Kowalczyk and Northug Claim Prologue Victories at Tour de Ski – Harvey 6th and Randall 10th

Petter Northug (NOR) © Nordic Focus

December 29, 2011 (Oberhof, Germany) – Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland staked her claim to the women’s Tour de Ski overall crown with a win in today’s opening 3.1km Prologue stage in Oberhof, Germany. Kowalczyk bested World Cup overall leader, Marit Bjoergen (NOR) by 0.4 seconds over the 2.5km course. Sweden’s Hannah Brodin was third.

Among the American women, Kikkan Randall finished a solid 10th, with teammates Liz Stephen and Holly Brooks (who is suffering with an injured wrist – read more HERE) coming in 37th and 53rd respectively.

Meanwhile, Norway’s Petter Northug backed up his intentions to win the Tour this year with a win in the men’s 4.0km Prologue, beating Tour arch rival Dario Cologna of Switzerland by .7 seconds. France’s Maurice Magnificat finished third.

The Canadian men had an excellent day, with Alex Harvey finishing 6th and Devon Kershaw 12th. Ivan Babikov was further back in 38th position while Andy Newell had the top result for the US squad in 29th place, followed by Simi Hamilton and Kris Freeman in 63rd and 64th respectively.

Full women’s results HERE.
Full men’s results HERE.

2 Comments For This Post

1. oldtroll, ab, can says:
   December 29th, 2011 at 4:47 pm

   Please excuse my ignorance. One of you knowledgeable people out there probably has the answer. I know Northug starts first and down the line from there. Is the start exactly with the time difference or are there bonus times earned from todays race. Thirty seconds seperating the first fifty or so skiers and wow what a scene . Basically a mass start race I suppose.And if its snowing it will be more like a Tour De France large peltenon sprint finish.

2. Marty Hall, NH, USA says:
   December 29th, 2011 at 7:26 pm

   Larry—Happy New year—that was my question all last year “what the hell was going on here” for the whole tour—-for you and others like us—-here are the rules of the tour http://www.fiscrosscountry.com/fis-tour-ski/what-tour-ski/rules/basic-rules.html

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