Kern 11th To Lead U.S. in Stage 1 Freestyle Sprint

Julia Kern finished 11th in the Stage 1 freestyle sprint of the FIS Tour de Ski Saturday to lead four U.S. athletes into the top 30 in Val Mustair, Switzerland.

Kern qualified sixth, and racing in the second quarterfinal - fastest heat of the day - finished second to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinal round, Kern led early in the race against a stacked field that included the top three finishers on the day - Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland, Maja Dahlquist of Sweden, and Lotta Udnes Weng of Norway - but a late crash dashed her hopes of advancing to the finals.

"I felt really great today and my skis were ripping fast," Kern said. "In the quarterfinal, I felt strong and skied pretty well, but in the semifinal, I had some trouble closing the gap. Overall I'm pretty happy about the day but hungry for more as I'm tired of being the semifinal queen."

Rosie Brennan qualified 14th and advanced to the heats. She finished third in the quarterfinals and 14th on the day. "Having struggled with sprinting this year, I didn't have too many expectations," Brennan said. "I found my first hint of sprint feelings in my quarterfinal, but was also very disappointed with how I skied the last corner. So some good, some bad, made for an average day to start my Tour. I hope I can make up some time in the distance races moving forward. Tomorrow will certainly be a bit of a wild day with a short course and fast conditions so we'll see what happens out there."

In the men's race, Ben Ogden and JC Schoonmaker qualified fourth and 21st respectively. In the quarterfinal heats, Ogden broke a pole right out of the start, but thanks to a quick replacement pole handoff by coach Matt Whitcomb, he not only chased down the pack but took the lead over the top of the first climb. However, burning those early matches cost him down the stretch. Ogden finished 13th on the day with Schoonmaker in 26th. 

On a special note...Finn O’Connell had his World Cup debut Saturday, finishing 67th.

Up next, a 10k classic pursuit for both men and women. Catch all the action LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

Tour de Ski Explained

The Tour de Ski is back! Each year, to begin period two of the FIS Cross Country World Cup circuit, a grueling race series takes athletes to three countries in less than ten days and includes seven different races. Based on the format of the Tour de France bike series, the Tour de Ski spans nine days, with seven stages of the competition and the overall winner dawns the yellow bib. 

For the past few years, the Tour de Ski has begun in Switzerland and historically concludes less than 10 days later with the infamous final climb up the Italian slope of Alpe Cermis. While the Tour de Ski races are considered FIS Cross Country World Cups with the standard point scoring system, the overall standings are decided based on time. But, the week is not just focused on individual performances - there is a team angle too. The best times of the two best athletes per gender, per country, are added together for the team competition. 

In 2020, Jessie Diggins won the Tour. Proving herself to be an all-around skier, winning in both sprint and distance races, Diggins is looking forward to the week but taking it one race at a time. After her 40th-place result in stage one, Diggins is only looking forward. "I think it's important to realize you don't know what is going to happen in every race. But now, I am going to focus on rest, recovery, food, hydration and all the things that are important in having a good Tour," said Diggins, post-race. "I am going to focus on moving forward and am excited for the 10k tomorrow!" 

As the rules state, if an athlete does not start or complete a race, they are eliminated from the Tour. For the U.S. team, five women and eight men will compete throughout the week.

Women

1. Jessie Diggins
2. Rosie Brennan
3. Julia Kern
4. Sophia Laukli
5. Alayna Sonnesyn

Men

1. Ben Ogden
2. JC Schoonmaker
3. Scott Patterson
4. Hunter Wonders
5. Zak Ketterson
6. Gus Schumacher
7. Kevin Bolger
8. Finn O’Connell

RESULTS 

Stage 1 Freestyle Sprint
Men
Women

Overall (after one stage)
Men
Women

TOUR DE SKI SCHEDULE 

Val Müstair, Switzerland 

Stage 1 - Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022: 1.5k freestyle sprint

Stage 2 - Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023: 10k classic pursuit 

Oberstdorf, Germany

Stage 3: Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023: 10k classic interval start

Stage 4: Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023: 20k freestyle pursuit 

Val di Fiemme, Italy 

Stage 5: Friday, Jan. 6, 2023: 1.5k classic sprint

Stage 6: Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023: 15k classic mass start 

Stage 7: Sunday, Jan 8, 2023: 10k freestyle final climb mass start 

HOW TO WATCH

All races will be LIVE with commentary on skiandsnowboard.live. 

Stage 2, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 (Happy New Year!) 

6:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 10k Classic Pursuit, women's, Val Mustair, Switzerland, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

7:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 10k Classic Pursuit, men's, Val Mustair, Switzerland, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

Stage 3, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023

5:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 10k Classic Interval Start, men's, Oberstdorf, Germany, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

8:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 10k Classic Interval Start, women's, Oberstdorf, Germany,  streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

Stage 4, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023

5:15 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 20k Skate Pursuit, men's, Oberstdorf, Germany, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

8:15 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 20k Skate Pursuit, women's, Oberstdorf, Germany,  streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

Stage 5, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023

4:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 1.5k Classic Sprint, men's and women's, qualifiers, Val di Fiemme, Italy, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 1.5k Classic Sprint, men's and women's, finals, Val di Fiemme, Italy, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

Stage 6, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023

5:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 15k Skate Mass Start, Women's, Val di Fiemme, Italy, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

7:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 15k Skate Mass Start, Men's, Val di Fiemme, Italy, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

Stage 7, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023

5:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 10k Skate Mass Start Final Climb, Women's, Val di Fiemme, Italy, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live

6:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup, Tour de Ski, 10k Skate Mass Start Final Climb, Men's, Val di Fiemme, Italy, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live