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.
OMG that was awesome.
Devon and Nat are back to break down an epic finish to the women’s Olympic relay, with some details on the Russian victory, the surprise German silver and Jonna Sundling helping to deliver a bronze for Sweden. Plus some notes on the Americans in sixth.
Send questions and feedback to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’ll be back tomorrow.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the 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.
Stage 3 of the Tour de Ski, the halfway mark in this year’s edition, and the venue has shifted to Oberstdorf, Germany, site of the 2021 World Championships. The race on tap was a 10-kilometer skate and the first mass start event of the season. Temperatures were warm and sunny though the courses were located on the shady side of the valley, creating fast, firm conditions. After an exciting battle, it was the American Jessie Diggins who claimed the victory in Stage 3, using her speedy free skate technique to move from third to first down the finish lanes. Diggins finished in a time of 21:30.8, lightning-fast by the distance. Let’s examine what happened out on the course during those twenty-one minutes.
The course was made of three laps of a 3.3 k loop and the fast conditions made it challenging for any one athlete to break away from the rest of the pack. Immediately from the gun, Diggins was at the front, clearly looking to push the pace from the start. Through the first time-check at 2.1 k, the pack was largely still together. As the group navigated one of the many v-board rimmed corners, Frida Karlsson (SWE) got caught on the inside, taking a fall just before the end of first lap.
At 3.3k, Diggins was in the lead, shadowed by Ebba Andersson (SWE) and Heidi Weng (NOR), though the top twenty athletes were all within 10 seconds of each other. Stepping over broken pole remnants from the previous lap, the racers headed out on the second, towards the bonus points opportunity at 4k.
Weng (NOR) was first through the checkpoint to gather 15 points with Andersson (SWE) earning 12 and Karlsson, having recovered from her fall and making up significant ground, taking 10 in third place. Andersson, Weng, and Diggins continued to work hard up front and at 5.4k, a small break seemed to be forming.
Unlike many women’s mass start races we have seen in the past few years (Johaug pulling away, the chasers strung out behind), this race was tight from start to finish. As the front pack took shape it initially held five athletes but was soon joined by another five. Andersson (SWE) was often at the front, followed by Helene Marie Fossesholm of Norway, Diggins, Teresa Stadlober of Austria, Karlsson (SWE), Weng (NOR), Tatiana Sorina (RUS), Katharina Henning (GER), Natalia Nepryaeva (RUS) and Delphine Claudel (FRA).
Despite the various efforts of Andersson and Diggins to break, the fast conditions and course profile seemed to make this difficult.
Rounding another v-board corner, Karlsson nearly fell again, catching herself with her hands. As the front pack sped towards the finish, Fossesholm (NOR) faded and dropped, leaving nine. Heading towards 8.7 km, Karlsson lengthened her stride and began to pull away, creating a gap of +1.7 to Diggins. Diggins and Sorina worked to close the gap on the next and final hill, though they didn’t overtake the Swede. Ending in a fast downhill finish where many of you may recall last year’s World Championship drama, Diggins was poised to use her strengths.
As the front three athletes came into sight of the finish lanes, Karlsson still held the lead, Sorina in second and Diggins closing fast in third. Choosing the outside lane Diggins free-skated hard, passing Sorina and then Karlsson to cross the line in first.
“It felt pretty extreme,” said Diggins to FIS when asked about her finish, “it probably didn’t look very graceful or pretty, but they did such a good job preparing the course in such warm conditions so it was awesome that it was hard. But in my head I was ready for the finish lanes to feel unstable, so I thought just stay as low to the ground as possible. That way if you fall you don’t have far to go.”
Karlsson (SWE) hung onto second place +0.5 behind Diggins and Sorina (RUS) grabbed third (+0.8).
This win marks Diggin’s ninth World Cup distance victory, all coming in skate technique.
Talking about course conditions Diggins said, “It was tricky because if you’re leading, you’re doing so much work, but if you’re not in front it’s easy to get swallowed up. I have to say I had the best skis in the world.” In a separate interview, Diggins reiterated this point, emphasizing the importance of her ski speed, “[our team] gave me some absolute rockets and that was the difference maker, being able to trust the draft, and trust the skis and know that they would help me pick up places and get me to where I want to be so that was crucial to me out there.”
Post-race audio clip from the mixed zone, recorded by U.S. Ski & Snowboard cross country communications manager Tom Horrocks.
Julia Kern was the next American finisher in 24th position (+43.8).
“It was fast and furious, a lot of fun,” said Kern afterwards. “I didn’t have the best energy out there but it was a hard fight. Skis were competitive and good, it was a really icy day so it was hard to stay on your feet.”
Post-race interview with Julia Kern hosted by Tom Horrocks.
Katharine Ogden finished just outside the top thirty in 32nd place (+56.7).
“I was psyched with my strategy of just staying relaxed and trying not to get too swept up in the mass start chaos,” Ogden explained in a post-race interview. “I was definitely a little bit bummed to be so close to the points, but not quite in them. But everyone wants to be Top-30, so that’s okay. It was encouraging, makes me really excited for Val di Fiemme.”
Full audio clip with Katharine Ogden, interviewed by Tom Horrocks.
Following her was Sophia Laukli in 37th (+1:00.4), Alayna Sonnesyn in 52nd (+1:39) and Novie McCabe in 54th (+1:42.5). Hailey Swirbul did not start.
Diggins now leads the Tour standings again, +0:13 ahead of Kerttu Niskanen (FIN). Natalia Nepryaeva (RUS) is in third, just one second behind Niskanen.
Kern is the next American behind Diggins and is currently in 17th (+1:47). Katherine Ogden is sitting in 31st (+2:48), Sophia Laukli is 41st (+3:11), Novie McCabe is 46th (+3:31) and Alayna Sonnesyn is 58th (+4:58). The fourth stage of the Tour will take place Saturday, featuring a classic sprint, before they change venues for the final time on January 3rd.
Results: 10 k Skate | Overall Standings | Point Standings
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the 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.
Bring out the high socks and glitter, it’s a relay day on the World Cup.
Whereas the early legs of the men’s race skied like an accordion, the first four teams pulling the field apart before each exchange, then biding their time as the next few groups regained contact, the top three teams in the women’s race seemed evident from the onset of the second lap.
This statement should not imply that the race was in any way less suspenseful. Within this lead group were some of the top Swedish athletes, who have proven to be a force in both sprint and distance, racing against a deep Russia I team, whose members have not yet earned a World Cup podium this season.
On home turf with history pointing in their favor, Norway has won 17 of the last 18 World Cup relays, and took the gold medal in the event at last year’s World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany with the same team that started today. As the top three teams pulled ahead, the Norway I team evidenced the determination to continue this streak.
At the first exchange, these three teams were joined by Germany, which was led by Katharina Hennig, and the Finland I team, led by Johanna Matintalo.
The United States I team, led by Hailey Swirbul, who tagged off to Rosie Brennan in 9th (+21.6). At 2k, U.S. I was only a few seconds back on the leaders. Unfortunately for the Americans, shortly thereafter Swirbul broke a pole basket. Racing in fresh snow, Swirbul slowly began to bleed time, fighting to keep the time lost to a minimum.
By the second exchange, Sweden I, Russia I, and Norway I, were within 1.2 seconds of one another, but nearly 20 seconds ahead of the chase group. In this lineup was yesterday’s 10k skate winner, Frida Karlsson (SWE) facing Heidi Weng (NOR) who took ninth, and Natalia Nepyaeva (RUS) who finished fifth.
Ceding a few seconds to the leaders, but advancing in position, Brennan pulled the U.S. I team into sixth, within reach of Finland I and Germany, who tagged off ten seconds ahead.
In the first skating leg, Norway’s distance champion Therese Johaug was matched against Ebba Andersson (SWE) and Tatiana Sorina (RUS). Andersson made an early push to set the tone as the final lap neared, but she was unable to break away. The women stayed together through the final exchange, where they tagged off within a second of one another.
Building upon Brennan’s momentum, Jessie Diggins skated the third leg for the Americans. Giving the energy we’ve come to expect from Diggins during relays, she hammered her leg of the course, gaining time on the leaders and advancing her team into fourth place at the final exchange. Still at a deficit of 26.4 seconds, a podium finish appeared unlikely in Lillehammer.
However, the effort highlighted the collective grit of her team, sending the message that a future podium is not out of reach. While there are no tests of relay mettle between now and the Olympic Games in February, the event will certainly be a focus as the American women build toward their peak this season.
After the race, Diggins commented on her experience racing in third, a new position for her, and explained how she worked together with Norway II’s Ragnhild Haga to advance both teams position in the field.
At the halfway mark of her leg, the Norway I anchor, Helene Fossesholm, began to hit it hard. She created a three second gap with 1.6 k to go, but then it appeared that she had burnt a few too many matches to continue at that effort. Moa Olsson (SWE) and Veronika Stepanova (RUS) regained contact and the threesome headed through the final kilometer and into the stadium tightly grouped.
In the final push, Stepanova accelerated at the front to take the win for Russia I, while Olsson and Fossesholm slid in for a photo finish just behind. It was determined that the Swede’s boot was ahead of the Norwegian’s, locking in the podium with Russia I stopping the clock at 54:40.6, followed by Sweden I in second (+1.1) and Norway I in third (+1.2).
After the finish, an ecstatic Russian team provided the following comments to FIS.
“It was really nice,” leader Yulia Stupak said on behalf of her team. “We’re so happy today. Today was a good race. And we also have a small joker today, our new young star. She was really good.”
Stupak handed it over to Stepanova, who at 20-years-old is the youngest member of the team. Showing her range, Stepanova was the national champion in both the 15k freestyle and the freestyle sprint at last year’s Russian National Championships in Kirovo-Chepetsk, and also won the 5k free at the 2021 World Junior Championships in Voukatti, FIN. This weekend is only her second time racing at the World Cup level, and has been her first World Cup starts of the season.
“This was a great one,” Stepanova laughed as she charismatically took the mic. “I have an amazing team – thank you, girls.”
When asked about the focus on the Olympic relay and the team’s outlook, the women looked to one another optimistically.
“This [will be] a good competition,” Stepanova said simply.
Anchoring the U.S. I team, Julia Kern tucked in with Germany’s Victoria Carl, utilizing the draft and conserving for a tactical final sprint, which she identified as a strength. Halfway through the leg, the chase group was just over ten seconds behind the leaders, before a crash put a wrench in the plans.
Recovering in time to put in a final surge, Kern powered around the curve into the stadium, neck in neck with Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu. The two women accelerated to the line evenly matched, throwing their boots over the line in a photo finish. Times were declared even to the tenth of a second, but Kern was determined to have a marginal advantage over Joensuu, putting the American women in fourth after a valiant team effort.
After the race, Kern explained her tactical approach to the anchor leg, along with additional insight into what was missed by cameras, conditions on the course, and the American women’s outlook as they keep their eyes on the Olympic relay.
A testament to the development of cross-country skiing in the U.S., a second American women’s team raced in Lillehammer today. Comprised mostly of U23 athletes, the team of Sydney Palmer-Leger, Katharine Ogden, Sophia Laukli, and Novie McCabe skied to 13th today (+4:30.9). The first American team could be seen waiting at the finish to welcome their teammates across the line.
In a post-race interview, U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb provided insights into the women’s team selections, how new snow affected racing, and the team’s collective effort to thrive during back-to-back long weekends of racing this early in the season. (Note: This audio includes comments on both the men’s and women’s relays, with men spoken to first.)
Also racing for North America, the Canadian women’s team of Dahria Beatty, Katherine Stewart-Jones, Cendrine Browne, and Maya MacIsaac-Jones finished 16th (+5:31.9).
Racing continues next weekend in Davos, SUI with a freestyle sprint on Saturday December 11th followed by a 10/15k freestyle distance on Sunday the 12th.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their 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.
Though Devon Kershaw might fairly say “It’s not really cross country skiing,” as a viewer, the grueling climb up the Alpe Cermis is the crown jewel of the Tour de Ski. Sure, it is both impressive and visually appealing to watch beautiful technique and tactical racing, but there is nothing quite like watching racers toil through the lactic burn of grinding their way 400 meters up a ski area, at times with over 40% grade. Wheels come off, gaps close quickly, anything can happen.
Here’s how today shook out.
After nearly 50 kilometers of racing over seven stages, skiers take to the tracks one last time in Val di Fiemme, first for a lap of the sprint course, then soaring along the river banks along the narrow winding track of the Marcialonga, Italy’s WorldLoppet series classic. And, as camera angles altered from shots of the Swedes that set pace down the valley, controlling the narrative from the front while still conserving energy for the climb over the final 2k, to breathtaking aerial views of the frosted valley, it is clear why Marcialonga organizers refer to Val di Fiemme as a “Italian cradle of cross-country skiing”.
After a thrilling set of four podium finishes, including back-to-back distance wins in Toblach, all eyes were on Jessie Diggins. She entered the final stage wearing the yellow bib with a lead of 55 seconds in the overall standings. Given the beastly nature of the climb, this time margin certainly did not indicate that Diggins had her first Tour de Ski win in the bag.
To add to the energy, two sprint opportunities for bonus points were available at the 2.5 and 6.6 k checkpoints, this alternate leaderboard adding interest and incentive for sprinters to remain in the Tour.
Point leader and winner of both sprint stages, Sweden’s Linn Svahn charged off the front of the pack at the 2.5 k mark, collecting 15 bonus points with her teammate Ebba Andersson hot on her tails. The two quickly allowed the pack to close the nearly 4-second gap, but Andersson remained at the front, pulling away to create a gap of over 10 seconds at the 6.6 k mark, which she kept as the grade inclined.
Perhaps trying to lure Diggins to push too hard too soon, perhaps she had her eye on the TdS podium, or perhaps just looking to be the queen of the hill and win her first World Cup, it was clear that Andersson wanted to dictate the pace from the front in the back half of the mass start event.
Andersson was the epitome of steady as she worked her way up the climb. She could V2 when the grade was humane, and smoothly transitioned between her V1 and the “coach’s skate” required to keep skis gliding on the steepest pitches.
While the Swede remained composed, Diggins displayed the grit and perseverance for which she is beloved as a racer. Though Andersson was more than two minutes back in cumulative time heading into the final stage and the remainder of the field behind her, Diggins left nothing to chance, giving her all as she pushed every meter. Holding her ground, the American kept her time back on the leader even and tight, hovering around nine seconds throughout the climb.
With less than a kilometer to go, head coach Matt Whitcomb cheered from a switchback as Diggins passed, his excited shouts leaving him nearly as breathless as the athletes. Pine boughs tucked into the snow to create the final lanes as Andersson and Diggins headed toward the inflated arch that offered relief from the pain in their bodies.
With the end in sight, Andersson with a poker face V2’ed through the finish while a slack-jawed Diggins held together in V1 to cross the final meters and collapse over the finish line.
Finally, the Tour de Ski victory was hers and she could simply lie in the snow, chest rising and falling with her labored gasps for air. More than a win, this achievement makes Diggins the first American — in fact, the first non-European — man or woman winner in the 15-year history of the Tour. She also sits atop the leaderboard for Overall World Cup standings.
“This was a lifelong goal,” Diggins told FIS after her race. “We had an amazing team atmosphere this whole time, and amazing support and help, and so many cheers from around the world — it really gave me wings up the hill today.”
The interviewer asked what this result meant in light of a World Championship season, as completing the arduous Tour in such a year could be seen as a risk. If an athlete cannot recover properly in the subsequent six weeks, their potential on the championship stage could be compromised. Diggins’ answer looked through a wide-angle lens.
“It means so much. I think it’s so cool for our country to show that it’s possible. And now I’m looking forward to resting.”
Behind the two leaders, France’s Delphine Claudel crossed the line in 3rd (+32.6). Evidencing the “anything can happen on the Alpe Cermis” sentiment, Claudel sat in 19th in the overall standings leading into the final stage and had never before earned a World Cup podium, though she was 7th in the 10 k skate in Stage 4. The 24-year-old overtook Russia’s Yulia Stupak in the final kilometer, closing a 12 second gap and creating a nearly 8 second one of her own.
Stupak held on for 4th place (+40.0), followed after a gap by teammate Tatiana Sorina (+1:04.3) rounding out the top five.
With this result, Stupak held her ground in second place for the overall TdS standings, finishing 1:24.8 behind Diggins in cumulative time. Andersson’s outstanding climb was a springboard, advancing her from 6th to 3rd (+2:00.8). Recall that Andersson did not make the heats in Stage 1 of the Tour and finished 12th and 18th, respectively, in the second and third stages. Landing on the podium four times in the final five stages fueled her steady rise through the ranks.
Adding reason for Swedish team celebration, Svahn was the winner in the point totals, with Diggins in second and Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic in third.
Closing out a career best finish in the Tour de Ski, Rosie Brennan was the 7th woman up the hill (+1:17.8) to finish 6th in the overall standings. Brennan’s previous best finishes in the TdS overall were 15th last season and 24th the season prior.
“I love the final climb because of its simplicity and the feeling of accomplishment of reaching the top,” wrote Brennan in an email after the race. “I knew there was an opportunity to make up some places today so I set out with intention. Unfortunately, I stuck a tip in the powder on the side of the trail on the Marcialonga portion leading into the climb and took another digger. Luckily, I didn’t lose much time, but was then at the back of the pack and knew that if I was going to make the most of the climb, I needed to be ready for the breaks as soon as we hit the bottom. I worked really hard to make up the places that I could and then really went for it when we reached the climb to try to get into the leading group. It was my only option at the time, but definitely took a little more energy than I had hoped. I had a moment of weakness when I hit the first steep pitch and lost the ride I needed to take. I was able to recollect myself and hold strong, but frustratingly missed top 5 by a mere 4 seconds. 6th place is absolutely a career best and I am proud of my effort of fighting back after the disaster that was stage 6, but I always want more of myself and those 4 seconds certainly sting a bit.”
“It was inspiring to watch Jessie put so much fight in every day and that certainly inspires me to find more,” Brennan continued. “I couldn’t think of a better person to take the yellow bib off my back. I am also really excited to hold onto the red [World Cup distance leader] bib! The Tour de Ski is always a new experience and always requires a lot of fight. I am thankful to have been able to race the event this year and am really looking forward to some recovery!”
Hailey Swirbul skied the 15th fastest time today, bumping her up to 18th in the overall Tour standings. The 22-year-old is in good company with this result, considering the only other American women to finish in the top-20 of the Tour de Ski are Jessie Diggins, Kikkan Randall, Rosie Brennan, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, and Liz Stephen.
Katharine Ogden finished 24th (+2:34.5) up the climb for 23rd overall in the Tour, while Caitlin Patterson rounded out the Americans in the top-30 finishing 27th (+2:42.9) in Stage 8. Patterson was 34th in the overall TdS standings.
Finally, Julia Kern skied to 37th today (+3:41.3) to end the Tour in 38th.
– Gavin Kentch contributed
This story will be updated with additional comments from athletes when available.
Overall Tour de Ski: Cumulative Time | Point Standings
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their 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.
We have entered the back half of the 2021 Tour de Ski. With five of eight races complete, roughly 45 kilometers raced and a little under 25 remaining, fatigue has set in. While it might be easy to think the storylines are set, in such a grueling feat of endurance, nothing is certain. Crashes happen, wax is blown, recovery compromised.
Whereas Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan had the advantage of chasing splits in yesterday’s individual start freestyle, in today’s pursuit start classic the hunters became the hunted. The women took to the course in Toblach, Italy in order based on their results in Stage 4, with their chasers starting behind with the deficit they attained only from the previous day’s race. This put Diggins first out of the gate with Brennan 15 seconds back, Sweden’s Ebba Andersson +22, Russia’s Yulia Stupak +26 and Finland’s Krista Pärmäkoski rounding out the top five starters +31 back. (Start list)
Her yellow bib like a target on her back, Diggins set out solo with her usual high tempo. Behind her, Brennan was chased by the charging duo of Stupak and Andersson, who caught her by roughly 3k. Brennan hopped onto their tails as the group worked their way toward Diggins.
As head coach Matt Whitcomb predicted in his interview after Stage 4, conditions near freezing made for icy and glazed tracks which led through a variety of sun exposures, meaning athletes could kick up some hills in the tracks, but had to hop out and run to make it up others. In summation: it makes things a little funky out there.
Perhaps this was what caused Diggins to fall just before the 4 k mark. The crash was relatively minor and she was able to quickly bounce back upright, however, it gave the chasing threesome the opportunity to catch and pass the leader.
Stupak and Andersson seemed to try to capitalize on the opportunity, surging as they skied smooth and strong up the subsequent climb with Brennan and Diggins hanging on in their wake.
Try as they might, the two could not quite lose the Americans, who matched every push to prevent gaps from forming. Living up to her reputation, Diggins worked the downhills in the final kilometers making up for any small amounts of space between her skis and those in front of her that were created on the climbs.
In the final rolling climbs before descending into the stadium, Diggins found a new gear, overtaking Andersson and challenging Stupak for the lead. Coming into the lanes, Stupak’s double pole could not be matched, allowing her to pull ahead by a ski length while Diggins and Andersson fought side-by-side to the line for a photo finish. It was determined that Andersson edged out the American by centimeters, Sweden in second (+0.7) and USA in third (+0.8).
“So proud of our techs for the skis they made us in tricky warm conditions today!” wrote Diggins in an email after the race. “Wow, that was a tough fight out there. I was really proud of myself for hanging tough and just gritting it out until the end! It was a good test of mental toughness for me after a little fall and getting caught to be able to refocus, stay calm and ski as smart and smooth as I could! It was really important for me to stay with those girls today in terms of overall tour time, and I was just able to hang in there. Super pumped for our team and for another good classic race!”
After falling back from the leaders in the final k, Brennan held on for fourth place (+17.3).
“Today was a very tough fight,” wrote Brennan in an email to news outlets. “My goal was to lose as little time as possible and then see what I had in me. I went out hard hoping I could find Jessie to ski with but got caught before I found Jessie. It’s the kind of course that is much easier to draft so once we got caught, it was nice to settle in a bit, however, the pace was still high. I fought as best I could but couldn’t keep contact over the top of the big hill. I fought as hard as I could to regain contact but it’s just so much faster in a pack. I fought with all I had today and am proud of that and happy to maintain second in the overall tour.”
Working together throughout the day, Finland’s Pärmäkoski and Russia’s Tatiana Sorina skied to a strong fifth (+37.3) and sixth (+38.3), respectively.
Though margins for the overall TdS standings were narrowed as her win streak came to an end, Diggins remains in possession of the yellow bib with a cumulative time of 1:54.15. Brennan holds strong in second place (+22), with Stupak in third (+58), overtaking Sweden’s Frida Karlsson who was a favorite for the win.
It is unclear whether Karlsson will be able to lodge a counterattack on her seemingly increasing deficit. FasterSkier learned that in an unfortunate accident involving a pull-up bar that let loose from the door frame it was affixed to, the 21-year-old sustained an injury to her tailbone and leg. According to an interview with Swedish news outlet Expressen, Karlsson was not sure whether she would race in Stage 4, let alone finish the tour. This may explain her fall from podium contender to 9th place in the 10 k skate and 13th (+1:20.1) in today’s classic pursuit. Karlsson holds onto fourth place in the overall (+1:29), with Stupak in 5th (+1:53). (This incident is also discussed in The Devon Kershaw Podcast from Stage 4.)
Further into the pack, Katharine Ogden and Hailey Swirbul skied to 20th (+2:05.8) and 22nd (+2:07.5). The two started amidst a relatively dense group of ten women in the range of 1:10 to 1:36 behind Diggins. This larger chase group stayed together through much of the course with a few exceptions breaking off the front and back. Both Americans maintained their position in the body of the group, with only a handful of seconds separating a subset of six at the finish. As they were 18th and 20th in Stage 4, Ogden and Swirbul demonstrated remarkable consistency in their solid performances.
Wrapping things up for Team USA, Caitlin Patterson skied to 39th (+3:57.3) while Julia Kern took 41st (+4:04.3).
Stage 5: Start List | Final Results
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their 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.
For those new to the pursuit format, racers begin a set “time back” from the first starter, who in this case is the overall leader after two races. A skier’s time back is an aggregate of their times from Friday’s sprint race and Saturday’s 10 k classic.
So there’s the primer for those coming to the cross-country World Cup for the first time.
***
Some narratives fail to develop despite our fruitful imaginations. Therese Johaug of Norway scurried from the start on Sunday’s 10-kilometer freestyle pursuit with a 16-second cushion over Sweden’s Frida Karlsson and Russian Natalia Nepryaeva. The time margins roughly held for 2.5 k, as the 64 other starters behind Johaug coalesced into efficient working groups or found themselves solo skiing.
Add 2.5 k more to the elapsed distance, and Johaug had virtually sealed up the win at 5 k. By then she doubled the time gap to roughly 32 seconds to a group of chasers including mostly Swedes. They included Ebba Andersson, Tatiana Sorina of Russia, Karlsson, Maja Dahlqvist, Linn Svahn, and Nepryaeva. Noticeable and noted, was a dearth of Norwegian skiers.
Doing as she does, Johaug simply padded the time cushion as she cruised to a 47-second win to take the Ruka Triple weekend. Last season’s overall World Cup winner, Johaug, added to Norway’s tally of overall wins in the Ruka mini-tour. Of the past 10 additions, Norway has won nine, Sweden one. Although with the small sample size of a single weekend of World Cup racing, Sweden appears primed to alter that metric in the future.
Rounding out the podium was Sorina in second (+47.0), and Andersson in third (+48.6). Karlsson placed fourth (+50.8), while Rosie Brennan of the U.S. Ski team knocked a homerun of a race to end her Ruka campaign in fifth (+52.5). For Sorina, this weekend was a return to the World Cup after taking last season off to start a family. It was a career-best result for the Russian. According to FIS, her best World Cup result before the Ruka series was 15th place in a 2017 classic sprint. Sorina’s best result for a distance event on the World Cup was 38th in Ruka’s 2018 10 k classic.
Let’s drill down on Brennan’s day. Her fifth place on Sunday marks a career World Cup best. According to the FIS database, Brennan first emerged in the top-10 back in Davos, Switzerland’s 10 k skate in 2018 with sixth place. She matched that placing again in Ruka last season in the 10 k classic.
On Sunday, Brennan started in bib 11, 42 seconds behind Johaug, but within a comfortable distance of several skiers she could work up to and pass as she leapfrogged into position to make a strike at her first World Cup podium. In the firm conditions, Brennan made gains. Passing through the halfway mark at 5 k, she was solo-skiing aiming to lock onto a group of six skiers seven seconds ahead.
The group ahead, which included all those listed above, absent Joahug, wasn’t exactly highly organized in their chasing. Yet Brennan lost vital time in the ensuing kilometer and was 9 seconds back at 6.1 k. With Brennan’s drive and an efficient paceline not coalescing, Brennan was able to gap up to the chasers by 7.5 k.
With 2.5 k remaining, the chess match ensued. On a screaming downhill, amidst the tight pack racing as the race closed out, several skiers took a tumble, including Dahlqvist, Svahn, and Nepryaeva. According to Brennan, she was able to slalom around those fallen skiers and keep upright without scrubbing too much speed.
“There was a gap to Ebba, Frida, and [Tatiana] at that point, and I knew those other girls behind me were closing hot … I was going for all I could to try and not get caught,” said Brennan.
Brennan fell back slightly in the closing moments as Sorina, Andersson, and Karlsson gained precious meters. In her battle for positioning, Brennan held off Helen Marie Fossesholm of Norway, as she crossed the line in fifth. Brennan raced the third-fastest time of the day, only 10.5 seconds off of Johaug’s first-place time of 25:06.2.
Post-race interview with Rosie Brennan
Brennan’s U.S. teammate, Jessie Diggins, began in bib 21, 1:20 minutes back. With a slew of skiers ahead to potentially pick-off, Diggins charged. By the finish, she had gained several spots to earn 15th place overall and post the fifth-fastest time of the day (+24.2).
Over the past few years, Diggins has been the U.S. skier to mark. As noted in several earlier stories, the Ruka weekend has been kind to Diggins, but not podium-friendly. However, it usually serves up a dose of race-effort stimulus to prime her motor for other objectives.
Since 2015, on the occasion when Ruka has presented a three-race series, she’s placed 37th, 12th, 5th, and this weekend’s 15th. On the off years, when it’s a two-race series in Ruka, her 2020 performances are reflective of her historic build-into-the-season template.
Post-race interview with Jessie Diggins
Hailey Swirbul of the U.S. finished in 32nd (+3:20.1) with the 28th fastest time of day. Caitlin Patterson placed 46th (+4:06.1) with the 27th fastest time, Julia Kern was 50th (+4:53.2), Katharine Ogden 53rd (+5:36.5), and Sophie Caldwell Hamilton 57th (+5:52.7).
World Cup racing takes a break until Dec. 12 in Davos, Switzerland. Next weekend’s racing in Lillehammer, Norway was previously postponed due to the pandemic.
-Harald Zimmer contributed
Stage 3 / Final Standings | Winner of the Day
