January 24, 2013 (Liberec, Czech Republic) – On Day 4 of the 2013  U23/Junior Nordic World Ski Championships, Ragnhild Haga took home  the first gold medal for the ambitious Norwegian team winning the women’s 10km FR race. The men’s 15km FR competition was clearly dominated by the Russians as they won gold and silver.

Team USA’s Caitlin Patterson and Erik Bjornsen led the North Americans, placing 14th and 15th in the women’s and men’s competitions, respectively.

Kazakhstan also celebrated their first medal of the championships winning silver in the women’s 10km thanks to Anastasia Slonova, while the bronze medal went to Italy, courtesy of Debora Agreiter.

USA’s Sophie Caldwell finished 17th in the women’s race, with teammates Annie Pokorny and Elizabeth Guiney in 29th and 42nd, respectively. Heidi Widmer posted the top Canadian women’s result in 28th place, while Annika Hicks finished 37th, Andrea Lee placed 40th, and Marlis Kromm took 43rd.

Bjornsen’s men’s teammate Sam Tarling finished 39th in the 15km event, followed by David Norris in 50th and Eric Packer in 54th. Top Canadian man was Colin Abbott in 63rd. Patrick Stewart-Jones (CAN) finished 71st.

Women’s 10km Individual Free – Haga Scores First Gold for Norway
Fifty one women set off on the demanding course in Vesec on Thursday morning. The conditions were worsened by thickly falling snow and hard frost. Nevertheless, only two skiers failed to reach the finish.

“I am really satisfied. Today, it was a real exhausting race; I could not afford to relax. Two years ago, I triumphed at the junior world championship so I am happy that I managed to pick up on this success,” said winner Ragnhild Haga.

Haga literally flew through the course and left second-placed Slonova half a minute behind. She was especially strong in the second half of the race. It was the young Kazakh, however, who performed admirably after the unsuccessful first third of the race when she overtook seven competitors and got a well-deserved silver.

Anastasia Slonova: “I feel good after the race. I am really pleased with the result. We watched the weather carefully, so we were able to prepare the skis very well. It is a great achievement for us, indeed. We picked up on the successful performances during the World Cup competition which took place in Liberec few days ago.”

Debora Agreiter: “I do not know what I lacked for being the second placed. I guess I did not have enough strength at the end; after all, it was a difficult race. But I am still excited about the third place.”

Men’s 15km Individual Free – Russian Dominance
The strong Russians again confirmed their role as favourites of the cross-country competitions. The 15km freestyle was won by Sergey Ustiugov ahead of Evgeniy Belov. The bronze medal goes to Germany thanks to Thomas Bing.

Just before noon on Thursday, 84 competitors set off on an extremely demanding course in Vesec. Conditions were really difficult, as the skiers were slowed down by freshly fallen snow.

Ustiugov dominated the whole race and was the fastest at all split times. In the end he triumphed with a lead of nineteen seconds. The twenty-year-old Russian followed his great performance of last year at the WC in Turkey, where he won four gold medals. His countryman Belov won his second medal at these championships. On Tuesday, it was silver in the sprint.

“It is fantastic! I feel really wonderful. I achieved my goal: I was in first position for the whole race. I feel really happy,” rejoiced the confident winner Sergey Ustiugov from Russia after the finish.

Evgeniy Belov: “I am really satisfied with the result of the race. Today´s race was just a training for the next month – I will started at the FIS Nordic World Ski in Val di Fiemme in Italy, so I did not expect medal. That pleased me more.“

Thomas Bing: “I am incredibly happy. Today, it was a really tough race. I did not want to overvalue the start; I saved my energy for the end. And it was worth it: as time went on, I worked my way to the fourth place – thanks to the cooperation with Clementini from Italy, as well. And then, I got enough strength in the finish.”

Women’s 10km Free results HERE.
Men’s 15km Free results HERE.

Complete results are available at www.liberec2013.cz.

February 25, 2011 (Oslo, Norway) – Greetings from Norway and our Day 2 insider report…Ahvo, coach of many successful international level Minnesota skiers and owner of FinnSisu Inc. in Saint Paul, MN, and Ritva Taipale, PhD student and club-level junior coach in Jyväskylä, Finland, are at the 2011 Nordic World Championships in Oslo, Norway – read on for more behind the scenes news from OSLO 2011… more photos HERE – Day 1 report HERE.

Some headlines from the papers today:

From Iltalehti
Timo Seppälä, the Finnish anti-doping expert states that 1 in 4 cross-country skiers at this event have used doping at some point in their career.

Sweden’s Emil Joensson is not feeling any pressure in today’s race. He just needs luck on his side and a good position in the start of the final sprint. (He was first in Drammen and is considered among the favourites today).

Matti Heikkinen has prepared for these World Championships in a different way than most athletes. His coach, Toni Roponen told Iltalehti that he has done 2-2.5km intervals at 95% heart rate max in the days leading up to the races. Some athletes have a “Mercedes diesel engine block, but Heikkinen’s body needs an extreme tune-up like a quick-firing Porsche gasoline engine”.

From yle.fi
Your dental hygiene is important for top performance! Martti Jylhä spent some of his preparation time for the Worlds in the dentist’s chair getting cavities filled. After Liberec, Jylhä found himself overly worn-out, so he went for a blood test and made an appointment with his dentist. Once the cavities were filled, his energy levels returned. He commented that not having taken care of his teeth was an “amateur” move. Your basic health, even your teeth, is important for maximum performance!!

Overheard…
Overheard on the press-bus up to Holmenkollen: Norwegian reporters are being modest. Not a single one would tell us who would win today. Upon further questioning, they admitted that they hope for some Norwegian gold… but the main thing is to have a good competition. Other Norwegian spectators that we talked to were also modest and careful not to be too exuberant about medal prospects today after memories of the Lillehammer relay and Marit Bjoergen’s set-backs a few years ago.

We also learned that:
1. Oystein Petterson is better liked in Norway for his personality and down-to-earth nature than Petter Northug
2. There is some controversy about the new Holmenkollen stadium. Some Norwegians think it is great, other think it’s ugly. Some Norwegians think that it’s too expensive and suggest that maybe plowing the side-streets in Oslo would be a better use of their krone.
3. The population of Oslo has increased by 12% during the World Championships.
4. Hot dogs are served in lefse (makes them easy to hold on to). Spectators even bring hotdogs in thermos bottles of hot water for lunch (Norwegian spectators are very well-equipped.)
5. The medals ceremony was held at the University Plaza in down-town Oslo. It felt like whole town and most of the country showed up to sing “Ja, vi elsker dette landet” (Yes, we love this country) with Bjoergen and friends.

And finally, Ahvo was going to have a night-cap, but it’s so expensive that he decided to stay up all night instead. Ritva’s going to get some sleep. Have a good night!

February 23, 2011 (Oslo, Norway) – The excitement is expected to build to a crescendo this evening, not far from the Royal Palace in downtown Oslo, as the 2011 FIS World Nordic Championships are set to kick off. Members of the Canadian and U.S. Cross -Country ski team made their final preparations on Tuesday on the perfect ski tracks at Oslo’s famed Holmenkollen venue.

With the trees laden with snow and with light snow falling, it made for the ideal scene set for these much anticipated championships to begin.

Kikkan Randall took her final tune up on the tracks and said she was ready. “I feel great and very energized following the Drammen races and I am set to go. The sprint course is really one I like very much, it has all the right elements,” said Randall who goes into the FIS Championships poised and confident following her second World Cup win this season in Drammen.

U.S. Head Coach Chris Grover also said his charges are ready, “We are all healthy and everyone is happy and ready”.

While we tested announcing systems today for the qualifying events, the top ten of each race of men and women will be able to ski in these championships. Among them was Dartmouth’s former star, Ben Koons, who is skiing for New Zealand here, along with brother Nils. Well-known Kenyan skier Philip Boit also took part, who is now coached by the legendary Norwegian champion Bjorn Daehlie, who came our booth today for a chat. There were big crowds on hand for these races today, as there was no charge to attend.

At mid-day SkiTrax attended a Fischer Press Event and the room was full of among the best-known Fischer athletes in the sport also among the favorites here in Oslo – here are some notes from the press Conference…

Petra Majdic started things off on a lighthearted note with a line about her fall at Whistler. “The organizers have told me all the “holes” on the course are all protected. In some ways it is still in my mind. But I am very happy with my win in Oberstdorf with my first victory. I am happy to be here in Oslo, I will do my best.”

She made her final preparations in Doblach for three weeks at high-altitude it was a little risky. “I was not fresh in Drammen, but I feel better now here. I like the tracks in Oslo because they are not the easiest and will give everyone a very fair fight. Some of the girls are more aggressive than I am; the three uphills aren’t too steep (on the sprint course). So the course should be good for me.”

Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla coming off a second place last weekend in the sprints told members of the press today, “I will start in every race except the team sprint, and my favourite race will be the last one… the 30km in skating.

“I also look forward to the relay. The World Championships are something I have looked forward to for a long time. Our team has had a great summer and fall, and there’s a lot of strong young girls coming up and this helps me to improve as well.”

Yet, current world cup points leader Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk will also figure in the mix, as will Arianna Follis of Italy. The Norwegians have a strong women’s squad and relative newcomer Maiken Caspersen Falla is primed and ready for action.

Among the women’s elite count Norway’s ski queen Marit Bjorgen as a huge favourite and likely to take several medals at these events.

And it goes without saying that Norway’s Petter Northug will be strong in all events, as will Swiss skier Dario Cologna along with Swedes Marcus Hellner and Emil Joensson. The Russians looked good today in practice as well.

Then it was time for Hellner. “We have the same great spirit like the women’s team in Sweden. I will compete Wednesday – I have been waiting for this championships to start and I am like a child before Christmas,” he said.

Lucas Bauer (CZE) said he was happy to be in Oslo adding, “it is much more easy for me to compete here than under the eye of the press. I like tough tracks, so it should be good for me here.” Bauer is a powerful, tough skier who seems to be always near the top for the Czech Republic.

Nordic Combined athlete Felix Gottwald of Austria spoke of the new hills in Oslo. “I didn’t jump so well today in training and that’s okay – but I do want to jump well on Saturday. ”

For the record, several USST combiners had a fine day of jump training with Todd Lodwick having one of the longest jumps of the day with a ride at 105.0 meters. Bill Demong and Bryan Fletcher all jumped beyond 100 meters in training as well.

Other combined picks must go to the highly regarded French skier, Jason Lamy Chappuis, born in Montana. Also watch for the pair of Norwegians Mikko Kokslien and Magnus Moan.

In ski jumping both Simon Amman of Switzerland and Andreas Kofler of Austria took part in the press function and appeared up beat and ready. They will face the likes of Tom Hilde of Norway and other top Austrians.

Team USA appears strong with a big women’s team here led by the current world champion Lindsey Van from Park City. But the local crowds will be behind another great skiing pioneer, Anette Sagen, who took the bronze medal at the last championships in Liberec.

It looks to many that both the US and Canadian squads are heading into Oslo with strong skiers, and we expect to see some improved performances over the Liberec Worlds.

Record crowds are expected to attend these championships, while many rabid fans have already been camping out in the nearby forests near the racing trails to cheering for their favourites.

Yes, it’s all good – xc skiing here is so much more than a sport, but truly “a way of life”.

February 02, 2011 (In Transit to Alaska) – There must be something magical about Liberec, Czech Republic because I seem to be able to pull out top performances there, even if I don’t always see them coming!  Despite feeling like a zombie for most of this post-Tour week, I was able to shake off the daze and overcome some challenging snow conditions to take my second World Cup victory!

dQuote of the Day
“A couple meters before the finish line I realized that I had the race and threw my arms up in celebration.  As I slid to a halt, I couldn’t believe what had just happened.”

What’s Coming Up
– 2/19/11-2/20/11 World Cup – Drammen, NOR
– 2/24/11-3/6/11 World Championships!!

The Cliff Notes
By ignoring the heavy feelings in my legs during the warm-up, I started off the day with a third place in qualifying.  Then in my loaded quarterfinal (I drew both Majdic and Follis) I came second and advanced to the semis.

In the semis, I drafted early and then put on a strong finish to win the heat and make it to the final.  The final played out much the same way and I passed Hanna Falk of Sweden on the homestretch to take the win.

After two months on the road, I now get to head home for a short break and then training camp to prepare for the World Championships in Oslo next month.

The Full Story
After two solid months in Europe chasing World Cup races through different six countries, I was finally down to my last few days before I would get the chance to go home.  The last stop would be a skate sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic.

This post-Tour week has been a bit of a haze.  Without the stimulus of daily racing, my energy took a dive and for the first few days of the week, all I really felt like doing was sleeping and watching movies.   I managed one short ski and a couple walks.

On Wednesday, Andy and Grover and I loaded up in the cargo van and made the 8-hour journey northeast to Liberec.   Upon arriving, we found a very different scene than the one we had left two years ago at the World Championships.  Warm temperatures and rain had taken all but a little bit of the natural snow.

We had a couple days to prepare for the race and I hoped that I could wake my body out of its stupor.  The conditions on the course were challenging, reminding me of my summer training time on Eagle Glacier and we were limited to a 2km loop.

The morning of the race I definitely had butterflies in my stomach, but this time for a different reason.  Having never done a Tour de Ski before, I wasn’t sure how much the high load of racing was going to affect my sprint speed.  I had confidence from my solid sprinting earlier in the season, but would that extra gear be there this week?

It was pouring rain as we headed out to the venue on a big shuttle bus.  My buddy Chandra Crawford and I shared a seat and rocked out to some new Swedish stuff she had just found.  As we pulled into the venue we could see that it was not only just raining, it was windy too.  We braced ourselves for a wild day.

The race organizers were spreading salt all over the course to keep it firm. The snow was so fast that it was hard to tell which skis out of the three pairs we were testing were actually the fastest.  So we went on the pair that just intuitively felt the best.  I made sure to get in a hard warm-up to get my body as awake and ready as possible, but it wasn’t easy.  My legs felt heavy and my balance a little awkward.

For my qualifying lap I was pleasantly surprised to find the heaviness in the legs gone, replaced by a lightness in my stride.  I made it up and over the first climb feeling good and dropped into a low tuck.  I carried good speed into the next climb and made it through the hodge-podge of hard and soft snow.  On the final climb and into the finish stretch, I still had plenty of power in the tank and charged to the line. I crossed with the third fastest time.  A nice surprise!

The sun had come out briefly during the women’s qualifier, but soon after the rain returned.  I threw on my running shoes and jogged my cool down.

The Canadians were nice enough to let Andy and I crash in their wax cabin between the rounds.  I changed into some dry clothes, downed some Powerbar Recovery drink and Gel Blasts, and drifted off into a semi-comatose state while listening to my iPod.  A little less than two hours drifted by and it was time to get going again.

The heaviness in my legs returned for my second warm-up of the day and I wondered if it was just a trick of my nerves like earlier.  I did some harder skiing and hoped for the best come race time.

Thankfully the rain stopped and the sky actually cleared a bit.

Third qualifying position put me in the fifth and last women’s quarterfinal.  As the other heats went out, there were less and less women left in the start pen.  I noticed Petra Majdic and Arianna Follis were both still around.  “Ha, wouldn’t it be funny if they were BOTH in my quarterfinal,” I thought.  Turns out, they were!

In my quarterfinal I got off to a good start and going up the first climb, I held back a little bit hoping someone else would want to lead.  As we got to the top of the hill, Hanna Kolb made a break for it and I tucked myself into second.  I made sure to stay low off the downhill and pulled up alongside her going up the gradual section and took the lead over the top.

When we hit the final climb, Majdic pulled out of my draft and put on a big surge.  I countered but she got a little ahead and then slowly drifted into my path as she made for the corner.   I didn’t panic and just slipped in behind her until we got on the home straight.   With 100m to go, I knew Follis could be attacking, so I picked the wide lane and turned up the speed.  Just before the line I could tell I was solidly in 2nd, advancing to the semis.

As we lined up for the second semi-final, the first women’s semifinal was underway.  Marit Bjoergen had handily won her quarterfinal by skiing from the front but appeared to be taking a different strategy and was hanging back in 2nd.  Midway through the course, she bumped skis with another racer and dropped back to 5th.  She tried desperately to get back up to the front but couldn’t find the space and ended up third in her heat, unbelievable!  She would now have to wait to see if she would make the final as a lucky loser.

We lined up for our semifinal next.  When the gun went off I reacted a little slowly and got out of the lanes a step behind.  Everyone seemed to drift left towards the best line, so I decided to stay right and got a clear lane up the first climb.  I was able to tuck myself into third over the top of the hill.

I made sure to stay nice and low, and came out of my tuck with good momentum.  I stayed to the right again and used clear snow to move myself up into second over the top of the hill.  I shadowed Falk of Sweden into the final climb and this time I used the slingshot to get around (like Majdic had in the quarter) and was able to get past Falk before the turn.  I put it into high gear and hammered to the line unchallenged.

Our semifinal ended being over three seconds faster than the first, meaning Bjoergen was out of the final.  I was actually bummed.  I had been looking forward to another chance to match up against the Queen!

Finally, I was down to the last race of the day.  Just three more minutes and then I could head home for a nice break.   Just three more minutes!

In the final would be myself, Falk, and Majdic, the Norwegians Brun-lie and Falla, and Barthelme of France.  The camera came by for our introductions, I gave one last smile, and then crouched for the start.

Bang!  I had a slight delayed reaction again, and as my poles slipped a bit in the soft snow, I came out of the lanes a little behind.  Falk charged to the lead with Brun-lie in tow.  I worked my way up the right side again, using a quick V1 to move up and get into 3rd over the top.

My skis were running really well and dropping down into my best alpine tuck, I came zinging up on the girls ahead and steered right into the open lane.  I could feel Majdic going for the same lane and made sure to throw in a few free skates to keep my momentum.  We V2’d madly up the next climb and I slipped in behind Falk going over the top.

I pushed hard into the downhill and got the draft.  As we came flying into the final climb and I made a mad dash on the outside and narrowly pulled even with Falk before the corner.  Once onto the homestretch I veered left into an open lane and turned on the jets.  I felt the power transfer directly into my skis and poles as I came by Falk and went into the lead.  This is where I had lost the gold medal at World Championships and I wasn’t going to lose it this time.

A couple meters before the finish line I realized that I had the race and threw my arms up in celebration.  As I slid to a halt, I couldn’t believe what had just happened.  I almost didn’t even feel tired.  I was filled with exhilaration.   After a three-year drought it felt incredible to take another World Cup win!  What a fun race!

I exchanged hugs and high fives with the rest of the racers.  Falk had held on for 2nd and Brun-lie took the bronze.  Then I got to celebrate big hugs with Joqui, Randy and Grover, whom I have to thank for my great skis!!  And most special, I got to share a big embrace with my husband, who was on site working with the Australian team.  What would a victory be without those to share it with!

While the men’s final took place, there was a whirlwind of TV interviews and chasing after some dry clothes.  Then we got to do the flower ceremony, press conference and the mandatory pee test for doping control.  All the while, I couldn’t stop smiling!

After two months, time was suddenly in hyper drive.  We came back to the hotel and had just an hour to shower, throw the wet clothes in a ski bag and grab a little dinner before catching a shuttle to Prague.  Despite my excitement to get home, I was a little sad not to have that evening to hang out and celebrate a little.  I said goodbye to my husband (luckily just for a week this time), wished Grover a safe drive and boarded the shuttle.

(Thankfully, we did manage to get in a champagne toast at the airport hotel before hitting the pillows for a short night of sleep.)

As I write this I am now on my way back to Alaska for a three-week break and training period at home.  I just heard that my win yesterday has put me in the lead of the overall Sprint World Cup, yeehaw!  It’s too bad I won’t be racing in Otepaa next weekend to actually get to wear the bib!

It will be hard for sure to miss the next two weekends of World Cup racing, but my focus now turns to the World Championships in Oslo.   The win in Liberec is a great confidence booster and I am feeling more motivated than ever.

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful emails and posts.  It’s really special to share all these moments with you.

I’ll be back in a few weeks with the final tune-up races at the World Cup in Drammen in mid-February.  Until then, enjoy winter!

Cheers,
Kikkan

Check for more updates at www.kikkan.com

January 15, 2011 (Liberec, CZE) – Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR) skated to gold in the men’s World Cup skate sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic today placing 10th in the qualifications and then going on to dominate his 1/4 and semi-final heats. Andy Newell (USA), 11th in the qualifications, had a great start in his 1/4 final round, moving into second spot on final uphill, but was passed in the finishing straight by Josef Wenzl (GER) ending up third and did not advance finishing 13th overall. Canada’s Len Valjas, the lone Canuck in the field, was 42nd in the qualifications and did not advance to the quarter finals.

In the final, Italy’s young rising sprint star, Federico Pellegrino, who made the cut as one of the lucky losers, issued a valiant attempt for the win attacking early near the finish. He surged into the lead, but the determined veteran Hattestad passed him as they headed down the final chute to take the glory for a decisive win. Dosian Kozisek (CZE) won bronze to the delight of local fans earning his first WCup podium as did Pellegrino.

Full Men’s sprint results HERE.

January 15, 2011 (Liberec, CZE) – Kikkan Randall (USA) won the women’s sprint final today at the FIS World Cup in Liberec, Czech Republic, earning her second career World Cup victory – her first was in Dec. 2007 in Rybinsk, Russia.

The women’s quarter finals were filled with drama as race favourite Marit Bjoergen (NOR) won her heat over Slovenia’s Katja Visnar while Petra Majdic (SLO) bested Randall as they shed top contender Arianna Follis (ITA) who settled for third and did not advance.

It was a tough day for Canada as top sprinter Chandra Crawford and team mate Daria Gaiazova both qualified but were matched up in the same 1/4 final heat. Crawford was well-placed in second behind Hanna Falk (SWE) but slipped up suddenly and lost her balance having to sit back on her skis. While she didn’t crash her race was done as Gaiazova finished third behind Marianna Longa (ITA) and did not advance.

The semis took their toll as Bjoergen tangled with Visnar midway through their heat, and while neither went down, both skiers did not advance. Bjoergen tried to regain some ground but ended up third to finish 7th overall – her winning streak ended.

Randall returned the favour to Majdic in their semi taking the win while Falk in third took advantage of the fast pace to advance to the final as a lucky loser.

In the end, the real battle came down to Falk and Randall in the final, with the US star coming out on top powering by Falk in the finishing stretch with a decisive victory. Celine Brun-Lie (NOR) took third while Majdic had to settle for fourth.

Liberec has been lucky for Randall, as it’s the site of her first Nordic World Championship medal – and first ever US women’s Worlds medal – where she won the skate sprint silver in 2009.

Full report and more photos HERE.
Full women’s sprint results HERE.

January 14, 2011 (Liberec, CZE) – Norwegian ski queen, Marit Bjoergen, who sat out the Tour de Ski to prepare for the Oslo Worlds, is coming back to the World Cup circuit, and nobody is happier to hear it than the USA’s Kikkan Randall. The World Cup resumes in Liberec this weekend for the sprinters with the individual freestyle races on Saturday and the Team Sprint Classic races  on Sunday.

It’s no secret that Randall, who has had solid sprint results this year, is itching for another match up with Bjoergen since their last meeting at the World Cup in Davos, Switzerland. It was there that the US Olympian had a crack at beating the Norwegian star who has dominated the World Cup, only to have her hopes dashed in the final stretch when Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) jumped into her lane, slowing her momentum.

Randall, who netted third when Kowalcyk was relegated to 6th for the obstruction, conceded that catching Bjoergen at that race was unlikely. Kowalcyk, the current World Cup leader who is coming off her overall victory at the Tour de Ski, will not be present at Saturday’s 1.3km sprint qualifier, leaving the door open for another chapter in the Randall/Bjoergen rivalry – a prelude to the Worlds in Oslo. Unlike Bjoergen, Randall completed the grueling Tour becoming the first US woman to do so finishing 19th overall, so her fitness is there but the Tour is a grind and its affects on Randall will soon be known.

With 42 World Cup wins under her belt, Bjoergen is currently tied with former Norwegian great, Bente Skari, for the most WCup wins of all time for women. Bjoergen, who was the individual sprint champion at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, is also approaching the legendary Bjorn Daehlie’s overall record of 46 wins.

Canada will be represented by Chandra Crawford and Daria Gaiazova who are also returning to the World Cup (their last WCup race was in Davos) and they shared the podium not long ago at the Team Sprint freestyle race in Dusseldorf, Germany. Gaiazova recently claimed a couple of victories at the NorAm World Junior/U23 Trial in Thunder Bay while Crawford, the 2009 Winter Olympic skate sprint champ, has been training in Canmore. The duo will race in the classic team sprint on Sunday as well.

The Liberec field is leaner as some TdS skiers are taking a break, but the competition remains stiff as the seeded women’s field for Saturday’s event is teeming with gold calibre racers. Among the pack is Italy’s sprint specialist Arianna Follis. The two-time Olympian has seen success in Liberec, winning the individual sprint there at the 2009 FIS World Championships. Follis was second at the freestyle sprint in Davos.

Also among the competitors is Hanna Falk of Sweden, who has two World Cup sprint victories under her belt. Petra Majdic of Slovenia, who won both sprint events at the Tour de Ski, will also be vying for victory having accrued 22 World Cup wins in her 12-year career, including an Olympic bronze at the Vancouver 2010 sprints despite suffering severe injuries from her accidental fall during the warm up.

For the men Andy Newell will be the lone representative for the USA in Saturday’s 1.6km sprint in Liberec. The Vermont speed king will be looking for redemption and keeping the bad luck monkey off his back following two falls in the men’s classic sprint race at the TdS in Obertsdorf, Germany.

Newell is coming off an 8th place finish in the sprints at the Toblach TdS World Cup in Italy, and did not finish the Tour which means he should be rested up and poised to do well against a pool that is missing some of the world’s best such as WCup Sprint leader Emil Joensson (SWE).

Not missing on the start list, however, is Alexei Petuhkov who leads a strong Russian contingent including Olympic classic sprint gold and silver medalists Nikita Kruikov and Alex Panzhinskiy.

Norway is also fielding a strong team despite the absence of their leader, Petter Northug, who was second overall at the TdS and is back on form with the upcoming Worlds on his home turf. John Kristian Dahl will be on the start line and is always a threat in every sprint. Dahl is joined by sprinting powerhouse, Ole Vigen Hattestad, who has nine career World Cup sprint victories, along with Oystein Pettersen, who is coming off a bronze medal effort at the Dusseldorf WCup sprint.

Sweden’s Jesper Modin, Italian sensation Federico Pellegrino and teamers Fulvio Scola and David Hofer along with Germany’s Josef Wenzel will all be looking to mix it up and shooting for the podium. Many readers will recall that Wenzel and Dahl clashed in Dusseldorf in a controversial crash that took them out of the Team Sprint race.

Canada will be represented by lone competitor Len Valjas, who will be eager to improve on his stellar 17th place finish at the World Cup sprint in Dusseldorf. Valjas recently placed 5th in last weekend’s NorAm Cup sprint final in T-Bay.

We caught up with Canada’s Jeff Ellis, who is Kikkan Randall’s husband, and is waxing for the Aussies in Liberec who told us, “The weather is warm, dreary and wet here, It has been around 5-7 degrees each day with a light rain. There is lots of man-made snow, so there are no worries there.

“They salted the course for today’s training so conditions were quite firm considering the above freezing temps at night. There are lots of new faces from the crew that took part in the Tour de Ski. It’s a sprint weekend for sure!”