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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.

Tag: Oberhof Classic Sprint

  • Sweden Sweeps Oberhof Classic Sprint—Diggins Ninth

    Sweden Sweeps Oberhof Classic Sprint—Diggins Ninth

    This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

    Jessie Diggins (USA) made the semifinals in today’s Classic Sprint. She finished ninth to remain in the World Cup Overall lead. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    After a week and a half layoff, World Cup racing resumed today with renewed vigor and renewed focus. With the draining experience of the Tour de Ski behind them—and some nice recovery time absorbed—athletes now set their focus on the rest of the season, which for many of the women on team USA means focusing on World Cup Overall standings, or the hunt for other Crystal Globes.

    It was a sweep for Sweden with Linn Svahn (SWE) taking the win to increase her lead in the Sprint competition and nibble away at Jessie Diggins’ (USA) lead in the Overall standings. Jonna Sundling (SWE), Linn Svahn (SWE), Frida Karlsson (SWE), (l-r) (Photo: NordicFocus)

    At the start of today’s Classic Sprint in Oberhof, Germany, competitors have completed exactly half of the individual events which count toward Overall points. Starting the day, Jessie Diggins (USA) sat on top of the leaderboard in the Overall competition with a healthy lead of more than 300 points over Linn Svahn (SWE). Diggins also led in the Distance competition with a 95 point lead over second place which was occupied by her teammate Rosie Brennan. Brennan was also in third for the Overall competition, only 23 points behind Svahn. So, today was an opportunity for Svahn—who is leading the Sprint competition—to use her proven Sprinting prowess to gain ground on Diggins and establish a cushion on Brennan. But Svahn would face stiff competition from Kristine Stavaas Skistad (NOR), who has a remarkable streak of ten consecutive World Cup Sprint podium finishes, as well as from her teammate Emma Ribom.

    When the results were in it was Linn Svahn taking the win to gain valuable points on Diggins. In a surprise, Frida Karlsson (SWE) was second for her first World Cup Sprint podium, with Jonna Sundling (SWE) taking third. Jessie Diggins finished ninth.

    Rosie Brennan (USA) got caught in heavy traffic in her Quarterfinal and was unable to advance. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    Other American finishers were Rosie Brennan in 21st, Julia Kern 27th, and Samantha Smith 28th. In her first ever World Cup competition, Ely Minnesota native Erin Bianco finished 35th.

    The top Canadian finisher was Katherine Weaver in 41st. Sonjaa Schmidt was 48th, Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt was 49th, and Katherine Stewart-Jones was 51st.

    Women’s Classic Sprint Quarterfinals

    The first quarterfinal featured Sundling who qualified first, and Skistad, who qualified 16th. The two favorites finished first and second in a race—like many today—that featured a great deal of double poling.

    The second heat was packed with power as Svahn faced off against Brennan, and Victoria Carl (GER). At the start, Brennan was quickly forced to the back of a congested pack and had difficulty finding a way through it. As the heat progressed it was Svahn and Karlsson setting the pace. Brennan had managed to push her way into fourth but was some distance behind the two leaders. At the end, it was Svahn and Karlsson taking the top two spots. Brennan finished fifth, and her day would be over. After the race Brennan said that, “I’m not really sure how I’m feeling after the Tour de Ski.” She continued that, “to be honest, I think it takes more time than this to fully recover from the Tour, you kind of hope you’re recovered enough to have some good races. I was happy with my qualifier … heats obviously didn’t go the way I wanted them to … making not the best tactical decisions out there; didn’t play to my strengths the way I should have. But I feel like I’m on the upswing from the Tour.”

    Julia Kern (USA) made the quarterfinals, but was unable to advance. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    Diggins and Kern were in the third quarterfinal, along with Tiril Udnes Weng (NOR). Today was Weng’s return to the World Cup after having missed the entire season with illness. As has been her Sprint strategy this year, Diggins went to the front, but was matched immediately by Jasmi Joensuu (FIN). The Finn quickly jumped in front of Diggins and set the pace throughout the race. Kern was thrown to the back and was never able to gain ground on the field. Joensuu continued to push the entire way with Diggins marking her. As they entered the stadium, Diggins jumped from behind Joensuu into her own track and put in a hard effort to nip Joensuu at the finish. Kern finished sixth. Due to the glazing Classic track, it was a challenging day for kick, “it was really tricky” commented Diggins. “Even though you knew you were just going to herringbone that last steep hill, there was still that power striding section in the middle, and I felt I needed enough kick to be able to ski well there, so it was a really tricky balance. I’m really proud of our tech team. I feel that I had the skis I needed.”

    Teenager Sammy Smith (USA) continues to make her presence felt at the World Cup. She qualified again for the Sprint heats. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    The fourth quarterfinal featured America’s 18 year old standout, Samantha Smith. She would go up against Moa Lundgren (SWE), Emma Ribom (SWE) and Katharina Hennig (GER). Ribom went to the front early along with her teammate, Lundgren. The pack remained tight throughout the half-way point with Smith hanging at the back. As the racers entered the steepest climb they transitioned to herringbone, and Smith was unable to match the pace. This opened a window for Tereza Beranova (CZE) who went to the front with Ribom. The pair established a nice cushion and easily double poled through the finish. Smith finished sixth. But for Smith, every day on the World Cup is an opportunity to learn, “I’m definitely feeling more and more comfortable every Sprint” said Smith. “It’s been really exciting getting into heats the last two Sprints, and hopefully I will have more opportunities as the season progresses!”

    The fifth quarterfinal had Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) taking the victory and German favorite Laura Gimmler (GER) thrilling the crowd by taking second place.

    When the quarterfinals were complete, Diggins ended up being the only American to advance to the semifinals, while five Swedes moved on.

    Sprint Semifinals

    Diggins landed in the first semifinal along with Sundling, Svahn, Karlsson, Skistad, and Carl. It was a very imposing field, but in a sense a fortunate one for Diggins who could keep an eye on her competition for the Overall Cup. The hometown crowd was clearly in Carl’s corner as they cheered her loudly during introductions. At the start Diggins found herself in the unusual position of being at the back of the pack with Svahn and Sundling going to the front. It appeared to be a strategic response to Diggins’ established tactic of going early to the front. Diggins was trapped behind Skistad as the pack remained tight. Then Diggins decided to jump into the outside lane to try and find some room, but the move did not pay off. She still remained at the back with Sundling, Svahn and Karlsson creating a Swedish wall at the front. As they entered the final stretch, the group stretched out a bit with Svahn taking the win. Karlsson was second. followed by Sundling and Skistad. Diggins finished fifth, two seconds back, and would not advance. Energy wasn’t an issue for Diggins coming off the Tour de Ski. Asked if she felt recovered from the Tour, she said, “yes.” She continued that, “it is always a little nerve wracking, because you don’t know until you race, so it was nice to feel some good race feelings today.” Diggins also acknowledged that the tight pack affected her race, “I definitely need to improve being a little more aggressive and protecting my space.” She added that, “I definitely felt like I had the fitness, and that was a really good thing, and that’s how I would like it to be. I feel like I could improve protecting my space a little more and really need to improve my double pole finishes.”

    By reaching the semifinals, Jessie Diggins (USA) was able to keep a comfortable lead in the Overall World Cup standings. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    In the second semifinal Ribom faced off against Dahlqvist, Joensuu, Gimmler, Beranova and Anne Kyllonen (FIN). Joensuu took the lead early with Ribom following her. As they entered the herringbone section Ribom and Beranova put in a huge burst to jump to the front. Beranova continued the hard pace to go to the front, but she had gone out too soon. Ribom was able to sprint past her as they entered the stadium. The sparse crowd then erupted as seemingly out of nowhere Gimmler made a late push to finish second thrilling the German fans.

    Sprint Final

    The finals saw Svahn, Ribom, Karlsson, Gimler, Sundling, and Skistad taking the start line. The real surprise in this group was Karlsson, who has not had a strong Sprint history. Nonetheless, it allowed Sweden to continue their Sprint domination by placing four skiers into the finals.

    At the start, Skistad went to the front immediately; a change of tactics for her. But Sundling did not let her stay out front for long as she passed Skistad to take the lead. Surprisingly, it was Karlsson who followed Skistad to the front along with Sundling and Svahn. The three Swedes began to pull away as Skistad’s initial burst had cost her and she was fading quickly. Svahn then took control with Karlsson right behind her. Svahn was able to sprint to the line first, and in the surprise of the day Karlsson was second. Sundling finished third for a Swedish sweep. It was an impressive showing for Karlsson who did something which she has not been able to do throughout her World Cup career; hang with the top Sprinters and capture a Sprint podium.

    It was Frida Karlsson’s (SWE) best Sprint day ever as she finished second. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    After the Sprints had concluded, Diggins remained atop the Overall standings ahead of Svahn. Brennan was still in third place, now 87 points behind Svahn, and only 17 points ahead of Ribom.

    Women’s Classic Sprint RESULTS

    WORLD CUP OVERALL STANDINGS

  • Norwegian Sweep—Minus Klaebo—in Oberhof Classic Sprint

    Norwegian Sweep—Minus Klaebo—in Oberhof Classic Sprint

     

    This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

    Erik Valnes (NOR), Lucas Chanavat (FRA), Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), and Ansgar Evensen (NOR) (L-R) sprint for the line during semifinals in Oberhof. Klaebo would finish in third in the heat, and miss out on a World Cup sprint final for the first time in six years. (Photo: Nordic Focus)

    It was a rare day on the World Cup, but patterns, established and emerging, were apparent too. The rare part: Friday in Oberhof marked the first time in six years that Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) was eliminated before the Finals in a World Cup Sprint race. In the first semifinal, Ansgar Evensen (NOR) carried out a defiant move on the steep Oberhof climb that gave way to a long final sprint, a pack of three including Klaebo, World Cup Sprint Leader, Erik Valnes (NOR), and Tour de Ski points champion Lucas Chanavat (FRA) vied for the second spot into the Final. Valnes would end up taking it. Klaebo pulled up in third in the heat, momentarily in a lucky loser spot until the second semifinal bested his time. With Klaebo’s day having ended, so too did a streak of 39 straight sprint podium finishes. There were notable circumstances in the post-mortem on that streak. Klaebo was back in the start list following a bout of flu over the holiday break, but also just barely arrived in Germany ahead of Oberhof, as most of the Norwegian national team was delayed in travels late into Germany last night. During the first semifinal, the resulting conditions got translated to a notable result.

    That precedent meant the possibility for something new in the Sprint Final. Even there, deviation from the usual World cup script was minimal; Norwegians dominated the field at the start line, and the race at the finish. Four Norwegians—Valnes, Evensen, Even Northug, and Harlad Oestberg Amundsen—were joined by Ben Ogden (USA), and Swiss skier, Valerio Grond. As he had in the semifinal with Klaebo, Evensen waited through the twists and turns of the first kilometer on the Oberhof course, and then pushed a final, steep, climb to create a lead pack that included all his countrymen into the final sprint. At that point, Valnes had a plan. “I saw Ansgar [Evensen]’s climb in the quarterfinal and semifinal,” he said to FIS media post-race. “So I was aiming for the back of his ski on the final climb.” Valnes would shoot off with Evensen, with Valnes getting the win in a closely-contended double-pole finish. Evensen took second, while Northug sprinted to round out the podium in a Norwegian sweep. 

    Erik Valnes (NOR) celebrates as he crosses the finish-line in the Oberhof. Ansgar Evensen (NOR) behind him, and Even Northug (NOR), would complete a first Norwegian sprint podium sweep of the season. (Photo: Nordic Focus)

    The final result put irony at the heart of the day; in the first race in six years where the most dominant individual Norwegian skier missed the Final, the Norwegians had their most dominant sprint day as a team, sweeping the podium for the first time this season.

    Amid the established precedent of Norwegians topping the men’s results, there was a more auspicious, emerging one too, to note for the Americans. Ogden made it through to the Finals for the third time this season, making it the fourth time in six World Cup sprints that an American has stood on the line in the Finals. Ogden confidently controlled his quarterfinal, then completed a resilient final punch over the last climb in his semi-final to take second in the heat ahead of World Cup Overall leader, Amundsen, and French sprinter Richard Jouve. In the Final, the definitive surge of speed from Evensen and Valnes proved to break the pack and leave Ogden near the back, where he would finish sixth. “During the Finals, Valnes was definitely looking at that [final] hill too,” said Ogden after the race. “And that’s where it felt like the pace lifted until all the way over the finish line.” 

    Like Klaebo’s individual result, Ogden’s sixth place finish was put into context by how his countrymen did on the day. All four American men made the heats in Oberhof: an upward trend for the Team USA. Kevin Bolger skied into the semifinals to take 12th place, while JC Schoonmaker took 24th. Zak Ketterson, meanwhile, overcame being caught up in the Norwegian team travel woes out of Olso to make his first sprint heats of the season, and finish 16th.

    Ogden saw the day as a steady progression of his ability in sprint races. “I’m psyched to get a few [sprint] final opportunities this season,” he said. “I am starting to feel more comfortable moving through the quarterfinals and semi-finals, but it’s still a challenge, and I have to be careful with heat selection. A goal going forward is going to be figuring out how to conserve energy in those so I reach the Final ready to push.”

    All four American men who started the Classic Sprint in Oberhof made the heats, with Ben Ogden taking sixth, Kevin Bolger in 12th, Zak Ketterson in 16th, and JC Schoonmaker in 24th. (Photo: Courtesy Image/Chris Grover).
    Americans Show Poise, Confidence, in Heats

    Of the four Americans that qualified for the heats, Ketterson was the first to take to the line, skiing out of a first heat that included Klaebo and Valnes. Ketterson showed confidence throughout the heat, accelerating along with the field as German skier, Jan Stoelben, launched an attack on the final climb. Into the final run-in, the two Norwegians formed a line in front of the pack to take first and second, but Ketterson had pulled into the ensuing sprint for third and fourth. As Klaebo eased up crossing the line in first, Ketterson’s skis crossed the tails of his skis, sending the Minnesotan falling in the finish pen, but falling into third place in the heat. Ketterson would hold onto the lucky loser spot through the next heat, but faster times throughout the quarterfinals eventually left him in 16th place.

    Zak Ketterson (USA) skied into his first heats of the World Cup season in Oberhof, eventually finishing 16th in a closely contested quarterfinal. (Photo: Nordic Focus).

    Schoonmaker featured in the next quarterfinal, alongside Chanavat, Marcus Grate (SWE), and the only Canadian qualifier on the day, Antoine Cyr. The North Americans remained in the fast-moving quarterfinal until the very last climb when Chanavat and Grate both emphasized the control they had showed throughout the first kilometer, and subsequently eased into the semifinals in first and second. Schoonmaker and Cyr would round out an otherwise-tight pack, finishing fifth and sixth in the heat, respectively.

    The final quarterfinal heat featured Ogden an Bolger lining up alongside each other, alongside Jouve and Grond. “It’s never a plan to take a heat as a teammate-but the way heats played out it made sense for me,” said Bolger post-race. Ogden and Bolger stuck together through the early part of the course, rounding the twists and turns in Oberhof with stars and stripes leading. “I thought we controlled the heat really well!” added Bolger. “Ben is a seasoned classic heats skier and I’m not, so I was just trying to stay as close to him as I could.” The pace was pronounced, and even as Bolger started to fall into the pack while Ogden shot up the final steep climb to mark Grond, he kept with the pace. Ogden would take control of the heat in the final sprint, advancing to the semifinals in first. Bolger surged to finish in fourth place, and, in the fast heat, move into the semifinals as a lucky loser. 

    Ben Ogden and Kevin Bolger head out on course during quarterfinal action in Oberhof. Ogden would win the heat, and finish sixth on the day, as Kevin Bolger secured a lucky loser spot in fourth, and finished 12th on the day. (Photo: Nordic Focus).

    “There is no better feeling than to be able to move onto the semis from a heat with a teammate,” said Kevin Bolger on the quarterfinal performance.

    Bolger would run into a pack of Norwegians, with Klaebo, Evensen and Valnes in semifinal 1. Bolger showed similar poise in the early part of the heat, but the surge that came on the final climb turned out to be just one push beyond what the Wisconsinite could manage on the day, and he would finish the semi-final in sixth, earning a 12th place on the day. The result was Bolger’s best ever in a classic sprint on the World Cup, which he is taking both as a great singular performance, and one that he can build off of. “It was a sick day!” he said. “I have confidence in my classic skiing and sprinting, but qualifying had always been the hill to get over for me- I knew if I could break that barrier, I’d be competitive in the heats, and it showed today. [Still,] the ultimate goal [for me] is to get back on the US Ski Team, and it won’t happen unless I get into a sprint final, so that’s the goal moving forward and the only focus I have.”

    Ben Ogden (USA) smiles alongside World Cup Overall leader Harald Oestberg Amundsen (NOR) after Ogden made his third World Cup sprint final of the season. (Photo: Nordic Focus).

    Ogden took a similar approach to his quarterfinal in his semi-final 2, going out front to control the pack early, and then holding on as Valerio Grond (SUI) and Even Northug (NOR) pushed the middle part of the Oberhof course. Ogden, though, could match the surge that came on the final climb, launching to the outside to go over the top in third place, and then showing his ability to put out a powerful double-pole finish to take second place behind Northug.

    When the Final came, Ogden found himself in a similar position to Bolger in his semifinal. The final surge came on the final hill, and Ogden, this time, couldn’t quite match the pace exhibited by his Norwegian rivals. He would finish the heat in sixth place, and sixth place overall on the day.

    The Americans follow up today’s classic sprint with tomorrow’s 20 k Classic Mass Start. The marked depth that was present in the sprints today will no doubt be what they are after tomorrow, as the same crew of sprinters—Ogden, Schoonmaker, Ketterson—gets augmented by the distance prowess of Gus Schumacher and Scott Patterson. For a team that is heading home to North America in a month, things are trending up; the depth of the results from Team USA confirm the consistency that the men’s half of the Stifel US Ski Team is starting to gain this season.

    Full Oberhof Classic Sprint RESULTS

    Norwegian Sweep: Erik Valnes first, Ansgar Evensen second, and Even Northug third. The first day in six years that  Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo didn’t finish on a World Cup Sprint podium would still be colored in Norwegian red, white, and blue. (Photo: Nordic Focus).