March 02, 2016 (Gatineau, QC) – The opening 1.7km Sprint FR round of Ski Tour Canada in Gatineau delivered plenty of sizzle and could hardly have gotten off to a better start for Team USA as both Jessie Diggins and Simi Hamilton each claimed bronze in the final for a historic double podium. It marked the first time that a U.S. man and women podiumed in a FIS Cross Country World Cup on the same day.

“If you had told me at the start of the year that this is how it would go, I’d be like you’re kidding me,” said Diggins who qualified 2nd, won her quartefinal, and came second in her semi against the world’s best female sprinters ending up with the bronze. She added that racing in Canada was amazing, “I could hear my parents out there, and for me it was so cool to see so many American flags, it’s just really nice.”

 

Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla proved her sprinting prowess gapping the field on the last hill in the final to claim gold and add to her lead in the overall Sprint title. Swede Stina Nilsson, 22, came in second, just ahead of Jessie Diggins.

Canada’s Maya MacIsaac-Jones, 20, had the race of her life making the heats for the first time after earning the final spot in the qualifications placing 30th. The Athabasca, Alta. skier was eliminated in her quarter final ending up a career-best 29th. “I’m so excited. It means a lot to me to be in the points. I think it is great for Canadian women to have someone in the points, and I hope this inspires the other women skiers on the Tour with me. I think this  shows we can be in the mix.”

The heat racing was fast and furious on the 1.7k loop. Fast conditions and narrow trails made it hard for passing to occur but also easy to see who was in control. Tactics and when to pass was crucial to move on to the next round. “Today was about trying to figure out the lingo, because it’s really hard course to pass on. I couldn’t quite get to the front when I wanted to, but I gave it my best shot and I’m really proud of my effort,” continued Diggins who added, “We had great skis today and it was a tough course.”

Fellow Americans Sophie Caldwell and Ida Sargent both got into trouble in their heats, getting tangled up with others and going down. “I was going up on the left side, and trying to use my momentum to go wide, and she [Hanna Falk] cut in front of me … and our skis clipped and I went down,” commented Sargent.

The tight course saw numerous falls in the heats, including Finnish skier Krista Parmakoski and German Hanna Kolb getting tied up in the semi-finals. Caldwell finished 28th, Sargent in 24th, and Sadie Bjornsen finished up in 17th.

MacIsaac-Jones was recently 31st at a World Cup in Planica, Slovenia while taking part in Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada’s development strategy to provide elite race opportunities for its next generation of athletes. Reflecting on her result in Gatineau she added, “I honestly have never skied that fast in my life. I really just wanted to hang on. I was happy I was able to do that and not finish too far off the pace.”

Qualifications here.
Final Results here.