By Angie Kell
In the first skate sprint race after the Tour de Ski, occurring in Engadin, Switzerland, many questions loomed in my mind as I began to watch the women’s race.
We know that everyone, yes everyone, got sick at the Tour de Ski or shortly thereafter. What kind of form are these women in owing to their convalescence, in the second weekend of racing post-Tour? Have injuries abated as of late, or are they still lingering? Regarding the course itself, new to the World Cup, how would the savage wind, the constant turns requiring only the best lines, and the altitude affect racers and their strategy? There was so much to mull over as the race began. I couldn’t help but think that this is what keeps fans of cross-country skiing interested and coming back for more World Cup viewing entertainment (more of this, please!).
American and overall World Cup leader Jessie Diggins spoke to several of my questions after the race.
“It was really interesting because it’s a new course,” was her breakdown. “So no one has raced it; we don’t have past World Cup videos to look at footage of. So it was kind of a big question mark as to what the tactics were going to be. Was it advantageous to draft or was it too much of a penalty to lead into a pretty fierce wind? But at the same time, it was very, very hard to pass because the course was almost always turning, just slightly. So I decided the best plan was just to be at the front.”
The qualification round started off with a bang for Team USA, with five (!!!) American athletes advancing to the quarterfinal heats. Diggins, 27-year-old Lauren Jortberg (Centre National d’Entraînement Pierre-Harvey), Julie Kern, 24-year-old Luci Anderson (Team Birkie), and 22-year-old Kate Oldham (Montana State University) were amongst the ranks advancing. Notably and splendidly, Jortberg, Anderson, and Oldham, all recent arrivals on or returnees to the World Cup circuit, immediately made their presence known.
But the Swedes are also back — lest you were not privy to last weekend’s performances in Les Rousses, or the team relay results yesterday — and they’re back with a vengeance.
Jonna Sundling won the qualification round in a commanding time of 2:48.01, with second-place Finnish racer Jasmii Joensuu 4.33 seconds back in second, an almost inconceivable margin in World Cup sprint quals. Johanne Hauge Harviken of Norway, was third in this round, 7.09 seconds behind Sundling.
Americans Alayna Sonnesyn and 19-year-old Sammy Smith did not advance to the heats and finished 50th and 52nd, respectively, for the day. Sonnesyn was “really really bummed to have had a silly little crash in the sprint quali today that cost me a lot of speed,” she posted in an Instagram story later.
In heat 2 of the quarterfinals, Luci Anderson faltered at the start a bit with the doublepole. This could have been easily attributed to nerves and inexperience, but in heat 3, we saw Kern, an experienced veteran, make the same error.
Kern, however, was able to charge the steep uphill early in the loop improving her positioning within the heat to make up for the lapse, and smartly let Diggins set the pace. Kern looked to lose her positioning yet again as the loop progressed, but with a powerful and furious finish, Kern was able to stave off others and secured the lucky loser position to advance to the semifinals. Diggins won this heat in a time of 2:56.54. Kern was close behind, in 2:56:84 and third place, securing the lucky loser spot.
Oldham, Jortberg, and Anderson would not advance beyond the quarterfinal heats, finishing in 19th, 28th, and 29th for the day.
All three neophytic athletes spoke with Nordic Insights post-race about the day and the invaluable knowledge they garnered.
Oldham, the recently adorned U.S. 10km Freestyle National Champion, reflected on her tactics in her first ever World Cup start: “In hindsight, I would have tried to make a more decisive move on the finishing corner or in the straight leading up to it. I had great skis and came up on the leaders in the stretch before the final turn, so I might have tried to carry that momentum and pass if I had a re-do.
“I was planning to try and stay in contact with the group until the longer downhill and then try to make passes, which is pretty much what happened! Tactics in sprinting are tricky though, you really have to feel in control to act on your plans, so I’m super happy it worked out the way it did. Being so close to making the semis is certainly motivating!”
As to how Oldham is adjusting to all things World Cup, she stated, “Competing at this level has made me nervous at times, but today I felt pretty relaxed and was able to just enjoy it. I came into this trip without any result-based expectations for myself and I’m just focusing on learning what it’s like to be on World Cup.
“I’ve gotten such a warm welcome from the team, techs, and coaching staff, which has made all the difference in helping the transition from domestic racing feel smooth. I also have been so lucky to have my home coach August Teague come over with me for the week before heading to U23s which has been a huge help and comfort during those nervous times.”
Jortberg, also reflecting on a challenging, yet rewarding day told Nordic Insights, “The qualification was my career best! Unfortunately, I got caught up in a bit of tangle in the first straight away which made it nearly impossible to find a lane to move up. I am pretty disappointed with the tactics of my quarter as I know the quali showed I had a lot more to show! And I felt really good. The course was nearly impossible to pass on because of a huge head wind and one skied in faster track.”
But, Jortberg added with appreciation, “I’m super happy to be back on the World Cup! I know I’m fit, and it’s not an opportunity that’s easy to come by. So I’m grateful and excited to be here.”
Anderson told Nordic Insights of her strategy going into her second weekend of World Cup racing ever: “My plan today was to go as hard as I could in the qualifier. I wasn’t expecting to qualify for heats so that was a bit of a surprise! This course is definitely hard, but I think plays to my strengths with the quick steep uphill. I’m usually good at grinding those. The wind was not too bad during the quali but definitely picked up during heats which was a challenge.”
Recognizing what a feat being top 30 at the World cup is, Anderson stated, “It’s very exciting to be here and to be doing well in my first few World Cup starts, it’s definitely giving me confidence in my skiing and I can see all my hard work paying off!”
As the sprints continued, the semifinals were rinse and repeat, with Sundling — for not the first time in her World Cup career — setting a demanding pace at the front in heat one and never concerning herself with what was happening behind her. Norwegian Kristine Stavås Skistad kept herself in the mix along with Diggins and Canadian and U23 World Champion Sonjaa Schmidt. Sundling took the win here, in a time of 2:52.91, and Stavås Skistad threw a ski to best Diggins for second, in a time of 2:53.47. Diggins and Schmidt benefitted from the fast heat to ensure that both lucky loser spots belonged to them. Kern faded, and did not advance to the finals. She finished 12th for the day.
When asked by Nordic Insights how she felt and how the day went, Kern responded, “I felt ok today! Hard to feel ‘good’ at this altitude for anyone but felt like the quarters I felt pretty good and skied the heat well. Since the course was always turning, I wanted to be as close to the front as possible. So, in the quarters I pushed hard in the start to get around people and slot into the front.”
When Nordic Insights inquired as to how Kern feels her form is coming along, she stated, “I’m hoping to build my form for Trondheim. I didn’t have the best preparations this fall (due to a back injury), so I still feel like I am building into form and just came off a cold off the Tour (de Ski). My plan is to continue to race and build on some areas I need work before world champs.”
The second heat of the semifinals was won by Swede Maja Dahlqvist in a time of 2:53.42. Lotta Udnes Weng of Norway also advanced to the finals by finishing second in this heat in a time of 2:53.77.
The finals were a star-studded sprinting event, featuring Swedes Sundling and Dahlqvist, Norwegians Weng and Stavås Skistad, and North Americans Diggins and Schmidt. The race progressed predictably as Sundling charged to the front and once again never looked back, even as the lanky Norwegian slotted herself in immediately behind her.
Said Norwegian, Stavås Skistad, kept herself up front and out of harm’s way. Close behind them it was Jessie Diggins who, maintaining an outside line from the start onto the steep climb, found some bad luck as she inadvertently got tangled up with Dahlqvist’s skis. Diggins fell to the snow, arising quickly, but her right pole now dangled limply midway down the shaft.
Despite the U.S. team responding quickly with a replacement pole, the damage was done, and Diggins lost any hopes of a podium.
As Sundling and Stavås Skistad postured out front into the headwinds of the finishing chute to finish first and second, Schmidt, looking much more like a confident, veteran skier than a U23 champion, challenged Dahlqvist in the final meters, but Dahlqvist was able to stay ahead to round out the podium in third.
Sundling finished with the fastest time of the day in 2:49.04, Stavås Skistad was 1.04 seconds behind, and Dahlqvist was 2.71 seconds back. Diggins would finish in sixth for the day but was shown on live footage smiling and waving on the course en route to the end, where she would await a (presumably contrite) hug from Dahlqvist at the finish line.
“That sucked,” cameras caught Diggins exclaiming moments after she eased across the line. But, then, “Hey, I got to high five some kids out there,” she noted moments later.
Diggins later reflected on the experience to Nordic Insights, reminding fans what ultimately puts the professional in the designation of “professional athlete.”
“It’s a bummer to have my ski stepped on, which caused me to stop and spectacularly fall,” she candidly noted. “But at the same time it’s how you handle it that defines you. It’s how you treat people, and my sense of worth is not tied to my ski results thankfully.
She continued, “I took the opportunity to thank people, to wave to the cute little kids as I skied around the course, and high fived a few people; I still smiled and thanked a few volunteers. That’s, I think, the more important thing, not what really happens to you out there, but then what you do next. I’m proud of that, and also, I’m really grateful for everyone out there, the cheering was fantastic, and it was just a very cool atmosphere in a very cool place, and we’re lucky to be here.”
As far as how she’s feeling, Diggins stated, “I was feeling really good and I’m happy with how my body has been feeling.”
In other words, “onward.”
Racing continues tomorrow for the final day in Engadin with what could be a snowy 20km Mass Start Free. The start list for the women’s race can be found here.
You’re reading this on Nordic Insights, one man’s labor of love dedicated to publicizing American nordic skiing. Last season’s GoFundMe is literally the only reason why I turned a profit in years one and two of Nordic Insights, and in turn the only reason why there is a year three of Nordic Insights for you to be reading now: I was okay with working for very little money to get this love letter toAmerican cross-country skiing off the ground, but I didn’t want to lose money for the privilege of doing so. If you would like to support what remains a brutally shoestring operation, last season’s GoFundMe may be found here. Thank you for your consideration, and, especially, for reading.
