January 23, 2008 (Canmore, Alta.) – The second day of races arrived with frigid wind making for day-long slow snow conditions as the women’s qualifying laps commenced at 10:00 a.m. With 59 starters, Finnish star Virpi Kuitunen flew to the fastest qualifying time of 3:10:56. Petra Majdic of Slovenia was 1.38 seconds back, with World Cup sprint leader Astrid Jacobsen of Norway right behind at 1.91 seconds back. These skiers were in a league of their own though as Russian Natalia Matveeva placed fourth fastest at 4.39 seconds behind and Aino Kaisa Saarinen of Finland completed the top five at 4.71 seconds back. Canadians Sarah Renner and Chandra Crawford both qualified, 8.73 seconds and 11.08 seconds behind Kuitunen.

Kikkan Randall of the U.S. who recently won a WC skate sprint race in mid-December in Rybinsk, Russia failed to qualify. “The skate sprint is my best event,” said Randall. “I train for all events, but that seems to be the one I am best at. I’m really satisfied today with how I skied. My body felt really good, but the skis didn’t work as well as they needed to and that was a bit frustrating. But that’s what happens sometimes in classic racing. I’m really looking forward to the skate sprint on Saturday.”

The quarter finals saw Kuitunen and Kowalczyk move up to the semi-finals after the first heat; Russian Mateeva and Finland’s Pirjo Muranen moved up as well while Canada’s Crawford, who won her quarter-final heat, and Aino Kaisa Saarinen of Finland also moved up to the next round. Alena Prochazkova of Slovenia and Astrid Jacobsen of Norway also made good in the fourth heat.

Canada’s Renner placed third in her heat and failed to move any farther though her time put her 14th overall. “I was really happy with my qualifying time,” said Renner. “I think it’s slowly coming back. I had a bad start [in the heat] and just couldn’t make it up, but I have performed better then I expected so far this week. “

In the two semi-final sprints it was Kuitunen and Muranen both of Finland with Kowalczyk of Poland taking third in the first heat, and Majdic, Jacobsen, and Prochazkova taking top three spots in the second heat. Crawford placed 5th and failed to qualify for the A Final, but her B Final results put her 12th overall.

“This is an extremely encouraging result for me and the first time I have moved past the quarter-finals in a classic race in two years,” said Crawford. “One of our coaches, Eric de Nys, has been working with me on my starts, and it has helped me. I was fired up today and the crowd was awesome.”

The results of the final sprint could not be determined without a deliberation, as Majdic and Jacobsen came across the line in identical times. The photo finish showed though, that Majdic’s foot slid slightly ahead and she was awarded the gold. Jacobsen took silver and remained the WC sprint overall leader. Kowalczyk, who had won the 15km pursuit race on Tuesday with a solo finish, took the bronze, while the Finnish duo of Kuitunen and Muranen finished fourth and fifth with Slovakia’s Prochazkova in sixth spot.

“I didn’t know if I could do it,” said Majdic after the race. “I said to myself ‘I can do it – yes, I can.’ I had to really fight. The two weeks after Tour de Ski were light training. They were good for me,” she explained, referring to the two weeks prior to the race. “I took the last two weeks quite easy. I had not much to do, so I practiced pushing my foot. Sometimes I’ve lost because I didn’t know how to push my foot over the line.”

Final Results

Women

1. Petra Majdic (Slo)
2. Astrid Jacobsen (Nor)
3. Justyna Kowalczyk (Pol)
4. Virpi Kuitunen (Fin)
5. Pirjo Muranen (Fin)
6. Alena Prochazkova (Svk)
7. Aino- Kaisa Saarinen (Fin)
8. Natalia Matveeva (Rus)
9. Seraina Mischol (Sui)
10. Julia Ivanova (Rus)
11. Natalja Naryshkina (Rus)
12. Chandra Crawford (Can)
13. Olga Rotcheva (Rus)
14. Sara Renner (Can)
15. Claudia Nystad (Ger)
16. Evgenia Shapovalova (Rus)
17. Stehle Evi Sachenbacher (Ger)
18. Mona-Lisa Malvalehto (Fin)
19. Maria Rydqvist (Swe)
20. Ida Ingemarsdotter (Swe)
21. Madoka Natsumi (Jpn)
22. Katja Visnar (Slo)
23. Stefanie Boehler (Ger)
24. Ella Gjoemle (Nor)
25. Caroline Weibel (Fra)
26. Arianna Follis (Ita)
27. Katrin Zeller (Ger)
28. Larisa Kurkina (Rus)
29. Magda Genuin (Ita)
30. Aurore Cuinet (Fra)
31. Nicole Fessel (Ger)
32. Vesna Fabjan (Slo)
33. Kikkan Randall (USA)
34. Laurence Rochat (Sui)
35. Sabina Valbusa (Ita)
36. Perianne Jones (Can)
37. Emilie Vina (Fra)
38. Riikka Sarasoja (Fin)
39. Sarah Daitch (Can)
40. Viktoria Lopatina (Blr)
41. Laura Valaas (USA)
42. Nobuko Fukuda (Jpn)
43. Doris Trachsel (Sui)
44. Shayla Swanson (Can)
45. Lindsay Williams (USA)
46. Esther Bottomley (Aus)
47. Antonella Confortola (Ita)
48. Karin Camenisch (Sui)
49. Kate Brennan (Can)
50. Andrea Dupont (Can)
51. Kate Arduser (USA)
52. Alysson Marshall (Can)
53. Katherine Calder (Aus)
54. Hannah Perry (Can)
55. Heidi Widmer (Can)
56. Karla Mika (Can)
57. Rhonda Jewett (Can)
58. Megan Mctavish (Can)
59. Lindsey Dehlin (USA )