January 29, 2017 (Falun, SWE) – The USA’s Jessie Diggins raced to a 10th-place photo finish, her best result in a 15km CL World Cup as Marit Bjoergen led a Norwegian podium sweep in Falun, Sweden. Ingvild Flugstad Westberg took second and Heidi Weng was third.

American Sadie Bjornsen finished 21st with teammates Rosie Brennan 24th and LIz Stephen in 29th all in the points. Just out of the top 30 was Caitlin Patterson in 32nd, Ida Sargent finished 34th with lone Canadian Cendrine Browne in 46th followed by Liz Guiney in 46th.

“It was my least favorite conditions today with the tracks really hard to find kick in and getting really sugary as they broke down, so it was good to have another chance to work on my striding and improve my classic racing! But like yesterday, I was so impressed with our service team and my skis were great,” said Diggins.

“Early on I tried to go with the leaders but then settled into a great pack of girls to ski with and it came down to an exciting sprint out. I’m really looking forward to some rest and then a quality training camp with some family time in Valadalen for the next few weeks. My boyfriend is here cheering me on and coming to camp with me, and then my parents come next week so I have so many great things to look forward to,” she concluded.

For Bjornsen it was mentally and physically challenging. “I got super tired this week, so I have been holding on tight and trying to do what I can this weekend. Today I literally gave everything I had, and while I am not stoked on the number or result, I am really proud that I kept fighting through that wall in front of my face.

“It was really challenging classic skiing out there, which I love, so I am sad to have missed an opportunity to fight in those tricky conditions. Big shout out to our team for giving me good skis. I am looking forward to some rest and recovery to rebuild for a big and important block of racing to come,” commented Bjornsen.

Brennan echoed that it was a tough race but feels she’s on form. “Today’s race was very hard. We don’t get to race 15k very often so it’s hard to know what to expect out there. It was challenging conditions today with sugary tracks that were a little beat up from the boys. I actually really enjoy skiing in this kind of condition so I was optimistic about today’s race.

“I felt that I was fighting a bit of fatigue out there and only really had one speed, luckily it was a decent speed and I was able to hold consistent throughout the race. I am satisfied with the race and am very happy about my fitness. It’s time now for some rest and prepping for World Championships,” added Brennan.

The World Cup now heads to PyeongChang for the Olympic test event on the Alpensia venue. On tap is a classic sprint Friday, skiathlon Saturday and freestyle team sprint Sunday. Making the trip there are Sophie Caldwell, Conti Cup leader Guiney, Sargent, Stephen and Patterson. No Canadian women are attending.

Results here.