January 13, 2019 (Dresden, GER) – The American duo of Sophie Caldwell and Julia Kern placed fourth in a photo-finish with Sweden II and Norway in the women’s team sprint at the FIS World Cup in Dresden, Germany, Sunday. The race was won by Sweden I, with Sweden II in second and Norway third.

“That was a super fun day out there,” said Caldwell. “Julia skied amazingly, and it was so cool for our team to be right in the mix. I tried to pace myself to catch the top three teams at the beginning of my last leg because I didn’t want to implode, and once I caught them, I tried to conserve as much energy as possible.

“I learned from yesterday that it’s better to be patient than be out on your own fighting the wind, so I gave one big final push in the finishing stretch and unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough for the podium,” Caldwell added.

For Kern it was bitter-sweet. “There was a strong head wind today so the race was tactical. I try to ski big, confident and aggressive so I could hold my position. My goal was to stay out of trouble today and I achieved that which I was happy about. There was a a lot of jostling around with it being such a flat and fast course with a huge head wind, so it was a constant battle to hold your position in the draft and not get tangled up.

“This was my first team sprint ever and I was very happy with our exchanges, most of our exchanges were smooth and we even gained a few spots. The exchange was very hectic with a hairpin turn right before the exchange zone.

“It was bittersweet to be in a photo finish for 2, 3 and 4th. Sophie skied so strong all day and had a killer finish. I was really exciting to be fighting for the podium and having Sophie help navigate my first team sprint! I couldn’t have imagined a better person to team up with than Sophie,” she concluded.

The second U.S. women’s team of Ida Sargent and Hannah Halvorsen did not advance beyond the semifinals. “Team sprints are always fun. We were bummed to just miss the final but great to see the other team so close to the podium. I was very impressed with the confidence that those young girls brought to the World Cup. They jumped right in and skied really strong races,” said Sargent.

“I had a blast racing the team sprint with Ida and I want to do that again! I feel like we raced well, didn’t get caught up in any trouble, and had a strong attempt at qualifying for the final. I think this was a great first take on team sprinting for me and I learned a lot that I would like to use moving forward. I am excited for the potential of more opportunities like this in the future and I am grateful for the support I have received to get to this point,” added Halvorsen. No Canadian women competed.

In the men’s team sprint the U.S. du of Erik Bjornsen and Andy Newell and the Canadian team of Len Valjas and Bob Thompson did not advance beyond the semifinals. The men’s race was won by Norway I, followed by Norway II and Russia I in third.

Women’s semi here.
Men’s semi here.

Women’s final here.
Men’s final here.