From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
The men’s classic sprint podium in Liberec: 1. Teodor Peterson (SWE), 2. Emil Jonsson (SWE). 3. Pal Golberg (NOR). Photo: Nordic Focus/FIS Cross Country.
After the drama — and exhaustion — of the Tour de Ski, most of the seven-race series’ participants took some much-needed rest to try to get ready for World Championships and replenish their ATP supplies. Instead of the distance skiers, sprinters were in the spotlight at this weekend’s World Cup competitions in Liberec, Czech Republic. With only one real sprint in the Tour de Ski this year, and a long break over Christmas, they were itching to get back to racing.
In the men’s classic sprint Teodor Peterson of Sweden took the win, reprising his place on the circuit as the man to beat. Teammate Emil Jønsson was second; as has been true so often in the last two seasons, the two tall Swedes will likely be dueling for the overall Sprint Cup title. However, Sweden couldn’t follow up on that success in the team sprint, with the Russians instead taking the victory on Sunday. Andy Newell (USA) finished sixth and Lenny Valjas (CAN) tenth, particularly impressive because Valjas completed the entire Tour de Ski. He was the top finisher in the sprint to have done so.
In the women’s sprint Mona-Liisa Mahlvaleto of Finland got her first win of the season, while Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland continued to roll after her Tour victory and won a photo finish for second. The Canadians were impressive, with all three women qualifying for the heats and Dasha Gaiazova taking a career-best fourth place finish after losing the same photo finish with Kowalczyk and Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway; Perianne Jones was ninth. In the next day Falla and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg won the team sprint, while two young Americans, Sadie Bjornsen and Ida Sargent, teamed up for seventh place.
Biathlon returned to the site of 2012 World Championships, and things in Ruhpolding looked very similar to last March. Martin Fourcade of France was on a roll, anchoring the winning men’s relay and winning both the pursuit and mass start. While Miriam Gossner of Germany, a newcomer to the winners’ circle this year, powered her way to a sprint win under difficult conditions, Tora Berger of Norway rose to the top in the mass start, just as she did at World Championships. Both Fourcade and Berger had the lead in their World Cup total scores coming into this weekend, and they still have it going out.
It was a good weekend for the North American teams, too, starting with the men’s relay where the U.S. was in second place after two legs, thanks to excellent performances by Lowell Bailey and Leif Nordgren; despite fading in the second half, it was a good effort by the team. In the sprints, Scott Perras of Canada led the way with the first top-ten finish of his career, while Annelies Cook (USA) and Scott Gow (Canada) also had career-bests in 26th and 29th.
In nordic combined action in Chaux-Neuve, France, Taylor Fletcher led the U.S. in tenth in the large hill competition before teaming up with brother Bryan to place seventh in the team event.
It feels like ages ago, but U.S. Cross Country Championships just finished this week, with Sadie Bjornsen and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess winning the skate sprints to wrap up the week of racing. After that excitement, as well as Canadian junior/U23 trials, the domestic race circuits were off for the weekend.
Graeme Killick (l) during Sunday’s skate sprint heats at the Lappe Nordic NorAm World Junior/U23 Trials in Thunder Bay, Ontario. (Photo: Martin Kaiser)
The NorAm World Junior/U23 Trials are over and athletes are heading in different directions with varying moods. Some have long trips home, some do not. Some qualified for Junior Worlds or U23’s in Liberec, some did not. Some took a step closer to earning a start at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme, some took a step back. Many had more personals goals like executing tactical plans or holding technique to the end of the race.
The lists of skiers who qualified for trips doesn’t really show the time, effort, and determination that it took to achieve this goal. It also doesn’t show all the ‘unsuccessful’ skiers who forced the successful athletes to reach higher.
The official Canadian U23 list has:
Andrea Lee (NDC Thunder Bay), Marlis Kromm (AWCA) , Heidi Widmer (AWCA) , Annika Hicks (AWCA) , Andy Shields (NDC Thunder Bay) , Patrick Stewart-Jones (AWCA), Russell Kennedy (AWCA), Colin Abbott (Yukon Elite Squad)
The junior list has:
Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH), Maya MacIssac-Jones (RMR), Cendrine Browne (CNEPH), Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok), Anne-Marie Comeau (CNEPH), Raphaël Couturier (CNEPH) , Alexis Turgeon (CNEPH), David Palmer (Black Jack) , Ezekiel Williams (Nakkertok) , Scott Hill (NDC Thunder Bay)
Most of these athletes were automatically selected by winning a race at Thunder Bay. Comeau and Widmer were selected by ‘force majeure’, meaning they didn’t qualify due to an illness beyond their control. Widmer was held out of the last two races with a suspected concussion.
Colin Abbott, David Palmer, Ezekiel Williams, and Scott Hill were selected based on their rankings, which include the Thunder Bay races. Full details are on the CCC website.
As ever, the racers had lots of interesting things to say.
On the recent past and the near future:
Chris Hamilton (AWCA):
I felt really good in the race on Sunday, was able to go hard right from the start and blast the entire course.
I am pumped with my results this weekend, I had my best ever Sprint result in Senior Mens(9th, pretty damn good for a “non-sprinter”) on Saturday and combined with Sundays first Senior NorAm podium, my confidence has definitely got a boost.
I will travel down to the next NorAms in Duntroon, followed by Easterns in Ottawa and Westerns in Grand Prairie. The Alberta World Cup Academy has a fairly busy schedule for the rest of the season, so I will be on the road for the next while.
Graeme Killick (AWCA):
I felt pretty good going into each race. I don’t think the results were quite there this weekend but my form is still there and I might just need a different course/condition to really bring it out. I struggled on the skate day with keeping the speed up on the gradual terrain. Something to definitely work on in the future. Not happy with the results from the weekend but looking forward to fighting for the NorAm spot again in Duntroon and Ottawa!
Brittany Webster (Highlands), on Sunday’s interval start where she was 4th:
I really like hills and lots of them so this course wasn’t the best for me. Power skiers really did well today- Kate, Em, Zoe. And in the men the local guys did really well and also those who were bigger and more powerful. Like Graham Nish, not my kind of course, too much flat. It was probably the most fun race of the season.
[Next] I’ll get my energy up and legs really rested and then focus on skating in preparation for the 10k skate at highlands. It is my home club!! So really looking forward to it. My sister always brings a massive cheering section, which will put a smile on my face. There’s nothing like racing at home with you friends, parents and supporters to cheer you on.
Alana Thomas (Nakkertok):
I was happy with how the 10k skate went today, I had good energy and had fun working all the twisty, fast sections of the course. The sprint yesterday was so-so so it feels good to bounce back from that with a stronger performance today.
I’ll head to Ottawa now to get some training in before the NorAm at highland’s nordic in 3 weeks. From there I’ll head to my parent’s place near Hardwood Ski and Bike to do the final prep for Highland’s. I’m pumped to get some more training and sharpening done in places I love!
Zoe Roy (RMR):
I felt good in the skiathlon, better than in earlier races this season. It felt great to get on the podium!
[In the sprint, I] didn’t feel really snappy but was able to sneak through the quarterfinals in the lucky loser spot! Stayed on my feet and made up time on the hill to come in 2nd in the B final.
[Sunday] was another fun but cold day! I made an in the start gate decision to ditch my boot warmers 😉 We had good skis today and I liked the course, it had a little bit of everything. I think it was a solid weekend as a whole.
I’m staying in the east until Duntroon instead of going back to Canmore to minimize travel and get some training in here. I’m headed off to Ottawa on Tuesday for a few weeks before then.
Emily Nishikawa (AWCA):
I felt pretty good today, and I’m really happy with my whole weekend. Everything went really well, and I’m glad I was able to put together 3 good races in a row. I’m back to Canmore tomorrow for a couple weeks, then back out east to Duntroon for more NorAms.
Phil Widmer (AWCA):
So far the season has been good. I was really happy to get a top 15 in Canmore [at the World Cup] and I had a solid Nor-Am before that.
My goal for the rest of the season, simply put, is to get a bit better with each race. It would be amazing to get the opportunity to race in Europe and we’ll see what happens.
Michael Somppi (AWCA):
I’ve had some good feeling all weekend on my skis. Those feelings combined with some frustration at being close to the podium in the previous two races, but not quite making it fuelled my desire to win today.
Overall it was a strong weekend of racing for me. I hope to continue to perform at this level for the rest of the season. Next up on the schedule is the NorAm competition in Duntroon, Ontario at the end of the month.
Kevin Sandau (AWCA):
I was sick for the weekend, some light chest thing, but I don’t think it is going around. Started Saturday morning and felt better [Sunday] but decided to be on the safer side and not race.
David Greer (YES):
The Thunder Bay races were pretty mediocre for me. The races weren’t bad, I just know I’m capable of more. Next up for me is the Super Tour races in St Paul next weekend. John, Knute and I are currently in Duluth getting a bit of training in before we head over to Minneapolis next week.
Graham Nishikawa (AWCA):
Weekend was fun, overall ok. I am happy with my performance on Thursday.
Russell Kennedy (AWCA), on Sunday:
I felt real good right from the start. I knew it was a good course for me and I had to get top U23 to secure a spot for the Liberec trip. It turned out to be the best race of my life. I was a little disappointed with my sprint result but I had finished as 2nd U23 in the pursuit and knew I could make a good weekend great today. Now I have set my focus to skiing fast in Liberec.
Knute Johnsgaard (YES):
I’m obviously a bit disappointed I didn’t get named to the U23 team but I feel it was a good race weekend.
I felt my races were better than what my results showed. It seemed like there was a lot of guys who just had that race of their life, which was kind of unfortunate for me.
With the Duntroon NorAm a couple weeks from now and easterns right after that, it didn’t make sense to spend another thousand bucks on a plane ticket home so we’re staying out east. John [Parry], David [Greer], and I will be racing the first weekend of the Tour de Twin Cities in Minnesota.
Jess Cockney (AWCA):
As a whole I am definitely disappointed in the way the weekend shook down and I’m looking forward to another shot at trials in a couple weeks. Next up is some training in Canmore and off to Duntroon for the next trials in a couple weeks.
Alexis Turgeon (CNEPH):
(After Thursday’s 2nd place) I’m happy about my result, but I got to stay focused because a 2nd place doesn’t give you a free pass to Europe. Planning on winning the sprint and then having a good 15km skate to finish the week. For the rest of the season I want to be on the podium in the classic sprint at World Juniors and top 10-15 results on the distance racing.
(After Saturday’s win) All the pressure is off now. I felt like I really had to qualify this year because I did last year. After my second place in the pursuit this sprint gives me confidence for the world champs. I’ll be able to ski way more relax in the future without any stress.
Raphaël Couturier (CNEPH), on moving up to senior heats from junior:
It’s a really good opportunity to improve my strategies and to have a better idea of what WJ will look like.
(Next up) The focus from now will remain on WJ and nationals in Whistler late March.
Colin Abbott (YES):
It feels like a relief to qualify, this was my last year to make the U23 team and I don’t think I realized how badly I wanted it until after the races were over. The weekend of racing was one of my most consistent ever. The 30km pursuit started slow and it let me settle in comfortably before the pace picked up. I was able to ski at the front of the race for a lot of the first 15km. My legs didn’t like the switch to skating much and I got dropped by the lead pack after the first skate lap. Despite that, I maintained my position well and finished as the 3rd U23 at the end of the day.
The classic sprint race was the first one to be held on the Noram circuit in over a year so I didn’t know what to expect going into it. The qualifier felt a bit shaky but I think that was the case for a lot of people. The quarterfinal was tactically very good for me and I qualified comfortably for the semis for the first time in my life. Despite the good quarterfinal my body let me down in the semis and B-final and I wound up in 12th position, 3rd U23.
The 15km individual skate race was the race I was the most worried about. It’s traditionally been my weakest event and I really needed to be in the top 5 or 6 U23 guys to be considered. I managed to get my head on straight before the start of the race and after 5km or so I was kind of surprised at how good I was feeling. That boosted my confidence a bit and I tried to ski as fast and efficient as possible to the line. There were incredibly tight results that day and I was happy to be towards to top of them.
On Thunder Bay:
Chris Hamilton (AWCA):
It was a really great boost to know all of the volunteers and locals who were out there cheering. After all the years living in Thunder Bay I’ve gotten to know all of their cheering voices, so I kinda unconsciously knew who was there beside the race course yelling for me. It was a very special feeling to be able to perform this well in front of all my family, friends and sponsors. They definitely helped carry me around the course.
Alana Thomas (Nakkertok):
I’ve got to mention how impressed I was with the course, T-Bay really loves skiing and volunteers spent hours and hours shoveling snow onto the race loops to make today possible – all worthwhile and much appreciated!
Graham Nishikawa (AWCA):
The organizers did an amazing job getting the course together- there is very little snow here!
Jess Cockney (AWCA):
The volunteers have done a great job with what they’ve got but the snowfall has been unseasonably low and there’s a few rocky sections in and around the stadium.
Michael Somppi (AWCA):
The trails are in race shape despite limited snow in Thunder Bay at the moment. The ski community here has really worked hard to make this event possible and I am very grateful.
Emily Nishikawa (AWCA):
The organizers have done a great job getting the trails ready with a small amount of snow. We are using 2.5 km loops, so there will be a lot of laps- especially for the men!
Colin Abbot (YES):
Considering that Lappe has to make do with only the small amount of natural snow that has fallen so far this year they’ve done an amazing job with the trails.
Michael Somppi (second closest) edges three Alberta World Cup Academy teammates in a lunge to the line of Saturday’s NorAm classic sprint semifinal in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Jesse Cockney (closest) took second, Graham Nishikawa (third closest) was third, and Brent McMurtry was fourth by 0.06 seconds. (Zone4 photo)
The focus at the NorAm World Junior/U23 Trials hosted by Lappe Nordic shifted to classic sprinting today with a shift in the top of the podiums to match. The pressure was rising for athletes chasing a limited number of spots on the U23 and World Junior races in Liberec, Czech Republic, while older athletes tried to accumulate points toward a trip to the World Championships in Val di Fiemme.
Phil Widmer of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) won the men’s qualifier and each of his heats with only teammate Graeme Killick getting close to beating him in the quarterfinal. Widmer described the course and his plan in an email: “With the first half of the race being very easy and the second half being very hard, it meant the race really started at the halfway point. I wanted to be up in the top 3 starting at the midway point and be ready to fight to the finish.”
The second semifinal had four skiers finish within 0.06 seconds. Hometown boy Michael Somppi (AWCA), who won the fastest heat of the day, finished in 3:28.81, just edging teammate Jess Cockney by 0.03 seconds for both to advance to the final. Graham Nishikawa (AWCA) tied Cockney on time, 0.03 seconds ahead of fourth-place finisher Brent McMurtry (AWCA). After a finish that tight, it was suitable that both Nishikawa and McMurtry advanced as lucky losers, putting five AWCA athletes in the A-final.
In the final, Somppi started well and led the group into the long climb. “Unfortunately my legs didn’t have much left and I struggled up the climb,” he wrote. “Phil skied the final tactically very well. He was right behind me starting the climb and took the lead when I faltered. He continued to ski strong to the line.”
Widmer won the 1.4-kilometer final with a clear lead in 32:29.7. Patrick Stewart-Jones (AWCA) finished second 1.6 seconds behind.
“The final was a hard fight,” Stewart-Jones wrote. “I didn’t have a great start and was always skiing in the outside track trying to move up. In the end Phil was just too strong today, but I’m really happy with my second place!”
Cockney, who was ninth in the Canmore World Cup sprint in December, settled for third, just 0.13 seconds behind Stewart-Jones.
Brian McKeever won the B-final in 3:34.81, well ahead of Killick. Junior Raphael Couturier of the Pierre-Harvey Training Centre (CNEPH) was fifth after moving up to the senior race once he knew Thursday’s skiathlon guaranteed his spot in Liberec.
Couturier saw this as a learning opportunity. “It’s a really good opportunity to improve my strategies and to have a better idea of what WJ will look like,” he wrote.
In the Junior Men’s field, Alexis Turgeon (CNEPH) emulated Widmer, winning the qualifier and then all of his heats. In the final, he finished in 3:36.73, more than a second ahead of Ezekial Williams (Nakkertok) and another second ahead of Dominique Moncion-Groulx (Nakkertok).
In the women’s 1.2 k sprint, Andrea Dupont (Rocky Mountain Racers) led the way, winning all her heats after Emily Nishikawa (AWCA) won the qualifier. Alysson Marshall (AWCA) was second in the A-final, finishing 0.16 seconds behind Dupont’s time of 3:18.10 and almost four seconds in front of third place Nishikawa.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had won the qualifier, and the heats went fairly well,” Nishikawa wrote in an email. “I struggled a bit with kick on the climb, but overall I felt pretty good.”
“In the final, Alysson and I were still together coming over the top of the hill,” Dupont wrote. “She was able to get a bit of a draft in a dip before the finishing double pole stretch. She had more momentum than myself coming through the final corner to the double pole finish. So, I had a bit of ground to make up in the finishing stretch. Fortunately double poling is a strength for me and I was able to recover enough and out lunge her at the line.”
“I felt pretty good today,” Marshall wrote. “I had a rough start to the season and this was one of the first races that I’ve felt my normal speed come back. It was disappointing to miss the win in a lunge, but I was happy to feel strong again. I managed to stay out of trouble in the quarters and semis and made it into the final. In the final I was mid-pack at the bottom of the course but jumped in a lane behind Andrea and stuck with her up the climb. We got a bit of a gap over the other girls and had a double pole battle to the finish.”
Kate Brennan (AWCA) was fourth, over a second ahead of teammate Marlis Kromm who earned a trip to U23’s with her effort. Local favourite Erin Tribe (NDC Thunder Bay) rounded out the A-final in sixth.
In the Junior Women’s event, Maya MacIsaac-Jones (RMR), following a trend for the day, won the qualifier and all her heats. Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok) was second, two seconds behind MacIsaac-Jones’ winning time of 3:22.28. Alannah MacLean (NDC Thunder Bay) grabbed the final podium place for local pride, ahead of Cendrine Browne (CNEPH), Dahria Beatty (AWCA), and Frederique Vezina (CNEPH).
