Veteran U.S. Ski Team nordic combined coach Dave Jarrett, who led the team to heights of glory at World Championships and Olympics, is retiring after 15 years as a national team coach. Jarrett, a two-time Olympian who is now USA Nordic’s head coach of nordic combined, is leaving the tour to open a sports training center in his hometown of Heber City, UT.

Jarrett was a U.S. Ski Team athlete from 1992 through 1998, competing in two Olympics and three World Championships. He retired in 1998 and spent several years coaching cross country skiing at the University of Colorado. He moved to Utah after graduation, starting the first team program at Soldier Hollow in 2000 and then began a long tenure as a national team coach. He worked on the Continental Cup tour in 2002 and was elevated to head coach in 2008.

During his tenure, the team has seen its best results ever produced, including the first-ever U.S. Olympic medals in the sport of nordic combined in Vancouver in 2010. The team won an unprecedented four medals in Vancouver, including one gold and a team event silver. A year earlier at the World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, the USA also won four medals including two golds from Todd Lodwick and another from Billy Demong as the Americans swept every individual title. All told, Jarrett played a role in 11 Olympic and World Championship medals won between 2003 and 2013.

Being on the road as a coach for a decade and a half can be grueling. Jarrett was philosophical in talking about his time spent with the team and what kept him coaching for so many years.

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I liked seeing progress. I liked seeing the athletes come to training motivated every day.”

When asked if there was a single moment or memory that stood out above the others, Jarrett said: “It’s easy to count the major wins. But I’m more proud of all the time in between—when athletes were rising through the ranks. All of the firsts are always good days.”

Jarrett was widely acknowledged for his role in U.S. nordic combined.

“DJ and I worked for nearly 20 years together in various capacities—from being Olympic teammates in 1998 to being coached by him at the 2010 Games,” said Olympic champion Demong, who now heads up USA Nordic. “I have tremendous respect for his track record of pioneering new training methods and continually seeking new ideas from other sports and nations. It is without a doubt his innovative approach that led us to win America’s first medals nordic combined. We thank him for all the invaluable leadership he brought to our program and wish him the very best moving into new opportunities!”

“It’s always gratifying to see athletes, like Dave Jarrett, give back for so many years,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Executive Vice President, Athletics Luke Bodensteiner. “DJ was able to build on the platform that was established over many years to lead U.S. nordic combined to its greatest success ever.”

Amidst all of his own achievements as a coach, Jarrett said that “seeing the return of former athletes, such as Bill Demong and Jed Hinkley, committed to keeping the sport of nordic combined going” was one of the things he was most proud of.

“After 15 years, there are too many people to name,” said Jarrett. “But thank you to all of the athletes, all the coache, and all the supporters that have been a part of the program and enabled us to achieve what we’ve been able to achieve.”

Jarrett will be putting his extensive coaching knowledge to work moving forward, opening an Athletic Republic franchise in his hometown of Heber City. The focus will be on speed and agility for those looking to make gains and improvements in their specific sports. Jarrett was clear that the programs are designed for all athletes, all levels, all ages and all genders. The new center is expected to open in summer 2017.

Jarrett lives in Heber City with his wife, Kelly, and two children, Jack and Lala. USA Nordic expects to make an announcement in the near future of its coaching alignment going into the Olympic season.

The post Retiring Jarrett leaves golden legacy appeared first on Park Record.

Not only does Marco Sullivan have the most inviting smile and demeanor on and off the mountain, he’s a four-time Olympian who has stood on top of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup podium in Chamonix, France. He also holds the record among American Downhillers for the most downhill World Cup starts, with 105—Bode Miller has 104—locked in during the Kvitfjell, Norway World Cup in 2016 and he is the mastermind behind the American Downhiller concept. He also might have the biggest and most dedicated official fan club there is. Because he’s just that darn likable. Seriously. He has a heart so big and a spirit so warm he could melt the snow off the mountain.

Like many other hard-charging U.S. Ski Team athletes, Sullivan grew up in Squaw Valley, California crushing Lake Tahoe and skiing for the Squaw Valley Ski Team. In fact, one of his earliest memories was crushing it down a snow-covered gravel hill in his backyard at the age of three. That’s where his passion for the mountain all started, and it carried him through a 15-year career with the U.S. Ski Team.

While he was on the Team, Sullivan created his personal website, americandownhiller.com. Little did he know, that website would grow into something much bigger than himself, including a series of webisodes created by Ski Racing and POC, a line of clothing and accessories by POC, a Spyder speed suit for the American Downhiller men, and now, a business—with the introduction of the American Downhiller Speed Skills Camp at Mammoth Mountain this spring. 

The American Downhiller crew’s mission? To empower young ski racers to approach their career with champion-grade passion, genuine curiosity and formidable tenacity. Sullivan and teammates came together in this endeavor in an effort to pay it forward to the next generation of American Downhillers.

“My ex-teammates and I have spent the majority of our adult lives learning how to ski fast and practicing those skills over and over,” Sullivan said. “We are part of a small group who have lived that journey and we feel the need to pass along what we have learned to the next generation of kids who want to represent their country as downhill ski racers.”

Those “ex-teammates” Sullivan speaks of? None other than the legendary Daron Rahlves, Steven Nyman, Alice McKennis, Leanne Smith, Bryce Bennett and former U.S. Ski Team World Cup downhill coaches Johnno McBride and Chris Brigham. Talk about an all-star staff.

Their vision for the camp stems from the fact that competing at the World Cup level is extremely difficult, and lessons learned by athletes and staff en route to becoming the best in the world are invaluable.

As Sullivan noted, “The whole American Downhiller crew is very enthusiastic about passing those lessons on to the next generation of racers. Ultimately, I want American Downhiller to be the link between current World Cup racers and the kids who are chasing that dream of becoming the best.”  

Sullivan is looking forward to creating that bridge and staying connected to the sport that has helped him grow into the special soul he is. After one year of retirement, Sullivan has reflected on just how special it is to live the life athlete’s experience, traveling the world and seeing places most would only dream of.

What does he miss most about traveling the “White Circus”?

“It was always cool rolling into town and being part of the show,” Sullivan reflected. “Nice hotels, all the best amenities, racers on the World Cup are definitely spoiled and that was always fun. I skied a ton this winter, mostly with powder skis and mostly when nobody was watching so that was fulfilling in a different kind of way.”

Indeed it was a good year out in California, with record snowfall and a ton of opportunity to get some good skiing in with former Alpine Canada World Cup athlete Anna Goodman—also his future wife.

Sullivan ended his career with the U.S. Ski Team in style, donning lederhosen and that signature Marco Sullivan grin in Sun Valley in 2016, and we’re looking forward to following him as he helps to craft the next generation of American Downhillers. Plus, you can also find him as a NASTAR pacesetter – inspiring kids to ski as fast as he can. We asked Sullivan our three questions on what he believes makes a champion.

U.S. SKI TEAM: In your words, what makes a champion?

Marco Sullivan: A champion to me is someone who fulfills their dream. We all have something that we want, but to go after that and make it a reality takes courage, confidence and hard work. Champions have the ability to find their own path, amid all of life’s distractions, and achieve their dreams.

U.S. SKI TEAM: Do you remember the first time you felt like a champion?

MS: At the 2002 Olympics, after a great result in the downhill, I was standing in the finish area with my parents, family and friends. We were all so happy, and I understood then that it was not about me, it was about the moment and the journey that everybody had taken to get there. Champions have the ability to make everybody around them a better person and that moment inspired me through the rest of my career.

U.S. SKI TEAM: What is the biggest piece of advice you have for U.S. Ski Team athletes who want to be sitting where you are today?

MS: Set your goals high and surround yourself with people who will inspire you and help you along your path. Whatever you truly want in your heart you can achieve it. Don’t get distracted, but also don’t take yourself too seriously, and have a lot of fun along the way! 

The post Marco Sullivan: What makes a champ appeared first on Park Record.

The Finals capped one of the biggest seasons of alpine World Cup ski racing in America. The USA came into the season with 16 races – one of the biggest calendars in history. World Cup weekends at some of America’s most noted resorts, including Killington, Squaw Valley and Aspen, drew in excess of 75,000 fans. Despite a strong snow season at Beaver Creek, races there were canceled due to late arriving snowfall.

The strong U.S. World Cup calendar was part of an initiative by U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to piggyback on the very successful 2015 World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek to further elevate awareness of alpine ski racing in America and great American stars like Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin who were both on the podium in Aspen.

“Aspen has such a culture of ski racing and that really came out in the atmosphere all week long,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Vice President, Events Calum Clark. “Race hill management was superb, providing excellent courses for the athletes and fair competitions despite warm temperatures. In town, the festivities at Wagner Park from sponsor booths to the Michael Franti concert created an enthusiastic environment for fans.”

The U.S. won the bid for the World Cup Finals in Aspen in June of 2014, which opened the doors to adding new World Cups in Killington and Squaw Valley.

“We now have four iconic American ski resorts that have shown they can produce truly world class events,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Each site did a remarkable job in providing the best racing surfaces for the athletes, plus creating an atmosphere that brought record numbers of fans to the events – much as Vail/Beaver Creek did two years ago for World Championships.”

Racing kicked off in November in Killington with some of the biggest crowds in women’s World Cup history to watch France’s Tessa Worley win the giant slalom and Shiffrin take the slalom – both going on to win the respective crystal globes. More than 26,000 fans packed the venue as World Cup racing returned to racing-rich New England for the first time in 25 years.

Squaw Valley produced remarkable racing on Red Dog for the women with Shiffrin sweeping the weekend. With a strong community culture for ski racing, and 20,000 fans on hand for the two-race weekend.

The return of springtime racing to Aspen brought back memories of the men’s tour years ago. Sunshine and blue skies greeted fans, with perfect course conditions for the athletes. Vonn opened the week finishing second in the women’s downhill. A few days later, Shiffrin took the final slalom win, walking away with the slalom crystal globe and the women’s overall title.

“Athletes, fans and sponsors all had a remarkable experience in Aspen,” said Shaw. “Aspen is an iconic site on the World Cup tour and we want to return in the future.”

Every U.S. race was broadcast live or same day on NBC or NBCSN, along with live streaming on NBCsports.com and the NBC Sports app. More than 20 hours were broadcast on national television, plus live primetime coverage in Europe, as well as live coverage into China.

“The multi-year commitment of the USSA, our media partners and resorts have truly advanced the awareness of alpine ski racing in America and its corresponding sponsorship value,” said USSA Chief Marketing Officer Michael Jaquet. “Central to this has been the success of our U.S. Ski Team star athletes over the past few years and our ability to showcase that through our events on national television.”

The success of the three weekends of alpine ski racing will be a part of what is anticipated to be a record year of broadcast reach in America, expected to eclipse the 24 million viewers from the World Championship year two seasons ago.

The USSA is presently working with American World Cup sites to present its calendar proposal to the International Ski Federation for the 2017-18 Audi FIS Ski World Cup calendar, which will be determined by FIS in May.

The post USA wraps up record World Cup season appeared first on Park Record.

After some fresh snowfall Friday night, the course crew at Sugarloaf had their work cut out for them for Saturday’s super G. Though the fresh snow and fog led to delays, it didn’t seem to bother Ross – who snagged her second U.S. Championship title in super G – or Cochran-Siegle, who grabbed his first career title.

For both the men and the women, it was the U.S. Ski Team athletes who shined bright, with no big podium surprises and some really good skiing. Rounding out the podium for the women were Stacey Cook and Megan McJames – tying for second, 1.05 seconds off the pace, and Alice McKennis – reigning Sugarloaf 2015 National Champion – in fourth. Nina O’Brien, who won the U.S. national giant slalom title in 2015 in Sugarloaf, finished fifth and won the junior women’s U.S. national super G title.

For the men it was a tighter race, with Jared Goldberg taking second, .26 off the pace and Travis Ganong in third, .44 second out. All eyes were on Sugarloaf local Sam Morse – Carrabassett Valley Academy grad and 2017 Junior World downhill champion – who ended up fourth, just 12 hundredths off the podium. He’ll walk away as top junior of the day, which is an honor not foreign to Morse.

“Being top in the country is cool – being top in the world is even cooler,” reflected Morse following Saturday’s super G. “To be part of the next generation of American Downhillers is really exciting. I’ve been super fortunate to have older guys who are really friendly – they could be jerks, but instead they’re always really accommodating to us – teaching us and showing us. I’m really thankful to them for making it an enjoyable process.”

Ross – one of the best downhill and super G skiers in the world – remarked on how special it is to stand on the top of the podium.

“I want to be the fastest skier out there, so it still does mean a lot to be able to be the National Champion and win a race,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a FIS race or a World Cup – just being the fastest racer is really special.”

Ross was also quick to note the influence she, as a veteran World Cup athlete, could have on the next generation of ski racers. “Here I am, hopefully helping to inspire the next generation of skiers. I am getting older, so my time will come to be done with this sport and be able to hang out with the young kids and get them to step up and start skiing fast is important in our sport.”

For east coast native Cochran-Siegle, it gave him the chance to join his family members – the famous Cochran ski family – who have also claimed numerous national titles.

“I think it means a lot to win a national championship,” said Cochran-Siegle. “My family has a lot of national titles to their name – Robby [Kelley] has one, Jimmy [Cochran] has a ton, Robby’s mom has a ton – so it’ll be cool to get in that club.”

Athletes praised the World Cup-like prepped surface and the good vibes that U.S. Alpine Championships provides.

“It’s sweet to come out to Nationals to see all the kids and everyone’s all fired up to see ski racing again,” noted Ganong. “They’ve been watching us on TV all year, so they can see us now in person, and get some face time with us. It’s fun to come and do one last race of the year – a fun run to end the season; no pressure.”

Three-time national title holder Cook shared similar sentiments, and also took time to praise the course crew on the hill prep.

“The conditions were really good today,” said Cook. “I’d love to go ski it again. It was really fun to have a perfect surface like that at an event that’s not a World Cup. I’m amazed by how perfect it was on the slope.”

The post Ross and Cochran-Siegle claim Super G titles appeared first on Park Record.

Since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Utah has established itself as one of the World’s premier centers for winter action sports, hosting two previous World Championships as well as multiple FIS World Cups and Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. The 2019 World Championships will feature over 25 different medal events across eight sports, making it the largest winter sports event Utah has hosted since the Games. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), in partnership with the Utah Sports Commission, Park City Municipal Corporation and the host resorts, are working to maximize the impact of the event both domestically and globally.

“The World Championships is the ultimate showcase of freestyle skiing, freeskiing and snowboarding,” said USSA President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Hosting an event of this caliber in the U.S. gives us the opportunity to grow the visibility of these sports domestically and showcase our top athletes in the post-Olympic year. Worldwide broadcast and media coverage of the events will once again put Utah in the international winter sports spotlight.”

Deer Valley and Park City’s history of hosting World Cup events combined with Utah’s rich Olympic legacy and support of sport played a large role in securing the bid for Worlds back in 2014. Solitude Mountain Resort was added to the venue line up in August 2016. All three resorts have successfully hosted test events, including snowboardcross and skicross events at Solitude as part of the 2016-17 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix.

For the 2019 World Championships, moguls and aerials events are scheduled to take place at Deer Valley Resort. Park City Mountain will host halfpipe, slopestyle and big air competitions and Solitude Mountain Resort will host snowboardcross, alpine snowboarding and skicross.

“Deer Valley, Park City and Solitude all have a proud tradition of innovation and excellence in hosting international skiing and snowboarding events,” said Shaw. “These venues are some of the best in the world and will foster the highest level of competition from the hundreds of athletes we expect to attend. Our U.S. athletes relish the opportunity to compete on home snow and that wouldn’t be possible without the dedication our resort partners.”

The USSA expects record-breaking audiences to tune in to the U.S. broadcasts of the World Championships through its partnership with NBC Sports Group. A similar partnership was put in place for the 2015 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, CO.

Additional news and information on the 2019 FIS Freestyle, Snowboarding and Freeski World Championships will be available in the coming months at http://www.2019worldchamps.com.

The post Utah up next for 2019 World Championships appeared first on Park Record.

“It’s nice to be done with the season and also, it’s nice to be able push one last race and have a good result,” said Ganong, who finished eighth in his final World Cup race of the season and now heads off to Sugarloaf, Maine, for the U.S. Alpine Championships March 25-28.

Austria’s Hannes Reichelt took the men’s victory over Wednesday’s downhill winner Dominik Paris of Italy. Mauro Caviezel of Switzerland and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway tied for third. Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, New York) was 17th.

In the women’s event, Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein mastered the soft, aggressive snow to take the victory and the overall World Cup super G title. Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec, who led the super G standings heading into Thursday’s race by just 15 points, finished second on the day, as Italy’s Frederica Brignone rounded out the podium in third.

Stuhec now trails Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colorado) by 198 points in the battle for the overall World Cup title with just two races remaining – slalom on Saturday and giant slalom Sunday in Aspen.

Both Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colorado) and Laurenne Ross (Bend, Oregon) did not finish the super G. Vonn skied through a gate and crashed, while Ross got knocked off balance in a compression and also crashed. Both were OK and skied to the finish.

“I think I just released the ski a little bit too early, and then once I realized that I didn’t have enough direction, I tried to really hammer on it,” said Vonn, who was working to carry her speed off the top portion of the course. “But I didn’t really have the strength or power to make it back. I almost had it, but I didn’t.”

“I’m not totally sure how I went down,” Ross said. “I think I just hooked up in a transition and high-sided, and landed on my side/bum/head. I slid for a while, but I’m OK.”

Up next, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals continue Friday with the team event, followed by slalom Saturday and giant slalom Sunday.

The post Thousands cheer at Aspen World Cup finals appeared first on Park Record.

“I love the crowd,” Shiffrin said. “They cheered so hard. It’s just awesome that 12,000 people today came to watch. In the U.S., that’s so big, and we loved hearing them.”

Saturday’s victory was Shiffrin’s 25th World Cup slalom win and puts her squarely in the driver’s seat to win her first overall World Cup title next week in Aspen, Colorado.

“It definitely takes some pressure off in Aspen,” said Shiffrin, who now leads Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec by 378 points with four races remaining. “I feel like I can go in and just try to enjoy the races a bit having secured the slalom globe and having such a big lead in the overall. But at the same time, the overall isn’t totally secure yet, and I really want to have a solid performance in front of the home-state crowd there.”

Shiffrin also won her fourth career slalom crystal globe, after Slovenia’s Veronika Velez Zuzulova skied out on the first run, becoming the first skier in history to win the World Championships slalom title and the World Cup overall slalom title in the same year for the third time.

But it wasn’t easy. Skiing on a steep, relentless and fast course, Shiffrin finished second to Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener on the first run. In the second run, just two gates in, Shiffrin got twisted on the steep pitch. But she took the next few gates to find her rhythm, and in characteristic Shiffrin style, drilled the bottom third of the course to take the lead by 1.03 from Sarka Strachova of the Czech Republic.

Then it was up to Holdener, who skied the top of the course well, but had to gas the bottom to unseat the American. After the third interval, Holdener held a slim 0.12 advantage, but disaster struck with a few gates remaining as she hooked a tip and skied out.

Strachova finished second, followed by Austria’s Bernadette Schild in third. Megan McJames (Park City, Utah) did not qualify for the second run. Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyoming) and Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, Nevada) did not finish the first run.

Up next, the World Cup Finals take place in Aspen, Colorado, March 13-19. Downhill training is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with the downhill race scheduled for Wednesday.

The post Squaw Valley sweep for Shiffrin appeared first on Park Record.

Winning the crystal globe was a career moment for Williams, who held a spot in the top-five on the points list throughout the 2016-2017 season. The second-place finish at Silvaplana combined with his World Cup win at Font Romeu in January was enough to catapult him to the top of the list. It was his fourth career World Cup podium and his first overall win.

Joining Williams and Kenworthy on the podium was Teal Harle of Canada, who scored his first career World Cup win.

Also making the final for the American men were Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Indiana), who finished just off the podium in fourth and Bobby Brown (Breckenridge, Colorado), who finished 10th.

For the women, Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Montana) led the charge with a fourth-place finish. Devin Logan (West Dover, Vermont) also made the final, finishing fifth. Isabel Atkin of Great Britain won the event, Sweden’s Emma Dahlstrom was second and Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland was third.

Sarah Hoefflin of Switzerland was crowned the overall FIS slopestyle champion for the women and awarded the Crystal Globe. Voisin was the top overall finisher for U.S. Freeskiing, finishing ninth on the slopestyle points list.

The post Williams wins World Cup slopestyle title appeared first on Park Record.

For the American women, it was a day of intense pride mixed with disappointment. It was the third straight world championships in which the USA was fourth. What was different this time was that the Americans came in feared as a medal contender by most all of the traditional major nations in the sport.

“We didn’t come here to finish fourth, we came here to win,” said Jessie Diggins. “But we worked so hard and I’m really proud of my team today.”

Going into the race, Norway was a heavy favorite with a lineup stacked with medalists. Sweden and home country Finland were expected to battle for the medals alongside the Americans, with Germany and Russia also anticipated to be in the hunt.

On the opening leg, Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk set a strong classic pace to take an early lead before Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla moved out to a seven-second lead over Poland, Sweden and Finland. Kikkan Randall skied the opening leg, 25 seconds back from the lead and 16 seconds from the medals.

“I knew the pace was going to be really fast on the first of two laps today and sure it enough, it was,” said Randall. “I felt pretty good. I think the skis were really fast today and just tried to keep it close.”

Sadie Bjornsen took the reins on the second classic leg. Kerttu Niskanen, energized by her brother’s gold a day earlier in the 15k classic, moved Finland into the lead with Norway second and Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla dropping 11.7 seconds back. Bjornsen moved the USA into fourth, 36.2 seconds off the lead and 24 seconds from the medals pack.

“I definitely took it out hot there to chase those girls as quick as I could,” said Bjornsen, who won bronze in the classic team sprint with Diggins. “It was slightly intimidating because it’s some of the better classic skiers in the world, but I tried to not think about that and just kept my eyes on the prize. As we came through the hills, I would see them in short sections and then they would disappear but I tried to just keep fighting for every single section.”

On the first skating leg, Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen charged out to dramatically extend the lead with a 56.7-second margin. Sweden and Finland joined forces, skiing together and exchanging the lead back and forth for the silver and bronze medals. Liz Stephen took the leg for the USA, dropping the margin to medals to 22 seconds.

On the anchor leg, Diggins took on the task of closing the gap skiing aggressively out of the start, charging up the hills and slicing precious seconds off the lead. But in the end, the gap was too much to close.

“We’re really proud of these girls—not just for the result, but for the way they executed the plan today,” said Coach Matt Whitcomb. “It’s not a given to be on the podium. It’s not something that just happens. Everybody shared the success of being fourth and a little piece of not being in contact on our final leg.”

With Finland and Sweden battling together, but also sharing the draft, it was clear on the final lap how important it was to be in contact with the medals group. “What we know, and what we’ll take away from this, is that we absolutely must maintain contact with our leaders, said Whitcomb. “If we do, at that point, we can launch a medal assault.”

The girls kept it positive, still excited to be in fourth place, and look towards medal opportunities at PyeongChang and the next World Championships in Seefeld, Austria.

“To be honest, I feel like I’ve won gold just by being on this team,” said Stephen. “I have the best teammates I could possibly imagine. Whether I finish my career with a medal from this event to share with these girls or not, I have the one that I care about: the friendships and amazing support I’ve received and given from this team.”

The post U.S. women fourth in World Championships relay appeared first on Park Record.

American cross-country skiing took another giant step forward Thursday night in Lahti, as the USA took two medals in a single race for the second straight World Championships. Jessie Diggins won silver with teammate Kikkan Randall taking bronze in the opening freestyle sprint at the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

Norway’s Maikken Caspersen Falla, the sprint gold medalist from Sochi, won gold. Italy’s Federico Pellegrino took gold for the men.

It was a night of gritty performances for the U.S. women, especially Randall who survived scares in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. Despite a slightly slower qualifying than anticipated, the U.S. women packed three of four starters into the six-women final including Diggins, Randall and Sophie Caldwell, who finished sixth.

In the opening quarterfinal, Caldwell skied a strong race against Sweden’s Stina Nilsson to finish second and advance to the semifinals. Randall, who qualified 10th to lead the USA, was slotted into the second heat where she faced a torrid pace from Kaspersen Fall and Hanna Falk of Sweden. Randall had been running fourth with about 400 meters to go in the 1.4-kilometer course when she made an inside move on third place Swiss Laurien Van Der Graaf.

It was a narrow section of the course and Randall was unable to make the pass as Van der Graaf pinched her down. Randall was unable to regain the momentum and finished fourth – still in a lucky loser position after two heats. But officials ruled that Van der Graaf has obstructed Randall, relegating her to last in the heat and moving Randall to third. That bump allowed Randall to advance.

In her semifinal heat, Randall skied together with Caldwell. Coming into the stadium, the two were running fourth and fifth behind Nilsson and Russia’s Natalia Matveeva. Nilsson cut down on Matveeva causing both to crash. Randall, who had been directly behind, had just moved inside to pass and was able to lead Caldwell through a gap to finish second and third with Caldwell surviving to move into the finals as a lucky loser.

Diggins, meanwhile, skied strong in both her quarterfinal and semifinal heats to win.

In the final, Caspersen Falla set a torrid pace from the start with Sweden’s Falk and Ida Ingemarsdotter close in pursuit. Diggins maneuvered her way strategically through the field to move into a strong silver medal position coming into the home stretch. But Randall had to fight, catching Falk in the final 100 meters to take bronze.

The finish replicated the two-medal finish for the USA from World Championships two years ago when Diggins and Caitlin Gregg went silver-bronze in the 10-kilometer freestyle. It was Diggins’ third straight World Championships in the medals, going back to her team sprint gold with Randall at 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Diggins and Randall now each have three World Champioships medals – the most of any U.S. man or woman.

The medal was especially poignant for Randall, who was making a return from a year off for a pregnancy. Her 10-month old son Breck was in the crowd.

“It was a different day of preparation for me before I went to the heats,” said Randall. “After breakfast I came home and did some laundry, put our son down for a nap, then loaded him onto the bus to the venue. During the race he was touring around with my dad. It was a different kind of day but it helped me stay calm.”

At times this season, the possibilities seemed distant. In her first sprint in November she was 52nd in Ruka, Finland. A few weeks later in Davos, Switzerland, she was 58th. She finally qualified for the heats in Val Mustair, Switzerland during Tour de Ski in January. And in the last month, had been regaining her form with a pair of results inside the top 10. Through it all, she kept reminding herself that the focus was World Championships.

“It’s very encouraging to know it’s only been 10 months and I’ve been able to come back to top form,” she said. “I was able to train well through my pregnancy and it’s great to see it all come together here.”

Both Diggins and Randall took great pride in what they have helped to create with such a strong, deep women’s team that has seen five different athletes crack the World Cup podium this year.

“That’s for sure the most fun I’ve ever had in a final,” said Randall. “Before we went to the start we did a team cheer. We had such a good energy between the three of us and all of our team that is supporting us. It was a really magical day for our team.”

Magical, indeed. And for a team whose goal is not just to win, but to inspire, it was perfect timing.

“I hope this inspires people back home,” said Diggins, thinking about the 10,000 skiers who will be competing in this weekend’s Slumberland American Birkebeiner in northern Wisconsin. “If a girl from Minnesota who just loves to dance and wear sparkles and be silly can do it, they can do. We’re not a country historically known for cross country skiing. But we’ve created this women’s team together and worked so hard – and that teamwork really shows. We can be stronger together than we can as individuals.”

Friday is an off day from cross country competition, with women back in action for Saturday’s skiathlon. Diggins is expected to be among the favorites. The U.S. women will also be among the contenders in next week’s 4x5k relay. No American man or woman has ever won two medals in a single World Championships.

The post Silver and bronze to open World Champs appeared first on Park Record.