Two in the Top Ten: Schoonmaker Fifth, Ogden Ninth
The classic sprint was on the program for the second of three races Les Rousses, France and today's race provided an electric day, highlighted by JC Schoonmaker in fifth place and Ben Ogden in ninth. The atmosphere was electric as the course buzzed with cheers and cowbells, even chainsaws, as the French crowd came out for the second day of racing.
The qualifier round started the day, with the top 30 times advancing to the sprint heats. Ogden delivered a masterclass in sprint racing, asserting his dominance from qualification to the semifinals. Starting strong, Ogden clinched the top qualification spot in only the way he could - this is his second sprint of the season, where he won the qualifying race. In his first quarterfinal heat, he controlled the pace from start to finish, finding his rhythm early and skiing with purpose.
The semifinal heat showcased Ogden’s tacticality. Setting a blistering pace from the start, he drafted on the downhills and surged on the climbs. In the challenging horseshoe turn leading into the finish lane, Ogden won his quarterfinal heat, securing a spot in the semis.
Then, it was Schoonmaker’s turn. In the semifinals heat, Schoonmaker was similar to Ogden in that he had an agenda for the day: to make it to the sprint finals.
“It felt great to be back in the final and race on that stage again,” said Schoonmaker. “A bit of nerves and excitement but I felt like I belonged."
“I’m super proud of some of the moves I made on the downhills today. My goal was to race with instinct and Mario kart those downhills so I’m proud to have executed that!”
Facing tough competition in the fourth heat, which included France’s favorite, Lucas Chanavat, Schoonmaker’s double-pole power shone on the final stretch. Finishing third in his heat, Schoonmaker’s fast time earned him a coveted lucky loser spot in the next round.
It was all Schoonmaker into the final, with Ogden not advancing into the finals. With him surrounded by the Norwegians, Schoonmaker put together a strong race and ultimately finished fifth on the day - his season-best performance. Ogden was ninth. Other Americans included Zak Ketterson, who finished the day in 21st, a solid performance for the Minnesota native. Luke Jager was 39th, Murphy Kimball, an up-and-coming star on the team skiing in his first international World Cup, was 42nd, and Jack Young was 45th. The ultimate podium of the day was Edvin Anger of Sweden, who clinched his career-first podium, Ansgar Evensen of Norway, and Erik Valnes of Norway.
For the women, Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan and Alayna Sonnesyn represented the stars and stripes. Brennan was the sole American to advance through to the rounds. Brennan was 26th on the day, not advancing out of the quarterfinal rounds. Sonnesyn was 38th and Diggins 40th. The podium went to Kristine Staves Skirted of Norway, Maja Dahlqvist of Sweden and Jonna Sundling of Sweden.
Tomorrow is the final day of racing in Les Rousses, with the 20k classic mass start.
