Quite the day in Oslo! Therese Johaug earned the gold in a stellar preformance, outpacing teammate Marit Bjørgen and Polish superstar Justyna Kowalcyzk. Johaug had never won an individual championship or World Cup, so it goes without saying that this was a big victory.
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| First lap, lead pack: Bjørgen, Johaug, Steira, Kalla, Kowalcyzk |
It was clear who the big players were from the early stages of the race. When the racers first passed me, Bjørgen was leading, with Johaug, Charlotte Kalla from Sweden, and Kowalcyzk on her heels. Gradually the lead pack disintegrated as Bjørgen, Kowalcyzk and Johaug moved away. Around 15 km, Johaug applied enough pressure to creep away from the other two ladies, opening a gap that she continued to increase as the race went on. She spent the second half of the race out in front, excelling on the climbs where she is strongest and maintaining her intensity on the flats. Therese came across the line 44 seconds before Marit, a feat that many were unsure was possible from anyone. Kowalcyzk was third, finishing over a minute and a half back from the golden finisher.
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Johaug, out in front
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The American women put in a strong performance today and had the results to prove it. All four athletes placed within the top 25! Liz Stephen was the fastest finisher in 16th place and Kikkan Randall was two positions behind in 18th. Morgan Arritola was 21st, and Holly Brooks finished in 25th.
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| American women working together- In black: Arritola, Brooks, Randall |
Congrats to all the competitors! These athletes put in one heck-ova' performance this week, and this race was quite the finale!
Additional Links:
Full
Results
FasterSkier reports on the American women's results
FasterSkier reports on Johaug's win
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