A Taste of Oslo Life

If only this was reality... although the World Championships were pretty darn close.

Oslo 2011 Day Four: Men's 30K Pursuit

Petter Northug of Norway topped the podium today, taking his "golden revenge" against the Swedes who beat him to gold the last few races. It was no walk in the park, though. Northug sat back for entire classic leg, staying within the lead pack, comfortable in the 'teens. The 80 other competitors put up quite the fight in the skating section, especially those feisty Canadians. Alex Harvey was the name buzzing on the radios as we listened in from the woods surrounding Holmenkollen. Harvey made a gutsy breakaway 18K into the 30K race, not long after the leaders had transitioned into their skating gear. I was pretty sure that he was going to hold on to the lead until the end- he seemed strong and the time ahead of the pack was steady (this was partially thanks to his teammates, especially Ivan Babikov who slowed the pace to allow Harvey some wiggle room). He maintained the gap until the last loop (less than 4K to go), a pretty impressive position to hold in a field of the world's fastest skiers. But the pack caught up, with Northug and teammate Tord Asle Gjerdalen chasing Harvey down. It came down to the athletes who still had some fuel to sprint. Among those were Marcus Hellner of Sweden (Day One sprint champion), Northug, and two Russians, Maxim Vylegzhanin and Ilia Chernousov. The last 500 meters put the crowd on the edge of their seats, and Northug pulled through for the win. Vylegzhanin and Chernousov brought home silver and bronze, respectively.

Kris Freeman was the top finisher from the US in 29th place. Noah Hoffman finished in 37th place.  Lars Flora was 53rd and Tad Elliott finished close behind in 55th place.

It was a great day today- the morning started out sunny but the clouds moved in not long after. The crowds on the trail near Frognerseteren were even bigger than yesterday! The action continues, so don't put your cow bell away quite yet! Tomorrow is the Women's 10K Classic. Stay tuned!

Additional Links:
Full Results
Recap of the Women's Pursuit yesterday
FasterSkier's full report of the race

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.

Oslo 2011: Opening Ceremonies

Let the competition begin! Last night was the Opening Ceremony of the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championship in Oslo. It was quite a spectacular kick-off event! More than 50,000 spectators came to University Plaza in downtown Oslo to ring in the World Championships.

University Plaza

Athletes from 50 countries have traveled to Norway to compete in the Championships! They were all represented at the Opening Ceremony during a parade down Karl Johans Gate, accompanied by 1,500 Norwegian school children. The Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces set the soundtrack for the parade and the ceremony. Oslo Mayor Fabian Stang gave a short welcome speech, and singer Maria Haukaas Mittet performed "Glorious" in an over-the-top white feather gown. The ceremony came to a close after a fabulous fireworks display above the Royal Palace. 

University Plaza during the Opening Ceremony

Live TV Broadcasts

The Ceremony itself was not the only thing going on in the city center! Event organizers have made Karl Johans Gate (the main street through the heart of Oslo) a cultural hotspot. Vendors from around Norway are selling traditional food, handicrafts, art, and more. Artists from around the world were commissioned to sculpt Edward Munch-inspired works out of snow and ice. They are displayed along Karl Johans Gate, between Nationaltheater and Stortinget.

Death and the Maiden by Carl Schlichting (Canada)

American Mark Szulgit's take on The Scream

This was a great kick off of the events for the Championships here in Oslo. Stay tuned- there is much more to come!

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.