Oslo 2011 Day Eleven: Men's 50K Skate

For the last day of the World Championships in Oslo, the sun was out and a record number of spectators flocked to Holmenkollen to see the 50K Men's race, arguably the most prestigious race in the nordic skiing world. Organizers estimated that more than 100,000 fans came out to the race today! Talk about a lively atmosphere... If I was racing 50K with the fastest athletes in the world, I would depend on that crowd to get me through! 

Petter Northug was the 2009 World Champion and 2010 Olympic Champion in this event and had a target on his back during this race. Not only was he defending his 50K title, he was also defending his actions from Day Nine's relay, when he snowplowed to a stop right before the finish line and waited for rival Marcus Hellner in a teasing gesture that sent hard feelings to many Swedes. Would these antics make life on the race course difficult during the last race of these Championships? It sure didn't seem that way. Northug, as expected and celebrated by Norwegians across the country, skied his way to the top of the podium and secured his title as "King" of the World Championships in Oslo.

Teammate Tord Asle Gjerdalen took bronze the bronze medal. Sjur Roethe, also of Norway, was fourth. Only one man could break up the Norwegian trio: Maxim Vylegzhanin, who took home the silver medal. Even after 49K, Vylegzhanin had some kick left in him and challenged the lead pack on the final climb before entering the stadium. Northug followed, kept pace, and made his move where he has all week. Victory came shortly after.

Noah Hoffman was the big star of the American team today. He stuck with the lead pack a long time, even making his way to second place at one point. I was a bit worried that he was going to blow up completely, considering the distance still to go, but he stayed within striking distance of the leaders well into the race. He finished in 30th. Lars Flora was 39th, and Tad Elliot only three seconds behind in 40th. Billy Demong, an Olympic gold medalist in Nordic combined, stepped up to the starting line after Kris Freeman decided to sit out. Demong finished in 51st place.

Additional Links:
Full Results
Recap of Day Ten: Women's 30K Skate
Inequity on the Course- Why don't the women race 50K?
FasterSkier's report on today's race

Oslo 2011 Day Nine: 4x10K Men's Relay

Norway is back on top! The men's relay skied to victory this afternoon at Holmenkollen in a race that kept us all guessing until the last kilometer. Various European ski superstars all had their chance in the mix, from Alexander Legkov of Russia to Marcus Hellner of Sweden and many in between. While Hellner couldn't quite keep up with Petter Northug's kick at the end (more on that below), the Swedes still walked away with a not-too-shabby silver medal. Team Germany was third. North America was represented as well, with the Canadians in 12th and the American team finishing in 14th place.

How does the relay work? Each leg is 10K. In this "mixed" relay, the first two racers ski classic technique, and the final two competitors skate.

The race went back and forth constantly. The play-by-play would be way too much for the casual reader, but if you are interested, you can find it here. The "newsworthy" section comes down to the last kilometer. Northug had been sitting back during his entire 10K leg, letting the others do hard work in front. On the final climb into the stadium, he made his infamous move, regaining control over the field and turning on the afterburners that the Norwegian fans had been waiting for all day. Northug had enough of a lead that he was able to ham it up with the crowd, mimicking Alex Harvey's "Shush" to the crowd from Day Seven's team sprint. The real stunt was as Northug was about to cross the finish line. Instead of the classic arms-up celebration, the feisty Norwegian slammed on the brakes, snowplowed to nearly a complete stop and waited until Hellner was almost beside him to step across the line. (See video here.)

Of course, a media frenzy broke out over the move. A Swedish TV Commentator said that Northug is "a wolf along the tracks, but at the finish, he is a pig." Others claim that if he was strong enough to have that much time to spare, he deserves to have his fun at the finish line.

My opinion? I was really starting to gain a new respect for Northug! I felt like he was busting his way out of the bad-boy persona that he had been pigeonholed into, especially with his gracious comments toward Hellner on the first day of the Championships. But I just can't feel good about this move. All it was missing was a stuck-out tongue and a "Na-na-na-na-boo-boo!" There is plenty of ways to celebrate a great ski, especially when you are on your home turf with thousands of spectators cheering for you. In the sake of good sportsmanship (and common decency), grow up.

There is only one more men's race- the 50K on Sunday. We will see if these antics will make it any easier for Northug to get a little help in the tracks. Something tells me he will be fighting an uphill battle. Others agree.

Additional Links:
Full Results
FasterSkier's play-by-play
Video of the final climb and finishing antics
Recap of yesterday's Women's relay
Recap of Day Seven: Team Sprints (Women and Men)

Oslo 2011 Day Seven: Team Sprints

The Canadian men were the stars today at Homenkollen! Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey took gold in the team sprint, followed by the Norwegians, Petter Northug and Ola Vigen Hattestand. The Russian team, consisting of Alexander Panzhinskiy and Nikita Kriukov, took the bronze medal.

How does a team sprint work? Each team is represented by two athletes who tag off after completing loops of the course. The  competitors each skied the 1.3K (women) or 1.5K (men) course three times.

Alex Harvey in the individual sprints earlier this week

The Canadians have proven their strength: Harvey won the 30K Pursuit during the U23 Championships this January, then took the bronze medal in the sprints at Drammen the weekend before coming to Holmenkollen. Devon Kershaw doesn't have shabby results either: he won the sprint in Toblach, Italy in January and took bronze in Oberstdorf Germany a few days later. They were expected to do well, but the Norwegians were, without a doubt, the favorites to take the gold. As we should all know by now, anything can happen in the sprints.

Harvey pulled through in the finishing stretch, double-poling past Hattestand to upset the Norwegian expectations. Harvey put his finger to his mouth to "shush" the roaring Norwegian crowds, acknowledging that he had snuck up on the Norwegian team, and that they would be disappointed.

In a post-race interview, Devon Kershaw's comment that "the 2,500 people that follow cross country skiing in our country will be pretty excited" caught the attention of the Norwegian press. It is such a stark contrast to Norway, where thousands of fans have filled the stadium everyday of this Championships.

The American team was Andy Newell and Torin Koos. They finished the day in 10th place.

Heja Sverige! (Go Sweden!)

While the North American men mixed it up on the podium, Scandinavians were dominant on the female side. It was the Swedish team, Charlotte Kalla and Ida Ingemarsdotter, that walked away with gold for the ladies. Kalla is one of my favorite skiers, and although I still hold a little grudge against her teammate, Ida Ingemarsdotter, for causing Kikkan Randall to fall during the quarterfinals of the individual sprints, I was happy to see the Swedes finish first. Aino-Kasia Saarinen and Krista Lahteenmaki from Finland took the bronze, and the Norwegian duo, Maiken Caspersen Falla and Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen were third.

The Canadians team, made up of Daria Gaiazova and Perianne Jones, came across in sixth place. The Americans (Sadie Bjornsen and Kikkan Randall) were ninth.

Additional Links:
Full results: Men
Full results: Women
NRK's report of the Canadian win
Recap of Day One: Individual Skate Sprints

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.

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.