun.”
Williams was bouncing back after getting ill on the trip home from U23’s in Lahti and leaving Easterns without starting a single race.
“I started to feel better round after round, because I hadn’t done any intensity at all, so the feelings were coming back, but I kind of lost it there on the last hill,” he said. “My legs felt really heavy and I pushed really hard but it wasn’t quite enough to out sprint Rémi, and not enough to keep up to Julien Locke either.”
312 athletes raced in good conditions on a day where the driving conditions were anything but good.
Xavier McKeever won the junior boys qualifier and every heat at Westerns 2019. (Photo: Greg Redman) Saturday, Classic Mass Start
The new 5km loop at Telemark received a homologation certificate less than a week before the event, but it was immediately put to use with the men doing three classic laps and the women doing two in -11C air and intermittent light snow.
The men raced first, with Locke, Drolet, Williams, and Sam Hendry (Team R.A.D.) taking an early lead.
Williams dropped out early in a race he probably shouldn’t have started. It is hard to miss a race for illness, and harder still when the local tv station is there to see their hometown star, and your mum is the race secretary.
Black Jack teammates Locke and Drolet put the hurt on Hendry early, before Drolet broke clear to win alone in 42:18.4, 4.8 seconds ahead of Locke. Hendry hung on for third, losing 42.2 seconds on the final lap.
“I tried my best to hang on to the pace, but Rémi’s in great shape right now, coming off his big results at world juniors, so [it was] hard to stick on,” Hendry said after. “My skis weren’t quite as fast as the others. On all the downhills, they’d open up a little gap and I’d have to try to bring it back on the climbs and the flats.”
“Rémi and Sam were skiing fast, it was fun to battle with them,” Locke said. “I’m a little bit stronger on the flats, [Rémi’s] a bit of a stronger climber. We were pushing each other and just trying to ski fast and work together.”
“It was a really fun race today,” Drolet said after doping control “It was a decent pace off the start, skiing with my teammate Julien, Gareth for a bit until he unfortunately dropped out, and then Sam Hendry. It’s a pretty hilly course, so there’s not a tonne of double poling, but I think the parts of it that are double pole are important to ski well and conserve energy for the uphills.”
Drolet and Locke worked well together, up to a point. “Once Sam started to fade a little bit, we attacked and dropped him off,” Drolet explained. “Then we skied together for the rest of the race until the final climb, where I managed to pull away from him.”
Novie McCabe (61) leads Jasmine Drolet, Katie Weaver, and Molly Miller at the 2019 Westerns 10km. (Photo: Doug Stephen) The open women’s 10km was all about the next generation. Novie McCabe (Methow) got away early to win in 32:42.6 minutes. Black Jack teammates Jasmine Drolet and Molly Miller were second and third at 53.4 and 1:28.1 back. All three are in the junior girls category and competed at Junior Worlds in Lahti.
“I basically went out from the start hard, and tried to hold it,” McCabe told FasterSkier. “Going up the first hill, I tried to get into the lead and then on the double pole section I tried to make a break and just push hard into a downhill and that’s where I kind of gapped people by a little bit and then I just went from there.”
As an American, McCabe has a Canadian Points List ranking that put her in the third row at the start. Asked about whether this is good practice for racing in Europe, she replied “Yeah, it was definitely good to have some practice with that, navigating my way through people.”
Jasmine Drolet, at sixteen, a year younger than the other two on the open podium, kept things simple in the interview, describing her day as “good race, good skis.”
“In Canada it’s not hard to be the fast one, but when you get there [at World Juniors], it’s quite a shock,” Jasmine Drolet explained. “It’s good to ski with the best in world.”
“I haven’t been feeling super great in a lot of the distance races this year, so I was happy to have a better day today,” Miller said at the end of the day. “It was a bit aggressive in the beginning for sure. I came out of the lanes in a bad place, but it seemed to spread out very quickly.”
Among the 386 racers were some of Canada’s para-nordic team, here to prepare for World Championships starting the following Saturday.
“Races are always better than intensity,” Mark Arendz (CPNST) told FasterSkier post-race. “We’re using this as an intensity, just this single race from Westerns, to prep for World Championships in Prince George [B.C.] next week.”
(In the video below, you can see Arendz in the open men’s start, look for the national team suit, second lane from left.)
Sunday, Relays
The temperature, despite predictions, reached -17C by 9:00, allowing the relays to start on time.
For most, the relays are really about having fun with friends. The results are summarized in Sunday’s rundown.
“Relay events are always fun races, even in -17 conditions,” Rémi Drolet wrote in an email Sunday night. “It also does not matter how far ahead or behind you may be. It is always important to go as fast as possible since it can be hard to predict exactly what will happen after you have tagged your teammate.”
105 teams braved the cold to enjoy another good event at Telemark.
Course and Venue
“It’s a good course, I love racing here. Steep hills, some nice gradual stuff, it’s a good combination of all techniques.” — Locke, talking about the new sprint course
Julien Locke leads early in the first lap of the 15km. (Photo: Peggy Hung) “My first race [here] was in 2005, my first ever provincial race, BC Midget Championships. I was 13 years old and that was my first race outside of the Kootenays. It was a pretty big day for me.” — Locke
“Seeing the young kids racing this weekend certainly brought back memories. Kelowna was one of the locations where I raced most in my younger years, and it was there that I learned many of the fundamentals of racing. Much of my early understanding of race preparation, tactics, and even technique was developed racing at Telemark.” — Rémi Drolet
“Super nice day, super great course, not too cold. Another great race at Telemark.” — Hendry, on Saturday
“It’s really nice to just be able to come up here and have some great competition and the races are really well organized.” — McCabe, on crossing the border from the Okanogan Valley in Washington state to the Okanagan Valley in B.C.
Photos and Results
Doug Stephen has albums on Flickr: Sprint, Classic, and Relay
On zone4 results, click on a skier’s name to pull up pictures of that athlete in the selected event. Greg Redman, featured here, is one of the photographers contributing. There are a lot of photos, with over 60 photos of some athletes in some events.
Results: Qualifier, Heats, Classic, Classic Para, Relay, Full Weekend
Note that masters and the youngest athletes are in the Okanagan Cup links under Full Weekend, and some of the para athletes competed in the open category for the classic race.
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Saturday Race Rundown; Caldwell Second in Lahti; Canadian Westerns
Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla taking the World Cup win in the 1.4 k skate sprint in Lahti, Finland. Sophie Caldwell of the U.S. Ski Team placed second. (Photo: fis-ski.com screenshot) FIS World Cup Lahti, Finland 1.4 k/ 1.6 k Freestyle Sprint
In the women’s skate sprint qualifier in Lahti, Finland Slovenia’s Eva Urevc laid down the fastest time in 2:40.67 minutes. Swiss skier Nadine Faehndrich was the second fastest qualifier, 4.21 seconds back, with the U.S. Ski Team’s (USST) Sophie Caldwell third (+4.36).
Canada’s Dahria Beatty qualified 25th (+10.21). Also making the heats for the U.S. were Ida Sargent (USST) in 26th (+10.36), and Kelsey Phinney (SMS T2) in 27th (+10.54).
Of the top three qualifiers, only Caldwell advanced to the finals. The final was won by Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla in 2:43.64. Falla advanced to the finals as a lucky loser from the first semifinal. That semi was won by Caldwell who ended up placing second (+0.11) in the final. Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist sprinted to third overall (+0.37).
Germany’s Sandra Ringwald placed fourth (+0.46), Norway’s Mari Eide fifth (+0.75), and Tiril Udnes Weng of Norway sixth (+0.94).
Phinney placed 19th overall, Sargent 30th. Canada’s Beatty was 24th in the final standings.
Also for the U.S., Julia Kern (USST D-Team) coming off of illness ended her day 38th overall. Hannah Halvorsen (USST D-Team) placed 41st.
No other North Americans were entered.
Women’s Qualification | Women’s Results
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the men’s 1.6 k skate qualifier in 2:47.01 minutes. He was followed by teammate Haavard Solaas Taugboel in second (+4.15). Qualifying in third was Finland’s Joni Maeki who clocked a time of 2:51.36.
Klæbo won the final in 2:52.06 while Italy’s Federico Pellegrino raced to second (+0.30). Norway’s Finn Hågen Krogh was third (+0.61). Also from Norway, Eirik Brandsdal took fourth (+1.31) and Emil Iversen fifth (+1.75). Gleb Retivykh of Russia was sixth (+2.08).
No North American men qualified for the heats.
Logan Hanneman (APU) for the U.S. placed 32nd overall after missing the heats by .22 seconds. Simi Hamilton (USST) finished 36th overall, and Erik Bjornsen (USST) 42nd.
Evan Palmer-Charette was the lone Canadian entered; he placed 67th.
Men’s Qualification | Men’s Results
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Rémi Drolet leads Julien Locke and Sam Hendry at the start of lap three. (Photo: Peggy Hung) Canadian Western Championships, Telemark, Classic Mass Start
Day two of Westerns dawned with low clouds and intermittent light snow at -11C for the classic mass starts.
The men raced first, completing three laps of the new (and freshly homologated) 5km loop. Rémi Drolet (Black Jack) won in 42:18.4, getting from Julien Locke (CNST) on the last climb to earn a 4.8 second gap. Sam Hendry (Team R.A.D.) stayed with leaders until late in the second lap, finishing 42.2 seconds back. Rémi Drolet and Hendry are juniors who represented Canada at Junior Worlds in Lahti last month. Crystal Lust
The first small climb of the Westerns 10km classic. Jasmine Drolet (#55) leads Novie McCabe (#61) in the left track. (Photo: Peggy Hung) The open women skied two laps of the same course, with Novie McCabe (Methow) breaking clear on the first lap to win alone in 32:46.6. Jasmine Drolet (Black Jack) was second at 53.4 seconds followed by teammate Molly Miller at 1:28.1. All three raced at World Juniors in Lahti: Jasmine Drolet is 16 and the other two are 17.
There were 386 finishers on Saturday. Racing continues Sunday with relays.
Results: mass start classic, full weekend
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Saturday Race Rundown: U.S. U20 Men Win Relay, U20 Women 4th at World Juniors (Updated)
The U20 World Juniors 4 x 5 k relay first place team from the U.S, (l-r) Johnny Hagenbuch, Ben Ogden, Luke Jager, and Gus Schumacher. (Photo: JWSC2019 / Mikaela Takala) 2019 U23 World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland 4 x 3 k and 4x 5 k relay
In a historic first for the U.S., the U20 men’s team won the 4 x 5-kilometer relay today in Lahti, Finland at the 2019 World Junior Ski Championships. Luke Jager skied the first classic leg for the U.S., Ben Ogden skied the second classic, Johnny Hagenbuch skied the first initial skate leg and Gus Schumacher raced the anchor leg.
The foursome won in a time of 45:34.7 minutes, and beat second-place Russia by 3.8 seconds.
Russia’s team was comprised of Egor Trefilov, Andrey Kuznetsov, Yaroslav Egoshin, and Alexander Terentev.
Germany’s team of Jakob Milz, Florian Knopf, Anian Sossau, and Friedrich Moch took third finishing 6.3 seconds behind.
For Canada, Remi Drolet , Sam Hendry, Xavier McKeever, and Thomas Stephen skied to 11th (+2:29.7).
Nineteen teams were entered in the race.
In the 4 x 3.3 k U20 women’s race, Norway’s Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes, Astrid Stav, Helene Marie Fossesholm, and Kristine Stavås Skistad won at the line in 35:24.7 minutes.
Russia’s Anastasia Faleeva, Kristina Kuskova, Veronika Stepanova, and Anna Grukhvina were a close second, stopping the clock 1.0 seconds back.
Louise Lindström, Frida Karlsson, Tilde Baangman, and Lin Svahn for Sweden placed third (+33.3).
The U.S. team of Mara McCollor, Kendall Kramer, Sydney Palmer-Leger and Novie McCabe skied to fourth place, 40.5 seconds back.
For Canada, Anne-Marie Petitclerc, Jasmine Drolet, Anna Pryce, and Molly Miller placed 11th, 3:01.4 minutes behind.
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FIS Cross Country World Cup Ulricehamn, Sweden 10/15 k freestyle
In what is his skiing canvas, the 15 k freestyle, France’s thirty-two-year-old Maurice Manificat won his first World Cup of the season in Ulricehamn, Sweden today in 34:55.4 minutes. It was a tight race in that Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krüger Simen Hegstad Krüger who placed second finished 1.1 seconds back. Teammate Didrik Tønseth was third (+8.7).
Canada’s Alex Harvey was the best placed North American in ninth (+31.4). Lenny Valjas skied to 57th (+2:32.1), and Bob Thompson 77th (+4:16.6).
For the U.S., Scott Patterson finished 35th (+1:26.5), David Norris 53rd (+2:11.3), Ben Lustgarten 64th (+3:04.7).
Norway’s Therese Johaug kept her distance win streak alive at eight wins in eight starts on the World Cup this season. She won the women’s 10 k skate race in 25:48.2 minutes, with teammate Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen in second, 22.8 seconds back. Third place went to Sweden’s Ebba Andersson, 24.9 seconds behind.
The U.S. Ski Team’s Jessie Diggins skied to fourth place (+38.3), while teammate Sadie Bjornsen was 15th (+1:25.1). Caitlin Paterson (CGRP) had her best World Cup result of the season, skiing to 23rd (+1:49.9). Rosie Brennan (APU) placed 28th (+2:03.2), and Rosie Frankowski 42nd (+2:28.0).
Dahria Beatty was the only Canadian entered. She finished 56th (+3:54.7).
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IBU World Cup Antholz, Italy 10/12.5 k pursuit
In the women’s 10 k pursuit, Italy’s Dorothea Wierer won in a time of 29:20.1 after skiing two penalties (1+0+0+1). Second place went to Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier, who finished 6.0 seconds after Wierer after one missed shot (0+0+1+0). Saturday’s third place went to another Italian, Lisa Vittozzi, who finished 16.2 seconds behind the winner after tying Wierer’s shooting score.
Clare Egan led the way for the U.S., racing to 11th (+1:31.9) after skiing two penalties (0+0+0+2).
“I’m really happy with my race today,” Egan wrote in an email. “The wind and altitude are always a challenge here, but I took my time on the range and capitalized on the fast glide of my skis to save energy on course. I made a costly and dumb mistake on my last shot but still came away with my second-best career result. I’ll take what I learned from today and go for it again tomorrow in the mass start! Can’t wait!”
Joanna Reid was the next American to finish, placing 29th (+2:55.2) after three missed shots (1+0+0+2).
For Canada, Rosanna Crawford finished 34th (+3:30.8) after skiing five penalties (2+1+1+1) and her teammate Megan Bankes finished 39th (+3:37.1) with five misses (1+0+3+1). Also skiing for Canada, Sarah Beaudry placed 46th (+5:07.5), also with five penalties (4+0+1+0).
In the men’s 12.5 k pursuit, Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Bø
won in a time of 31:33.7 after skiing three penalties (1+1+0+1). France’s Antonin Guigonnat raced to second place, 34.8 seconds behind with one missed shot (0+0+1+0). The third and final podium spot on Saturday went to France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet, who skied two penalties (1+0+0+1) and finished 40.6 seconds back from the winning time.Sean Doherty for the U.S. placed 47th (+4:39.1, 3+2+1+0). Jake Brown was lapped and was not given an official time.
For Canada, Jules Burnotte skied to 54th (+5:42.8, 1+3+1+1), and Scott Gow 55th (+6:39.7, 4+0+2+3).
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Lake Placid SuperTour Classic Sprint
Canada’s Antoine Briand (CNEPH) was the fastest qualifier on the day in 3:14.71 minutes and won the men’s final. Dominique Moncion-Groulx (Nakkertok) placed second in the final, with Ben Saxton (SMS T2) in third.
Saxton was the second fastest qualifier, with Oliver Hamel (CNEPH) third fastest.
Men’s Qualification | Men’s Heats
For the women, Sophie Caldwell (USST/SMS T2) scorched the qualifier in 3:40.44 minutes with Jessica Yeaton (APU/Australian National Team) qualifying in second (3:50.49). Dartmouth’s Katharine Ogden qualified third (3:51.79).
Caldwell went on to win the final in 3:37.06, with Yeaton in second and Kelsey Phinney (SMS T2) in third.
Women’s Qualification | Women’s Heats
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(U20) Junior World Ski Champs Classic Sprint in Images
In stadium sprint viewing at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Images from the U20 women’s 1.4-kilometer classic sprint from the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (U.S. in white/blue, Canada in red/black.)
Mara McCollor during the 1.4 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Sophia Mazzoni during the 1.4 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Anna Pryce during the 1.4 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Molly Miller during the 1.4 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Isobel Hendry during the 1.4 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Waverly Gebhardt during the 1.4 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Images from the U20 men’s 1.4-kilometer classic sprint from the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (U.S. in white/blue, Canada in red/black.)
Pierrick Sarthou during the 1.6 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Remi Drolet during the 1.6 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Xavier McKeever during the 1.6 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Thomas Stephen during the 1.6 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Luke Jager checking results during the sprint 1.6 k classic sprint at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Bend Ogden during the 1.6 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Gus Schumacher during the 1.6 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Russia’s Alexander Terentev wins the 1.6 k classic sprint final at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Noel Keeffe during the 1.6 k classic sprint qualifier at Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Noel Keeffe, pictured above (left), placed 12th overall for the U.S. in the U20 men’s field. He is currently enrolled at the University of Utah where is also a member of the cross-country ski team. Keeffe grew up skiing with the Steamboat Winter Sports Club. He earned his first U.S. National’s podium recently in the skate sprint.
“The sprint race was a tough one,” Keeffe wrote in an email explaining his U20 Worlds experience. “The course was super challenging because of a pretty large sustained hill right out of the start. I believe it was one of the hardest courses I have ever raced.
“I am super stoked with my performance and the performance of the team. We were one of the best nation’s out there. It’s pretty cool when the top skiers from every nation start watching out for the kids in the red, white, and blue.”
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World Juniors Classic Sprint Rundown: Ogden 8th, Keeffe 12th
Noel Keeffe (bib 15) showing here in his quarterfinal why time is what you make of it. Keeffe placed 12th overall in Sunday’s classic sprint at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Sunday featured the first day of racing at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. To kick things off at the crown jewel of Finnish ski venues was the U20 classic sprint. The men raced a 1.6-kilometer loop, the women a 1.4 k course.
Several North American males qualified for the heats after Russia’s Alexander Terentev qualified first in a time of 3:28.74 minutes.
Ben Ogden (bib 3), skiing for the U.S. at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. Ogden placed 8th overall. (Photo: Doug Stephen) For the U.S. all four athletes entered in the race advanced to the heats. Ben Ogden qualified in third (3:36.94), Gus Schumacher 12th (3:40.80), Noel Keeffe 15th (3:41.56), and Luke Jager 20th (3:42.27).
Remi Drolet of Canada qualified in 28th (3:44.98) and was the only one of his teammates to ski in the rounds. He was bounced after his fifth place in heat five. Drolet was 25th overall. Xavier McKeever skied to 52nd overall, Thomas Stephen 59th, and Pierrick Sarthou 67th.
(McKeever, at fifteen years of age, is the youngest competitor at World Juniors.)
Ogden leaped to the semis by placing first in the fifth heat. Ogden exited the rounds after sprinting to fourth in the second semi. Ogden was the best placed North American finishing eighth overall.
Keeffe advanced as a lucky loser to the semis after placing third in the second heat. He placed 12th overall after his sixth place in the first semi-final.
Schumacher was bounced out of the heats after he placed fourth in heat four. He ended his day 16th overall.
Jager’s 20th place overall rounded out the U.S. performances. Jager was eliminated when he placed fourth in the first quarterfinal.
Coming in second overall to Terentev in the men’s final were Norwegians Ansgar Evensen and Håkon Skaanes in second and third respectively. Jules Chappaz of France was fourth, Sweden’s Axel Aflodal fifth, and Aron Åkre Rysstad sixth.
U.S. skier Sydney Palmer-Leger was the only North American women to qualify for the heats. She placed 29th in qualification, skiing the 1.4 k course in 3:46.82 minutes. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson skied the fastest qualifying time of 3:27.32.
Palmer-Leger was eliminated when she placed fifth in the fourth quarterfinal to end her day 25th overall.
Also for the U.S., Mara McCollor was 43rd overall, Sophia Mazzoni 49th, and Waverly Gebhardt 51st.
Canada’s Anna Pryce during her classic sprint qualifier at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) For Canada, Anna Pryce finished 42nd overall, Molly Miller 52nd, and Isobel Hendry 69th. Canada’s Anne-Marie Petitclerc did not finish as a result of breaking her binding moments after she started.
Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad was first overall. Poland’s Monika Skinder placed second in the final, with Finland’s Anita Korva third. Linn Svahn of Sweden placed fourth overall, while teammate Frida Karlsson was fifth. Russia’s Anastasiya Faleeva was sixth.
And just because this sequence is so solid, here’s an addition to Keeffe’s lunge. (Click images to enlarge.)
Noel Keeffe about to lunge for the line in his quarterfnal during Sunday’s classic sprint at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. Keeffe went on to place 12th overall. (Photo: Doug Stephen) 
Noel Keeffe showing here in his quarterfnal why time is what you make of it. Keeffe placed 12th overall in Sunday’s classic sprint at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Doug Stephen) -
Canmore NorAm: Notes, Quotes, and Selections
Bob Thompson outsprinted Jack Carlyle in the men’s 30km. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Canmore hosted the second NorAm of the 2018/2019 season on December 13th, 15th, and 16th. The event also served as U23 and Junior World trials.
By the end of the weekend, starts at the U23/Junior World Championships and the World Cup’s Tour de Ski would be earned.
This event was originally scheduled for Whistler Olympic Park but had to be moved as a result of heavy rain and inclement weather forecasted into the immediate future. The Callaghan Valley Cross Country organization, the original bid-winner for this season’s trials, made the difficult decision to cancel on December 1st. The weather gods added one final insult on December 13th, when a major snowstorm ensued in the Callaghan Valley that would have made racing possible on the 14th.
Canmore’s cross-country community stepped in on December 2nd and was able to organize a successful race weekend with a few weeks notice.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) mandates that Continental Cup leaders for each period earn automatic start rights for the next World Cup period, including financial support from the event hosts. This season, Period 1 leaders get starts for Period 2 (Tour de Ski) and period 3 (Dresden, Otepää, and Ulricehamm) along with race support.
For the first time since Perianne Jones and Dasha Gaizova started in the 2014 edition, Canada will enter a woman in the Tour de Ski (TdS). The last female finisher was Sara Renner, who placed 16th overall in 2010.
This past weekend, Dahria Beatty won all three races in Canmore. Combined with her second place (and top Canadian result) in Sovereign Lake the previous weekend, Beatty is the COC leader and will leave for Europe on the 21st.
In an email to FasterSkier after Thursday’s sprint, Beatty wrote: “I think the first 3 stages of the Tour this year are my dream come true, 2 sprints and a 10km skate.” The day after sending the email, Beatty received the official news that her TdS dream would be a reality.
On the men’s side, Bob Thompson won twice in Canmore to lock down the male COC leader position.
As this event was also the selection trials for U23 and Junior World Championships, up to 12 athletes would automatically qualify for the Lahti, Finland championship races. The High Performance Committee met Sunday afternoon and will announce the final choices soon.
Weekend Results Summary:
Names in green earned automatic selection for Lahti.
Classic Sprint, Thursday:
- Open Women: Dahria Beatty, Katherine Stewart-Jones, Maya Macisaac-Jones; Marie Corriveau (6th, U23)
- Junior women: Anne-Marie Petitclerc, Molly Miller, Anna Pryce
- Open Men: Bob Thompson, Angus Foster, Julien Locke; Graham Ritchie (4th, U23)
- Junior Men: Remi Drolet, Tom Stephen, Xavier McKeever
Interval start freestyle, Saturday:
- Open Women 10km: Dahria Beatty, Katherine Stewart-Jones, Frédérique Vézina; Sadie White (4th, U23)
- Junior Women 5km: Molly Miller, Isobel Hendry, Elizabeth Elliot
- Open Men 15km: Russell Kennedy, Evan Palmer-Charrette, Alexis Dumas; Gareth Williams (6th, U23)
- Junior Men 10km: Sam Hendry, Remi Drolet, Tom Stephen.
Mass start classis, Sunday:
- Men 30km: Bob Thompson, Jack Carlyle, Russell Kennedy; Sam Hendry (4th, top junior), Antoine Cyr (5th, U23)
- Women 15km: Dahria Beatty, Katherine Stewart-Jones, Hannah Mehain (U23); Jasmine Drolet (6th, junior)
Doug Stephen photographed all three days; see his albums on Flickr for many more images in full resolution.
Results: Full Weekend, Sprints, Sprint Brackets, Interval Starts, Mass Starts
Quotes from Canmore:
Sprint
Dahria Beatty leads Katherine Stewart-Jones. They would finish 1-2 all three races. (Photo: Doug Stephen) “My tactics for every heat was to ski smooth and relaxed the first half and attack off the final two climbs into the finish. That worked out well for me today. I skied from the front and had control of the heats. The sprints were staged out of the biathlon stadium (hence why you couldn’t find them on the webcam) so it was an uphill finish, making for very fair racing.” — Beatty (1st)
“I was not happy with my qualifier but am really happy with how I skied the heats. Our staff did an awesome job with the skis today! The course was a lot of fun. Tactics essentially involved staying relaxed off the start, positioning well for the final climb and then hammering to the finish.” — Maya MacIsaac-Jones (CNST, 3rd)
“I feel pretty amazing about today’s race. 4th senior at a NorAm sprint is by far my best sprint result ever! My tactic was to have fun and just go like hell; I had a blast and I never went this fast before!” — Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH, 4th)
“I didn’t really have any tactics, I just wanted to go as fast as I could, ski well and try to stay with the leaders. I didn’t ask myself a lot of question, just ski fast!” — Marie Corriveau (MSA, 6th)
Bob Thompson wins the A final with three Thunder Bay teammates in the camera frame. (Photo: Doug Stephen) “I am very happy with how today went. I found the finishing sprint gear I felt I was missing had the speed when I needed it.
Everyone was fairly relaxed for the first half of the final knowing it was important to have the energy for the gradual climb into the finish. My move was made coming up to the last short downhill and then on the short striding hill before turning into the finish. I had been feeling great in that section in every heat and made sure I was at the front to make the most of it.” — Thompson (1st)
“The group strung out a little bit going into the big downhill, I was back in 5th but had amazing skis and came back up to the group pretty easily. Everyone was really skiing together going into the last climb, and Bob just put down a mean last hill and got away from us. I jumped out from behind Julien Locke as we hit the finishing stretch and got up beside him as we got right down to the line, and just got him in a big lunge.” — Angus Foster (TBay, 2nd)
“The tactics worked out for me as well! I was planning on holding on to the leaders in the final for as long as I could, and then using my fitness to the best of my ability in the finishing stretch.” — Graham Ritchie (TBay, 4th)
Interval start free technique
Sadie White was fourth and top U23 on Saturday. (Photo: Doug Stephen) “It was a hard race today. I had a good start but then got really stiff going into my second lap after the big climb. It took a lot of mental fight to regroup after I got really stiff on the second lap but I was able to ski out of it and push really hard on the final lap.
I am really happy with my fitness right now, my pacing was a bit off today but I think that fact that I am in good shape allowed me to bring it back.” — Beatty (1st)
“I felt better and better throughout the whole race today! I kind of wish we had more lap to go…” — Vézina (3rd)
Russell Kennedy descending to first place. (Photo: Doug Stephen) “Pacing was important today: that being said I didn’t pace it that well. Was definitely fastest the first two laps. Skis for me were really good [as] the team did an awesome job on them.” — Russell Kennedy (Team R.A.D., 1st)
“The race today went alright, I tried to start hard and couldn’t quite get myself into a top end race gear. I skied relatively consistent and was able to find a better feeling on the last lap, but overall not the way I want to feel during a race, the result was a pleasant surprise.
I think pacing played a big role, I was pretty far back after the first and second lap but turned out to be less than some guys lost on the last lap and so I was able to move up quite a few places in the final kms.” — Evan Palmer-Charrette (Team R.A.D., 2nd)
“My race today was really good. I feel like I was able to push hard and keep a good technique. I think the key today was to get a good glide after each push because they were not a lot of easy part on this course and the downhills were fast so you needed to get recovery were you can.” — Alexis Dumas (CNEPH, 3rd)
“Today’s race was good, not amazing but I’m happy to come away with the top U23 spot which qualifies me for U23 World Championships.
Today’s weather was static and remained the same for the whole race. The race was decided on the last lap, that’s where I pushed my hardest. My plan for the race was to increase the speed as the race progressed, getting a bit faster each lap. I was getting splits and I realized I was off the pace on the first laps, so I just made sure to push as hard as I could on the final climbs.” — Gareth Williams (Telemark, 6th)
Mass start classic
Russell Kennedy (bib #1) leads out the men’s 30km while Bob Thompson towers over the field in the leader’s bib. (Photo: Doug Stephen) “Today’s race stands out as the most fun I’ve had in a 30k since the very first one I ever did at the Canmore Nationals in 2010.
The main group got smaller definitely through Russell pushing the climbs on most laps. We had the group of 6 for several laps and then the last 2 were really just the 3 of us with Russell pushing hard on the climb from the bottom of the course. Jack and I had faster skis and on the final downhills went by and then had a great sprint to the line.” — Thompson (1st)
“After a tough sprint day, it was great to bounce back with two super successful distance races. ” – Sam Hendry (Team R.A.D., 1st junior in 4th)
“Today was a fun race. A good battle between Katherine and me once again.
Katherine set the pace early and by the second lap, we were on our own. It was windy on course today, so it was hard to break from each other and after testing each other a few times on the last lap it came down to the finish sprint, which of course is my favourite.” — Beatty (1st)
“The race was really fun. I pushed the pace right off the start so Dahria and I made a break from the rest of the group after the first lap. We skied together the entire race, it was the type of course that made it difficult to break away because the hills were relatively short and there was quite a big drafting effect on the flats. It came down to the finishing stretch and Dahria was stronger on the double pole!” — Katherine Stewart-Jones (CNST, 2nd)
Selection
“At this point, if I am offered a start I will plan to race the first 3 stages and then reassess after that based on how I am skiing. The Dresden WC will also be a focus just after the new year so I want to make sure I am well prepared and have enough energy for those races as well.” — Beatty, on Thursday, before the Tour de Ski offer was made.
“Qualifying for world juniors has been a big goal of mine for many years and I am really excited to have achieved it this weekend.” — Hendry
Personal Highlights
“Most unusual part was getting to come home and lie in bed between the quali and heats.” — MacIsaac-Jones
“I am very very happy with my race today, I really surprised myself! It’s been a long time I didn’t feel good at racing so it was really fun to have good feelings again. Take the first spot for U23 world champ was the best way to start the season!” — Corriveau
“Getting to race the final with three of my NTDC Thunder Bay teammates was a blast, I was really proud of the way we skied out there today and think it reflects a lot of hard work by our team and coaches this year! I’m stoked for Graham and Julian go 1-2 in U23 with World Champs spots on the line, and we all owe a big thank you to our wax techs for some wicked boards all day.” — Foster
“It’s been really nice to race at home and sleep in my own bed, especially knowing I will be away a lot for the rest of the season.
Everyone in Canmore has done a great job organizing the races so last minute. I’ve been especially loving the chocolate medals!” — Beatty
“The highlight from this past weekend was hands down, getting to ski with my teammate and role model Russell Kennedy for almost all of the classic mass start on Sunday.” — Hendry
Remi Drolet has been in Canmore before: Petter Northug (NOR) (l) high fives Remi Drolet (spectator) as he finishes his final lap during the men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the Ski Tour Canada on Tuesday in Canmore. (Photo: Peggy Hung) -
Saturday Rundown: Planica and Red Deer
Annika Hicks in the yellow NorAm leader’s bib leads Zina Kocher (52), Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (56) and Laurence Dumais (62) in the women’s 10 k classic mass start at Western Canadian Championships on Saturday in Red Deer, Alberta. Hicks went on to win by 2.5 seconds over Bouffard-Nesbitt. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Western Canadian Championships (Red Deer, Alberta): 10/15 k classic mass starts
On Day 2 of the NorAm Western Canadian Championships in Red Deer, Andy Shields of Lappe Nordic won the men’s 15-kilometer classic mass start and Annika Hicks of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) topped the women’s 10 k classic mass start.
Andy Shields (1) leads Russell Kennedy during the men’s 15 k classic mass start at Western Canadian Championships on Saturday in Red Deer, Alberta. Shields went on to win by 9 seconds over Kennedy. (Photo: Doug Stephen) Shields won the open men’s race by 9.4 seconds in 40:14.4, while Russell Kennedy (Team R.A.D.) placed second for the second-straight day. Scott Hill, of Barrie Cross Country (BXC), reached the podium in third, 14 seconds out of first.
Friday’s freestyle sprint winner, Jess Cockney (Canadian World Cup Team) placed fourth (+48.5), Michael Somppi (AWCA) followed in fifth (+49.4), and Jack Carlyle (AWCA) was sixth (+52.4). Just 0.1 seconds after Carlyle, Remi Drolet (Black Jack) was the top junior in seventh overall (+52.5), Sam Hendry (Team R.A.D.) was the second junior in eighth (+52.9), Patrick Stewart-Jones (AWCA) finished ninth (+55.0), and Antoine Hebert (AWCA) 10th (+55.2).
The open women’s race was closer in the race for first place, with Hicks capturing her first NorAm win in 28:51.0, 2.5 seconds ahead of Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (Rocky Mountain Racers) in second. All three women that reached the podium in Friday’s sprint returned to it on Saturday, with Zina Kocher (Foothills Nordic) placing third (+23.8). (On Friday, Bouffard-Nesbitt won ahead of Kocher in second and Hicks in third.)
Laurence Dumais (AWCA) finished fourth on Saturday (+58.4), Kaia Andal (Caledonia Nordic) was the top junior in fifth overall (+1:07.6), Molly Miller (Black Jack) finished sixth (+1:08), Alana Brittin (Revelstoke Nordic) seventh (+1:24.4), Amanda Thompson (Whitehorse Ski Club) eighth (+1:26.6), Paiga Latta (Sovereign Lake Nordic) ninth (+1:48.6), and Beth Granstrom (Revelstoke Nordic) 10th (+1:50.3).
Western Canadian Championships conclude Sunday with freestyle relays (women’s 3 x 3.75 k and men’s 3 x 5 k).
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FIS Cross-Country World Cup (Planica, Slovenia): Classic Sprints
The men’s classic sprint podium at the World Cup in Planica, Slovenia, on Saturday, with Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klaebo (c) in first and his teammate Emil Iversen (l) in second and Sweden’s Teodor Peterson (r) in third. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus) Stina Nilsson and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the classic sprints against the backdrop o the Julian Alps in Planica, Slovenia, retaining leadership of their respective Sprint Cup standings.
In the women’s race, Nilsson outgunned Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway in the final uphill, and then pulled away in the finishing straight. Kathrine Harsem of Norway, who had won the qualifier, also pulled past Falla, claiming second place and the first individual World Cup podium of her career. Harsem crossed the line 1.27 seconds behind Nilsson, and Falla another 0.54 seconds back. After skiing near the front at the beginning of the final the U.S. Ski Team’s Jessie Diggins placed fourth, +3.81. Sweden’s Anna Dyvik was fifth, +4.45, and Norway’s Heidi Weng sixth.
U.S. sprinter Sophie Caldwell finished the day in ninth after placing fifth in her semifinal heat. Teammates Ida Sargent and Sadie Bjornsen didn’t make it out of the quarterfinals; Bjornsen was caught up when Germany’s Sandra Ringwald crashed, and as a result finished a distant fifth in her heat for 21st overall. Sargent finished 23rd.
Julia Kern qualified in 43rd (+14.28), Rosie Brennan 49th (+15.87), and Caitlin Patterson 53rd (+17.56). No Canadian women raced.
In the men’s final, Klæbo simply pulled away from the field, as he had done in most heats all day since winning the qualifier by 2.75 seconds. Emil Iversen was the closest to staying with him; after Klæbo eased up at the finish, his Norwegian teammate crossed the line just 0.64 seconds back. Sweden’s Teodor Peterson claimed third, +8.14, teammate Oskar Svensson fourth, +11.8, Norway’s Eirik Brandsdal fifth, +19.77, and Russia’s Gleb Retivykh sixth, +27.08.
For the U.S. both Simi Hamilton and Andy Newell placed fourth in their quarterfinals, after qualifying 16th and 23rd, respectively. They ended the day in 19th and 20th.
A large contingent of U.S. men competed, with the Alaska Pacific University duo of Logan Hanneman and Tyler Kornfield narrowly missed advancing to the heats, finishing 35th (+13.55) and 38th (+13.96), respectively. Teammate Reese Hanneman was 51st in the qualifier (+17.99) and Craftsbury GRP’s Ben Lustgarten 59th (+19.41).
A Canadian delegation also raced, with Julien Locke leading the way in 62nd (+21.26), Dominique Moncion-Groulx 65th (+22.70), Bob Thompson 66th (+24.48), and Antoine Briand 70th (+27.20).
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