Ida Sargent (Orleans, VT) finished first for the U.S. women in 33rd. Norway's Marit Bjoergen won the women's 1.4/1.2k classic sprint.
Norwegian men and women dominated the top spots in today’s classic sprinting action and the second FIS World Cup race series in cold temperature in the single digits—here in this Lappish town above the Arctic Circle of 18,000 inhabitants. This kick’s off the first day of the FIS “mini-tour,” known as the Ruka Triple.
Olympic hero, Bjoergen took top honors in the women’s competition winning the final in 2:06.5, over Slovenia's Petra Majdic, a classic specialist. The top North American qualifier was Canadian Daria Gaiazova in 24th.
The top U.S. women was Dartmouth senior Sargent who finished 33rd overall, while Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) also failed to qualify in 42nd position. A course that historically has not produced her best results.
Morgan Arritola (Sun Valley, ID) finished in 91st place, while Liz Stephen (East Montpelier, VT) also failed to qualify finishing 96th.
Despite a strong showing and nearly qualifying in her first series of world cup races Sargent was not happy with her performance. “I struggled getting going today during the qualifying so it was tough to be that close to the top 30, when I know I could have skied a lot better.”
Coach Grover was also excited about ISargent’s performance. “To be so close to qualification in her first World Cup sprint says that she is truly a talent for the future. Just a bit more experience at this level is all she needs to be cracking the top 30. I hope she is happy with her effort, from my point of view she is off to a great start.”
Saturday will see day two of the action in Finland, with a 10k individual classic race for the men, and a 5k classic for the women. More than 60,000 fans are expected to be on hand for the three-days of action in Kuusamo. Expect the U.S. Ski Team’s Freeman and Randall to lodge strong performances in tommorow’s classic races.
For complete results go to www.fis-ski.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
World Cup
Kuusamo, Finland
November 26, 2010
87. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH
116. Chris Cook, Rhinelander, WI
120. Noah Hoffman, Aspen, CO
Women's 1.2k Classic Sprint
1. Marit Bjoergen, Norway
2. Petra Majdic, Slovenia
3. Astrid Jacobsen, Norway
4. Charlotte Kalla , Sweden
5. Madoka Natsumi, Japan
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33. Ida Sargent, Orleans, VT
42. Kikkan Randall, Anchorage
91. Morgan Arritola, Sun Valley, ID
96. Liz Stephen, East Montpelier, V
