Sprints Heat Up Weekend World Cup in Davos
The FIS Cross Country World Cup moves to Davos, Switzerland, this weekend for a pair of events, including the highly-anticipated first freestyle sprint of the season Saturday. Over the past few years, the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team has excelled in this format, which provides fast-paced racing in an exciting head-to-head format.
In addition, the freestyle sprint is the one event that will be contested on March 17, 2020, when the FIS Cross Country World Cup returns to the U.S. for the first time in 19 years, taking place at Minnesota’s Theodore Wirth Park, just five miles west of downtown Minneapolis. Perhaps no other American racer has embraced the sprint as much as 10-year U.S. Cross Country Team member Simi Hamilton, who has participated in more than 80 World Cup sprint events.
Now dabbling in some of the longer distance races, Simi is fired up for this weekend’s freestyle sprint, despite a nagging hamstring injury that plagued him at the start of the season.
“My hamstring is definitely making big improvements and I think it should be 100% good to go for the weekend,” said Simi, who has four World Cup sprint podiums, including one victory from 2013 in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. “I’m for sure feeling very fit right now, probably the most fit I’ve ever been at this point in the year. So I have a lot of confidence going into the weekend. I’ve made the semifinals a few times here in Davos in the past, and so I think it would be really cool and well within my potential to make the finals here.”
The women’s U.S. Cross Country Team has been racking up podiums and headlines in the first two weekends of the World Cup season with Sadie Masubet Bjornsen taking second in the opening classic sprint in Ruka, Finland, and wearing the yellow World Cup leader’s bib; Jessie Diggins grabbing two individual podiums already this season, and the U.S. Women finishing second in the team relay last weekend in Lillehammer. Meanwhile, the men’s team is making strides toward the top of the results sheet against a very deep World Cup field.
“We’ve had some solid results from the guys so far this season with Erik (Bjornsen) scoring points in Ruka, and Kevin (Bolger), Dave Norris and me just outside of the points in Ruka and Lillehammer,” Simi said. “The margins are incredibly small in men’s World Cup racing, so when you’re not racing at 100% because of an injury, illness, or by training design, it really shows.
“It’s a very long season and this team’s collective goal is to keep skiing faster and faster as the season progresses, so we’re looking forward to doing that,” Simi added. “I’m confident that this men’s team will put together some results that will turn heads this year, but the name of the game in cross-country ski racing is patience.”
In addition to Saturday’s freestyle sprint, the athletes will compete in a 10k freestyle for the women and a 15k freestyle for the men on Sunday. On Dec. 21-22, the sprinters will have the opportunity to shine once again as the World Cup moves to Planica, Slovenia, for another freestyle sprint, followed by the first team sprint of the season.
U.S. Starters:
Freestyle sprint
Sadie Maubet Bjornsen
Jessie Diggins
Sophie Caldwell
Rosie Brennan
Julia Kern
Hailey Swirbul
Simi Hamilton
Kevin Bolger
Logan Hanneman
Women’s 10k freestyle
Sadie Maubet Bjornsen
Jessie Diggins
Caitlin Patterson
Rosie Brennan
Julia Kern
Hailey Swirbul
Rosie Frankowski
Men’s 15k freestyle
Kyle Bratrud
Scott Patterson
David Norris
Simi Hamilton
HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, Dec. 14
8:00 a.m. - Men and women’s sprint, Davos, SUI - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
Sunday, Dec. 15
4:35 a.m. - Women’s 10k, Davos, SUI - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
8:45 a.m. - Men’s 15k, Davos, SUI - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
9:00 a.m. - Women’s 10k, Davos, SUI - Olympic Channel*
*Same-day broadcast
Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app
Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.
