Strong Team Sprint for Men
TOBLACH, Italy (Jan. 15, 2017) - Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) and Simi Hamilton (Aspen, CO) combined for a strong sixth place finish in the men’s team sprint to close out the World Cup weekend in Toblach.
Canada took the win over Sweden and Italy. The U.S. women - with Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) and Sophie Caldwell (Peru, VT) were 10th, with Russia taking a three-way photo finish over Sweden and Norway.
Hamilton turned in some impressive legs, winning his first of three rounds and anchoring with the second-fastest time of the final leg.
Watch Alex Harvey bring Canada home to World Cup team sprint victory in Toblach. @cccski @SkiTeamSweXC #wearefisi pic.twitter.com/Ci1txluTpO
— Cross Country (@FISCrossCountry) January 15, 2017
On the women’s side, Randall skied the fastest leg in the second round.
“With 15 teams in the final it was pretty busy those first few laps,” said Randall. “I just tried to stay relaxed in the pack on my first round. On the second round I tried to move up but it was really hard to find space to get around. I was always able to make up a few places coming off the last turn before the tag zone. But the tag zone was always really chaotic.
“The team sprint is one of the hardest race formats but also one of the most fun - so much adrenaline packed into a few rounds,” she added.
The World Cup now heads to Sweden for two weekends of racing. The first stop is a new World Cup site at Ulricehamn with a 15k/10k freestyle plus the second relay of the year. The 2015 World Championships site of Falun is next on the schedule with a freestyle sprint plus a 30k/15k classic mass start. The USA expects to be back to full strength with Tour de Ski athletes back in action.
