November 26, 2011 (Kuusamo, FIN) – Day 2 of the World Cup mini-tour in Kuusamo kicked off with a women’s 5km freestyle race held in blustery conditions. Once again Norway’s Marit Bjoergen was the class of the field, winning in 11:45.3 with Charlotte Kalla of Sweden in 2nd at 11.6 seconds back, followed by Vibeke Skofterud (NOR) in third.

The women of the USST had a banner day as well, led by Kikkan Randall in 12th. Teammate Holly Brooks notched a solid 17th place finish, her best-ever WCup result, and Liz Stephen was 28th. Not far behind were Sadie Bjornsen (37th) and Ida Sargent (47th), both of whom were mere seconds out of the top 30.

Four Canadian women also raced in Kuusamo today, but finished well back. Perianne Jones was the top Canadian in 58th. Dasha Gaiazova was 66th, followed closely by Chandra Crawford in 68th. Alysson Marshall was 83rd.

With this morning’s results Bjoergen holds on to the overall lead in Kuusamo, followed by Skofterud and Kalla. Randall sits in 5th, just behind Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland. Holly Brooks is 28th overall, Bjornsen is 44th, Stephen sits in 48th, and Sargent is 52nd.

Among the Canadians, Gaiazova drops to 39th overall, followed by Crawford (53rd), Jones (56th), and Marshall (82nd).

Women’s 5km results HERE.
Women’s Overall after Day 2 HERE.