Bjornson Leads Four Americans Into Top 30
Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) was the top U.S. finisher in a challenging 10k classic individual start at the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria, Tuesday.
Bjornsen was sixth after the first split and was feeling strong at the top of the first long climb five minutes into the race. But warm conditions proved challenging for both athletes and wax technicians.
“I felt good, I pushed the hills, but it was a really challenging race in the fact that I knew there was so much time that could be made or lost on those flat sections,” said Bjornson. “There is nothing I regret out there, I went as hard as I could, and it will be interesting to see where I lost all the time as I felt like I was in a fighting position after the first long uphill splits.”
Bjornsen finished 23rd to lead Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) in 24th, Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) in 25th, and Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) in 29th.
“I had some concrete technique goals which I felt like I did well with, but I am a winter athlete for a reason and I had some serious overheating issues out there today,” said Diggins. “Anytime you feel like your going to puke on every downhill and you taste blood during a race, you know you are pushing yourself and you did your best, and I am proud of that. It felt good to really go after it and regardless of the result, that was a good effort for me.”
Norway’s Therese Johaug won, her second gold medal of the 2019 World Championships. She was followed by Frida Karlsson of Sweden with the silver, and Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg of Norway with the bronze.
“Definitely a tough day out there today,” said U.S. World Cup Coach Matt Whitcomb. “Results-wise it was not what we expected, and I know is not what we can accomplish in the races to come. At this point, we are not sure if we had some problems with skis, haven’t really had a chance to evaluate the race yet. The girls looked like they were skiing with high energy, I liked what I saw, I liked the preparation, people felt fast. It just didn’t line up with the results at the end of the day.
The Championships continue Wednesday with the Men’s 10k classic individual start.
RESULTS
Women’s 10k classic
HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
Wednesday, Feb. 27
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships men’s 15k - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
Thursday, Feb. 28
1:00 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships men’s 15k - Seefeld, AUT - NBCSN**
7:00 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships women’s 4x5k relay - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
Friday, March 1
7:15 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships men’s 4x10k relay - Seefeld, AUT - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships men’s 4x10k relay - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV*
Saturday, March 2
6:15 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships women’s 30k - Seefeld, AUT - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships women’s 30k - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV*
Sunday, March 3
5:30 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships men’s 50k - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.
