February 23, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Norway’s women made their mark at the 2103 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy on Saturday, as four skiers lead by Marit Bjoergen took over the women’s 15km Skiathlon (7.5km CL+ 7.5km FR) on the skate leg to claim the top four positions.

Marit Bjoergen (NOR) wins gold © Nordic Focus

Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) held her own during the classic leg as no skier was able to assert themselves and get away. Coming into the transition it was Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen in first followed by Kowalczyk with Charlotte Kalla (SWE) looking eager for a podium spot. Bjoergen was fourth with Krista Lahteenmaki (FIN) 5th.

But the complexion of the race was about to change dramatically. Suddenly Bjoergen, Therese Johaug, Heidi Weng  and Kristin Stoermer Steira surged to the front dropping Niskanen and Kalla but Kowalczyk stayed glued to them as the five were now away. Behind the pack behind struggled with pace as none could bridge to the leaders.

Norwegian team with Bjoergen in front followed by Johaug, Steira, Weng and Kowalczyk (POL) © Nordic Focus

Kowalczyk was outnumbered and was no match for the foursome as Bjoergen duked it out with Johaug for the victory adding yet another gold to her resume. Weng was stoked to take the bronze, her first Worlds podium, as she battled with Steira who was 4th. The Polish star, who was hoping for redemption following her fall in the classic sprint, settled for 5th on the day.

American Elizabeth Stephen struggled during her classic leg but quickly asserted hersef in the skate portion slingshotting herself from 37th to 20th earning the 7th best time of the day. It was the Vermont skiers second-best result in this event having just nailed a superb 8th in Sochi only two weeks ago. With temperatures around 0 degrees it looked like the US team may have missed the wax as Sadie Bjornsen finished 37th, Ida Sargent was 38th and Holly Brooks ended up 49th.

Elizabeth Stephen (USA) followed by Katrin Zeller (GER) © Nordic Focus

“I went out hard from the start charging because I didn’t get a great start out of the stadium, and I wanted to try to ski with the front group,” Bjornsen told Trax post-race. “Unfortunately, my skis were not running as fast as the people around me, so I was constantly trying to fight back to stay with my group.

“I think I lost a lot of energy during the fight, so I struggled on the second and third laps. By the fourth lap, I started coming around again, and was able to have a strong finish.”

It wasn’t the finish that she had hoped for, but Bjornsen was happy with her effort. “Hopefully I will get a chance to have a start where all the ducks line up and things go as well as though could,” she continued. “Regardless it was still fun to enjoy the incredible energy out there with so many fans and spectators. Even if I haven’t had the races I would hope for, I am still loving and enjoying every moment of it! ”

Bjornsen (USA) leads Ringwald (GER) and Aymonier (FRA) © Nordic Focus

Bjornsen was followed in by teamate Sargent who was able to make gains in the classic leg after starting 49th but suffered in the skate portion. “It was a fun race,” said Sargent. “I stayed really relaxed though and didn’t push it as much as I wanted to because I was trying to save energy for the skate leg which was really hard with lots of steep climbs. My skate distance skiing isn’t very strong so I lost places. It’s something I’m still working on a lot!”

Comparing the Val di Fiemme skiathlon race to Sochi, Sargent thought the classic course was harder in Italy, but that the Sochi skate course was harder with a very long climb.

At her first senior World Championships, an excited Brittany Webster (CAN) had a decent race finishing 57th. “I’m feeling very privileged to be here! There are times I feel a bit over my head and would have more confidence if my body had been good coming in,” she said in an interview with SkiTrax.

Final podium ( l-r) Johaug 2nd, Bjoergen 1st, Weng 3rd © Nordic Focus

“I got the flu prior to Worlds. First a stomach bug, then a cold followed by a sinus infection. It cleared up about two or three days ago, certainly having about five days of training helped me get over jet lag and clear my illness.”

Her journey getting to Val di Fiemme took three days with delayed flights and wait times at the airport for her shuttle. She was happy to be rescued by the Canadian team on their way from Davos.

She compared the race conditions to Canmore saying they are spectacular – hard tracks with climbs that are steep. “You can’t lengthen your stride and glide on any of them. I climbed the first one out of the stadium well, but it got tough pretty quick,” shared Webster.

“My plan was to just do the absolute best I could. No matter where I was in the field I would keep trying and race smart and relaxed. Turned out to be a horrid day for my body. All that travel and sickness have taken a toll. My legs were lead weights from start to finish, so that was really disappointing. I tried my best…but really all you can do in that situation is just keep working with the body you have and recover like crazy for the next day.”

Webster’s next race is the 10km skate. “I’m looking forward to watching the team sprint tomorrow,” she added. Fellow Canuck Emily Nishikawa, who has been suffering from sickness as well, did not finish

Full results HERE.
Full results w/splits HERE.