Oslo 2011 Day Ten: Women's 30K Skate

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.

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.

Johaug, out in front

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.

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

Oslo 2011 Day Eight: 4x5K Women's Relay, Men's Ski Jumping

The Norwegian ladies reclaimed their spot on the top of the podium today, winning the relay by over 30 seconds. Sweden took second and Finland was third. The American women took ninth place. Team Norway consisted of the same line-up that took Olympic gold in Vancouver last year, and their win was no surprise. That fact didn't make the spectators any less excited to see Bjørgen come down the finish stretch first, proudly waving the Norwegian flag.

How does the relay work? Each leg is 5K. In this "mixed" relay, the first two racers ski classic technique, and the final two competitors skate.

A friend of mine had an extra ticket for the Men's Ski Jumping (Large Hill), and graciously invited me to join her! I had never seen a ski jump event before, and both of us were a little foggy on the specifics of the sport, but that didn't stop us from appreciating just how incredible these athletes were. Our conclusion about the sport: It must take a lot of guts and physical strength, and you sure don't want to crash. According to my Wikipedia research, scores are not only awarded by distance jumped but also factor in wind conditions and style points. Aerodynamics, athlete weight and specialized technique has a lot to do with jump success, but my knowledge stops there. (If you know a good source for information about ski jumping, leave a comment!)

The fog continued to hang over Holmenkollen and it was so thick when we first arrived that we couldn't even see the hill! Eventually, we were able to make out the red line at the base of the jump, then the OSLO written in the center, and finally the jumpers themselves. The fog rolled in and out and we made sure to see every athlete we could while the clouds were away. For most of the event, we had no idea who was jumping or what constituted a "good" jump, but it was fun to be part of the action and watch the flying competitors do their thing! Austrian skier Gregor Schlierenzaur won the event, and fellow countryman Thomas Morgenstern was second. The bronze medal went to Simon Ammann from Switzerland. Peter Frenette, the lone American, finished in 35th place.

Additional Links:

Full Results: 4x5K Women's Relay

Full Results: Men's Ski Jumping

Recap of Day Seven: Team Sprint

FasterSkier's article about the U.S. Women's relay

Oslo 2011 Day Five: Women's 10K Classic

The winning streak continues! Marit Bjørgen donned the golden winner's jacket again after an incredibly close 10 K classic race today at Holmenkollen.

Marit accepts her third gold of the World Championships

It was a 'nail-biter,' one for the record books as Polish superstar Justyna Kowalczyk attempted to chase down the unbeatable Norwegian. Early on, it looked like she was going to do it- after starting 30 seconds behind her, Kowalczyk had gained 11 seconds in the first 2.2K! But you never know until all of the finishers cross the line. That statement couldn't have been more true today.



Bjørgen collapsed across the finish line and waited face-down in the snow to see the Pole fight through the last 100 meters, waiting on the commentator's call as to who would take the gold. In the end, Bjørgen came out four seconds ahead, leaving Kowalcyzk the silver medal once again.

Although Marit's medal count was what made the headlines, the Finnish skiiers put in performances worthy of note. Four of their competitors placed within the top 10, with Aino-Kaisa Saarinen taking home the bronze. Krista Lahteenmaki was 5th, and Pirjo Muranan finished three seconds behind her in 6th place. Kerttu Niskanen was 8th.

Holly Brooks led the American women in 27th place. Sadie Bjorgen and Kikkan Randall followed in 29th and 32nd, respectively. Ida Sargent was the final finisher from the US in 51st place.

Additional Links:
Full Results
FasterSkier's report of today's event
Recap of Day Four: Men's 30K Pursuit
Recap of Day Three: Women's 15K Pursuit
Recap of Day One: Skate Sprint

Oslo 2011 Day Three: Women's 15K Pursuit

This morning was the Women's 15K Pursuit and Norway came out on top yet again. Marit Bjørgen won with Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland in second. Fellow Norwegian Therese Johaug had an excellent race and brought home the bronze. The top three finished within 10 seconds of each other, but fourth place (Charlotte Kalla of Sweden) was almost a full minute behind the winning time.

photo courtesy of newsinenglish.no

How does a pursuit work? The race consists of both techniques- classic and sprint. The racers start off on one set of equipment (today they started on classic skis) and then switch to the different technique part-way through the race. This transition zone is a tricky component and adds yet another variable into the race.

I was able to see the racers about 5K into their race on the classic leg. Here is a video of the first few racers- Kowalczyk is leading, followed by Bjørgen and Johaug.

As you can tell, the fog was THICK. Johaug said during the post-race press conference that she could hear the crowd but not see them. Despite the less-than-perfect conditions, the trails were still lined with spectators in high spirits. I was able to ski to the race course from my apartment (how cool!) and was joined on the trails by hundreds of other spectators commuting on skis.

Liz Stephan was the top finisher from the US in 24th place. Holly Brooks was right behind her in 25th, and Jesse Diggins was 28th. Morgan Arritola rounded out the American contingent in 43rd.

Additional links:

Full Results
Recap of Day One: Skate Sprint (Women and Men)
Recap of the Opening Ceremonies
NRK's article about Marit's second gold (translated into English)

Oslo 2011 Day One: Skate Sprint

It was an emotional day at Holmenkollen, but the source of that emotion depended greatly on what continent you call home. 

Randall after the fall, behind the pack

The racers today were fast and aggressive, exactly what you would expect for the first day of the biggest competition of many of the athlete's careers. That aggressiveness paid its price, though. The heats were full of near-falls, tangled skis, and full-out crashes that (unfortunately) weeded out some very strong contenders. Among those, sadly enough, was Kikkan Randall.

Kikkan qualified with the ninth fastest time, and was looked strong during the prologue. She started her quarterfinal out in good position, a steady third, keeping her kick until the end. Unfortunately, the end came much before she planned when she tangled up with Swedish sprinter Ida Ingemarsdotter and came to a complete stop. She finished the round 12 seconds behind the field.

With amazing maturity and perspective, Randall told FasterSkier: "You know, a race like this is too hard to pin all of your hopes on. I gave it what I had today. It's unfortunate, but that's what happens."

Chandra Crawford, Canada's foremost athlete and Olympic Gold medalist from Torino, had her own mix-up with fellow racer, and it happened to be right below where I was standing. Here is a picture (no zoom) of Chandra Crawford's quarterfinal. Below that one is a zoom of the same photo, so that you are able to see the ski-on-ski action. Laure Barthelemy (Bib 8) from France skis right over Crawford's ski, resulting in a few missteps that cost her the chance in the semifinals. Like they say: This is sprint racing- anything can happen.

You can guess that this didn't go well.

Norwegians Celine Brun-Lie and Maiken Caspersen Falla met the same fate due to falls. Italian racer Renato Pasini took a face-first digger right before the finishing stretch and was also eliminated.

But there were a few bright spots in the crash-filled afternoon. First and foremost, from an American perspective, I was quite proud that three US women moved into the quarterfinals! Jessie Diggins, a 19-year-old standout who is making her World Cup debut this season, was one of them. She proved that she can run with the big dogs as she progressed out of the qualifiers and stuck with the pack in her quarterfinal. Sadie Bjornsen also moved on to the quarterfinals after qualifying in 28th place.

Petra Majdic brought home the bronze. Arianna Follis of Italy took second. The gold went to Marit Bjørgen, and the spectators couldn't have been happier. In a post-race interview with NRK, she said that she could hear the crowd chanting her name. "It was incredibly fun to meet their expectations." 

Northug and Modin in the semifinals

The hero on the men's side is Marcus Hellner. After qualifying with the fifth fastest time, the Swede flew through his quarter- and semifinals, right into the (stacked) final. Although Hellner was definatly considered a major contendor for the win, I think that the other men in the final took away some of the spotlight and allowed him to ski without a huge target on his back. He was going up against two Norwegians: the favorite, Petter Northug, and the returning 2009 World Champion in the sprint, Ola Vigen Hattestad. Two teammates joined him in the final: Emil Joensson, who won the sprint in Drammen last weekend, and Jesper Modin, who had the fastest qualifying time of the day. Peeter Kummel of Estonia rounded out the field.

Hellner, dominating his quarterfinal

Hellner smashed the final into pieces. He extended his lead continually along the 1.4K course and put on his boosters with half a kilometer to go. His speed was unmatched by the other five racers and he proved to be untouchable in the event. His teammate Emil Joensson placed third, placing Norwegian star Petter Northug in an uncomfortable Swedish sandwich on the podium. Northug openly dislikes losing to Swedes, but in an uncharacteristic graciousness said that "Marcus was so strong today. He deserved to win."

Exciting, heart-wrenching, and energizing would be how I would describe today's races at Holmenkollen. And in the words of the new World Champion Marcus Hellner, "This is only the beginning!"

Links:

Here are the women's and men's results.

Video of Marit Bjørgen's win.

Videos of the various women's crashes.

Article in English about Hellner and Bjørgen's wins.

My recap of the Opening Ceremonies.

FIS World Cup: Drammen Skate Sprint Race

Another great day in Drammen! The sun was out, the cheering crowds returned, and Kikkan Randall took home GOLD! It doesn't get much better than this, folks. 

Heia Norge!

 I arrived in Drammen around noon, and the atmosphere was already building. Athletes were previewing the course and I was able to see a few Americans (and a whole lot of Norwegians) getting adjusted to the course. The women raced 1.2K while the men did an extra section, extending their course to 1.6K.

Kikkan Randall (USA) followed by Chandra Crawford (CAN) and Petra Majdic (SLO)

Petter Northug warming up for the quarterfinals

The air was cold but the skating was still fast. Incredibly fast. A snowmobile equipped with a video camera flew alongside the racers on the starting and finishing stretches during the quarter-, semis-, and finals. I was blown away by the power and speed of the racers! It is one thing to read about it, even to watch on TV. It is something completely different to see with your own eyes the strength and agility of these athletes. They are professionals, no question about that!

The prologue went smoothly, and the crowd kept growing as we got closer to the quarterfinals. I decided to stake out a place along the fence at the corner of a downhill, coming off the highest point on the course. From my spot I had a distant (but decent) view of the start, a straight shot to the TV mega-screen, and a clear view of the finish lanes. 

Kikkan Randall and Andy Newell were the only Americans to progress into the quarterfinals. Newell had the third fastest qualification time but got bumped in the quarterfinals. Randall came in sixth in the qualifying rounds, won her quarterfinal and did the same with the semi. 

The final was stacked: Arianna Follis from Italy, Ida Ingemarsdotter and Charlotte Kalla from Sweden, Maiken Caspersen Falla and Marit Bjørgen from Norway, and Kikkan Randall, the lone North American. Randall had a strong start and stayed tight within the pack. She was second when she flew past me and barreled through the last corner onto the straight away. It was a dog fight from there, and the Alaskan pulled away with an incredibly strong V2 to her second World Cup victory this season. Congrats!

photo courtesy of worldcupdrammen.no

Alex Harvey from Canada didn't seem too phased to be the only non-Scandinavian racer in the men's final. He finished strong in second place and brought some hardware home for Canada. Emil Joensson from Sweden was the overall winner, and Petter Northug of Norway took third. Marcus Hellner from Sweden finished behind Northug, and Martti Jylhae (Finland) and Mats Larsson (Sweden) rounded out the field.

Today was such an amazing day. If this was any indication of what the sprints at Holmenkollen will be like, I'm thrilled!

Additional links:

• Here are the final results of the Women and Men.
• These videos give a nice taste of the spectator's experience at Drammen.
• Cross-country skiing news from Norway- if you translate it into English using Google Translator, the videos won't work. 
• FasterSkier, source of reliable North American ski-related news.

FIS World Cup: Drammen 10K/15K Classic Race

Wow! I spent the day at Konnerud near Drammen watching the final World Cup race before the Championships at Holmenkollen next week. It was quite the experience! My friend Emma and I took practically every mode of public transportation to get the course, but the organization was great and the race was easy to find. We joined the hordes of other spectators in the woods, watching and cheering trail-side. (Event organizers estimated 15,000 in attendance at the event today!) Everyone was equipped with a seat pad, a Norwegian flag, an alcoholic beverage, and lots of down jackets. I have to agree with Canadian racer Chandra Crawford when she told Fasterskier that "all of my clothes smell like campfire and waffles."The atmosphere was buzzing and the crowd was ready for the races to begin.

First up were the ladies. Unfortunately, Kikkan Randall sat out the race in order to be prepared for tomorrow's skate sprint- her specialty. Marit Bjørgen (no surprises here) smashed the field in the 10K Classic and secured yet another World Cup win. The woman is incredible. Here is a video of Therese Johaug (4th overall) and Marit Bjørgen on the final lap:

Polish star Justyna Kowalczyk took second and Aino Kaisa Saarinen from Finland was third. Sadie Bjornsen was the top US finisher in 51st place. She reported to Fasterskier that she didn't mind the noise of cheering hordes of spectators. The hurrah "was so loud that it drowned out the voices inside her own head." As a coxswain, I feel like my job was done.

A few hours later, the men took to the trails. Daniel Rickardsson from Sweden won the 15K classic, his first-ever victory in a World Cup race. Martin Johnsrud Sundby from Norway took second. Kris Freeman was the top US finisher in 57th place. Rickardsson (in white) sure was looking strong as he passed Peter Northug (in red, 3rd overall):

And speaking of that infamous Norwegian Bad Boy- Northug was sporting a sufficiently creepy Fu Manchu mustache. Don't just take my word for it. The podium picture backs me up:

photo courtesy of worldcupdrammen.no

(Side Note: I have a hypothesis about a mid-career crisis of professional athletes, and the result of this "Identity Questioning" usually has to do with a horrible mustache attempt. Case in point: Michael Phelps. What is the need to channel the inner- Hulk Hogan? I don't think I'll ever know...)

 To say that it was "fun" to be part of the action would be a massive understatement. The energy that the crowd creates is infectious! My voice is sore from the endless "HEIA! HEIA!" of encouragement for every athlete. My American flag was somewhat "drowned out by the sea of Norwegian crimson," but I waved it proudly and did my best to cheer on my fellow countrymen and women. I'm headed back tomorrow for the sprints, Old Glory in one hand and camera in the other. Check back in to be part of the action!

Here are the full results for the Women and Men.

FIS World Cup: Drammen, Feb 19-20

The final competition before the World Championships in Holmenkollen will be held this weekend in Drammen, Norway. The races are only a short train ride from Oslo, so I'm heading over to check out the action! The races on Saturday will be Classic (10K for the ladies, 15K for the men). Sunday will be the sprints (qualifiers and finals). Drammen will be a great chance to see the players in action before the main event. Almost all of the Americans that will be lining up at Holmenkollen will be racing. Morten Olsen, press officer for the event, stated that "this is among the very best starting field in the World Cup so far this season..."

Kikkan Randall (courtesy of NY Times)

There is no doubt that the Norwegians will show up ready to go. Petter Northug is on the schedule and Marit Bjørgen said that the competition in Drammen will be "a taste of what is happening in the World Cup."  

My mom sent me an American flag to bring along to the races to show my support. Unfortunately, I don't have a cowbell, but that won't stop me from sharing my enthusiasm! See you on the trails!

Inequity on the Course: 50 km at Holmenkollen

Arguably the most distinguished race in the Nordic skiing world is the 50 km, and although it is included  every year in the World Championship competition elsewhere, it's home is Holmenkollen. Oslo 2011 Sports Director John Aalberg concludes that "everyone in the cross-country skiing community will see the winner of the 50 km as the toughest skier of the season and of the World Championship." The course is notorious for long climbing sections this year won't disappoint: the route creeps awfully close to the 2000 meter upper limit of the allowed elevation gain window. Competitors will race 52.8 km with 1998 meters of elevation gain this February in Oslo.

photo courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

Yet a huge percentage of racers at the World Championships won't get the chance to prove themselves on the course of all courses. Why? Cause they're girls. The women will be racing 30 km, as has been the case for many years. Most races on the World Cup circuit are like this- besides sprints, women always race shorter distances than men, usually with less climbing.


Professional female skiers like Norwegians Marit Bjørgen and Kristin Stormer Stiera are questioning these race layouts. In January 2010, Stiera says it is a "little strange" that girls are almost always going shorter distances than the boys.

So why is it that women race shorter distances and climb less than the men?

Marit Bjørgen, photo courtesy of dagbladet.no

In a dialog after a recent article, Martin Hall claims that "Bjørgen doesn't know what she is talking about" when she claimed that "It's really no tougher for us (women) to race 50 k than it is for the guys, and we are totally prepared physically to race it." He writes:

"...men are stronger, they have more muscle mass, they carry less fat, men have bigger hearts and lungs, and biomechanically men are built so they can go faster then women—it was our goal to make it so there would be the least amount of comparisons."

Is the inequity a calculated decision to keep things as even as possible, to challenge the women at the same level as the men, taking into account different gender physiology? Has FIS decided to maintain the status quo because it keeps the racers closer together, making for a more entertaining race? Or is it because officials are concerned with male racers getting "girled"? If the latter is the case, get over it. It is obvious that women ski racers are strong- why shouldn't they get the opportunity to seek the prestige of the Holmenkollen 50 km?

Photo courtesy of usskiteam.com

And what do the FIS officials think? At the beginning of last year, Vegard Ulvang, a Norwegian former cross country skier and current FIS Chairman, supported and agreed with the voices of women racers calling for equality in race distances. He says he is considering extending the length of women's races but will need help from national associations to make meaningful changes.


Marit Bjørgen asked that her comments "serve as an intial request" to the FIS Committee to include women in the 50 km. Whatever the driving force behind the inequity is, here's to hoping that the voices of women racers at the World Championships are heard and respected. 




For more information and perspectives on the topic:

Nordic Commentary Project
Nordic Ski Racer

Marit Bjørgen

This Norwegian obsession with Petter Northug is slightly ridiculous. For such a sleaze, he sure gets a lot of attention. Whether it be roller-skiing without a helmet or playing poker in Vegas, Northug seems to find his way into the spotlight one way or another.

From the sports page to loaves of bread at the grocery, Petter's face is everywhere. His pompous, "All-About-Me" attitude is fed by the cheering Norwegian crowds. Yes, it is exciting to have a winner on your team! But I think Norwegian fans are focusing on the wrong athlete. The real hero of the Norwegian skiing scene is Marit Bjørgen.

photo courtesy of NRK

This woman gives a new definition to the word fast. Marit Bjørgen has won five of the six races she has competed in this season. She won the most medals in Vancouver, three out of the five of which were gold. She won the World Cup in 2005 and has a bucketful of World Championship medals. 

photo courtesy of VG

On Sunday in Davos, Switzerland, ski legend Bjørn Dæhlie said he was "very impressed" by Bjørgen, and gave this compliment:

"I do not think I've ever seen a female skier who has gone so fast."

Marit's goal is to beat Dæhlie's record of 46 World Cup victories, and she is well on her way, with 41 under her belt as of yesterday.

American skier (and my personal ski idol) Kikkan Randall said she was looking forward to "testing herself" against Bjørgen, calling her “perhaps the greatest female skier of all time.”

“She’s definitely firing really well—it’ll be fun,” Randall said in an interview with Fasterskier.

Podium at Davos sprint, 2010 (Arianna Follis, Marit Bjørgen, Kikkan Randall)
photo courtesy of Fasterskier

In an interview with Fischer Sports, Marit was asked to describe her position on the Norwegian team. Her response shows how much of a team player she is:

 "I don’t think I have any special position on the Norwegian team. Sure, I had some good results, but so did the others. We're a group that treats all its members equally and we all work together." 

Just this last weekend, that cooperative spirit came through. In the 10km Classic race, Bjørgen caught Polish competitor Justyna Kowalczyk with a couple of kilometers to go, but with her win already solidified, she didn't pass her. After the race, Marit told NRK that she "didn’t want to give Kowalczyk an extra boost" that could have helped her beat her teammate, Norwegian Therese Johaug.

Need some motivation to train? (Photo from La Crete Noire)

So this season let's turn the Norwegian spotlight on the person that deserves it. Northug's results have been less than impressive this year and his attitude seems to be stuck in pretentiousness. Bjørgen is the one bringing home the hardware. She is an incredibly strong competitor and an equally strong teammate. 

2010 Vancouver Olympics
photo courtesy of LA Times Olympics Blog