YOG: Cross-Country Cross Race Debuts
LILLEHAMMER, Norway (Feb. 17, 2016) – The Winter Youth Olympic Games kicked off on February 13th, with the debut of cross-country cross. USA’s Hannah Halvorsen (Truckee, CA, Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy) and Hunter Wonders (Anchorage, AK) finished 13th and 30th, respectively.
The new cross country discipline challenges skiers agility and poise as they raced through bumps, jumps and slalom turns throughout the 1.5k freestyle course through the Birkebeineren Cross-Country Stadium.
“The cross-country cross was a really fun event,” said U.S. Coach Adam St. Pierre. “FIS is always trying to increase the excitement for spectators and racers and we are likely to see more races in this format in the future.”
In the women’s race, Sweden’s Moa Lundgren dominated throughout the qualifiers and semifinals and was able to snatch first in the finals from teammate Johanna Hagstroem by 1.74 seconds. France’s Laura Chamiot Maitral finished third.
Halvorsen started the cross-country cross with a strong qualifier, finishing 10th, which advanced her to the semifinal heats. But in the semifinals, Halvorsen was fifth, denying her a spot in the final heat.
“Hannah missed out on a spot in the final by a slim margin,” St. Pierre said. “She lost some momentum in the uphill slalom part of the course, but it was a fun way to start the week.”
In the men’s cross-country cross competition, Korea’s Magnus Kim ruled the course. The son of a Korean mother and a Norwegian father, Magnus was undefeated throughout the day winning the qualifiers, his semifinal heat and the final heat to claim victory just 1.17 seconds ahead of Norway’s Thomas Helland Larsen. Finland’s Lauri Mannila finished third.
Hunter Wonders competes in cross-country cross. (YIS/IOC-Thomas Lovelock)
Wonders snagged a spot in the semifinal heats after qualifying 30th. The semifinal heat consisted of 10 athletes skiing on the tactical course, where Wonders ended up ninth and was not able to advance to the finals. He finished 30th overall.
“Hunter was excited to qualify and skied well enough in his semifinal to move up in the overall results,” said St. Pierre. “His semifinal was pretty tight, with all 10 athletes skiing in a close pack.”
HIGHLIGHTS
- Hannah Halvorsen finished 13th among the women and Hunter Wonders was 30th among the men in the debut of cross-country cross.
- The men’s and women’s full coverage of the cross-country cross can be found at youtube.com/Olympics
- The Winter Youth Olympic Games live stream schedule. Competitions run February 12-21.
- Cross country events include: cross-country cross, classic sprints, 5/10k skate and a nordic relay, which includes one male cross country skier, one female cross country skier, one male ski jumper, one female ski jumper and one male nordic combined athlete.
QUOTE
Adam St. Pierre – U.S. Coach
The cross-country cross was a really fun event. FIS is always trying to increase the excitement for spectators and racers and we are likely to see more races in this format in the future. Hunter was excited to qualify and skied well enough in his semifinal to move up in the overall results. His semifinal was pretty tight, with all 10 athletes skiing in a close pack. Hannah qualified in 13th and finished fifth in her semifinal, missing out by a slim margin on a spot in the final. She lost some momentum in the uphill slalom part of the course. It was a fun way to start the week.