March 13, 2013 (Drammen, Norway) – It was mission accomplished for Polish star skier, Justyna Kowalczyk, who stamped her mark in Drammen taking the women’s 1.28 CL FIS World Cup city sprints while securing the FIS Cross-Country Overall World Cup title. It was Kowalczyk’s first-ever victory in Drammen and local fans applauded her like one of their own.

Kowalczyk (l) defeats Weng for her first Drammen win and the overall WCup title © Nordic Focus

Heidi Weng (NOR) made a bid to challenge Kowalczyk in the final but she was out-classed in the finishing straight settling for second – still a personal best for Weng. Teammate, Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg, landed on the podium in third for her first WCup podium as she out-sprinted Russia’s Evgeniya Shapovalova of Russia.

American star Kikkan Randall, who clinched the Sprint Cup title in Lahti last weekend, keeps upping her classic game as she advanced through the semis to the finals as a Lucky Loser finishing 5th on the day – her best-ever Drammen finish and her best classic finish this season.

“I’ve done this Drammen classic sprint six times now. The first four times I did not manage to make it past the qualification.  Last year was a breakthrough for me when I made it to the semi-finals,” shared Randall post-race. “This is probably one of the deepest world cup fields during the whole season. Norway had 22 women starters today and all the continental cup leaders are here in addition to every nations sprint quota.”

Kikkan Randall (USA) - her best result in Drammen © Nordic Focus

Canada’s Daria Gaiazova, 29 from Banff, Alta., qualified 16th and was having a superb quarter final until a little contact in the sometimes tight quarters lead to some shoving and she bobbled losing her momentum.

She tried to regain her position but ran out of time in the heat, ending up fourth. “Wow that was a hard effort,” said Gaiazova. “My arms and lungs are toast now, but I’ll take a 15th place result in a World Cup.”

Daria Gaiazova (CAN) © Pam Doyle

Rising US star Sadie Bjornsen was the only other North American skier to qualify placing 26th. She skied well in her quarter final with Gaiazova but ended up 6th at the finish and was 30th on the day.

Meanwhile Kowalczyk was all smiles telling FIS XC.com, “It is my first victory in Drammen. I felt strong and could enjoy the race when I had secured the Overall World Cup.”

Final women's podium (l-r) Weng 2nd, Kowalczyk 1st, Oestberg 3rd © Nordic Focus

Randall likes the Drammen city sprint but wasn’t happy with her qualification and told us more about how her day went. Looking ahead she’ll skip the long distance race in Oslo in favour of resting up for the final races in Falun, Sweden.

“The Drammen race is always one of the funnest atmospheres on the whole World Cup circuit.  It’s an exciting course and people are just packed around the fences the entire way. They always have a band playing live on a stage right next to the trail, and you can feel the bass in your chest when you ski by. Probably one of the nicest weather days I’ve ever seen in Drammen.  It was sunny all day but the air stayed cold and kept the snow stable and in decent shape.

“I was a little frustrated by my qualification, I felt like I could not make full use of my capacity and power.  But thankfully I just snuck through to the quarterfinals in 29th position.  I got another chance!  In the quarterfinal I made a real push with 200m to go and went from 5th into the lead.  The semi-final was more spread out but I also had a strong finish and managed to grab the last Lucky Loser spot into the final.

“In the final I had a decent start but didn’t ski the bottom half of the course smart enough nor aggressive enough.  I left too much work to do and was only able to pass one skier before the finish line.  I ended up 5th place.  It’s my best ever Drammen finish and certainly my best classic finish of the season.  I was hoping to challenge for the podium once I got in the final today but I guess that is a goal I will just have to keep chasing.

“The feelings today were really good and I feel like my full race gear is coming back.  Classic sprints are always challenging for me to get the body, the technique and the skis just right.  It was challenging today to keep the skis fast in the sugary snow.  Our guys worked really hard and I think we had competitive skis in the rounds.

“It was really fun to have a strong performance in a classic sprint and I am already looking forward to another chance one week from now in Stockholm. I am not planning to race the 30km this weekend in Holmenkollen.  My distance shape is just starting to come back and I would like to be fully prepared for the World Cup finals.  I will compete in a show sprint of 100m on Monday in the Bislett Track stadium here in Oslo,” concluded Randall.

Americans Holly Brooks, Sophie Caldwell, Ida Sargent, Rosie Brennan, Jessie Diggins did not advance, finishing 34th, 35th, 48th, 52nd, and 55th, respectively. Canada’s Perianne Jones and Emily Nishikawa also did not make it through to the heats with a 45th and a 63rd place.

Women’s Qualifications HERE.
Final results HERE.