Two U.S. athletes broke into the top twenty in today's 15km individual skate at the 2023 World Championships, with Scott Patterson in 15th and Gus Schumacher in 19th - a strong result for the young men's team. As Head Coach Matt Whitcomb said post-race, the theme of the day was "vicious skiing" by the men's team.  

On a three-lap course of the hilly Slovenian course, it played to the strength of many of the athletes, with working downhills and tactical climbs. With Patterson on the start line were teammates Schumacher, Hunter Wonders and Ben Ogden. With all men having at least one race under their belt of this World Championships and several days of training, the men were ready to compete with the field of 100 other racers, representing over 25+ countries. 

Same as for the women’s 10km skate, the entire tech and coaches staff was on course cheering. At nearly every part of the course, you could see a U.S. coaching staff member yelling splits, or simply just cheering them on until they reached the next person.

For the U.S. men, Patterson led the way for the team. Throughout the entire race, Patterson put up great splits through every course marker. All points throughout the race, he was within the top 20, at some points, in the top ten. As with Patterson, all other athletes posted solid splits on the race. In the first 5k, Wonders was top five in the field, showing his strength and speed out of the gate. Schumacher and Ogden held a consistent and strong pace through the 15k, moving around from top 10, top 15 and top 20 through the 15km of the course. Patterson held strong in the top ten until the last 2km where he ran out of gas. Yet, Patterson pushed until the end and walked away on a high note with only 1.33 minutes out from the top, landing him in the top 15. "I would call it a stellar day for our men out there," said Coach Kristin Bourne. 

Norway won the day, taking the first four spots. Johannes Hosfløt Klaebo was fourth, Hans Christer Holund third, Harald Oestberg Amundsen second and Simen Hegstad Krueger won the gold. For the U.S. team, Patterson led the way and ended the day in 15th, Schumacher was 19th, Ogden 27th and Hunters 33rd.

"All four guys had moments of really great racing out there, and they all skied really well today," said Chris Grover, the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Program Director. 

Now the team resets for the men's 4x10km relay, which features two legs of skate and two legs of classic technique on Friday, March 3. 

RESULTS

At this year's World Championships, you may have heard familiar voices commentating on the multiple races in Planica, Slovenia - that's because five-time Olympian and Olympic champion Kikkan Randall and NBC's Chad Salmela were in the booth for InFront's streaming site skiandsnowboard.live.

Randall has a storied career in cross country skiing. She won the first ever gold medal for Team USA in the 2018 Games with Jessie Diggins and competed in nine World Championships in her career, standing on the podium in three, including the team relay gold, again with Diggins by her side. One of the most decorated skiers in the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team history books with over 14 World Cup wins, Randall's history and perspective within the sport of cross country skiing comes through in the commentating booth. 

Along with Randall is Salmela, a former U.S. Biathlon Team athlete from 1990-98 and commentator of over five Olympics. He has been calling cross country races for years, including the race that Randall and Diggins won at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games - the team sprint. Salmela's "HERE COMES DIGGINS, HERE COMES DIGGINS" screams were heard through the screens of millions of Americans on the day that Diggins and Randall brought home an Olympic gold medal in 2018, and now he is back in the booth aside Randall calling the next rounds of history. 

Catch the two legends together commentating on the remaining races of the FIS Cross Country World Cup circuit, LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live. With over three weeks left of the season, with the World Cup crystal globe in reach, Randall and Salmela will be taking us through this journey with them. 

Jessie Diggins made history at World Championships with a gold medal in the women's 10km skate - the first individual World Championships gold medal in history for the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. "This was one of the best races of my life," Diggins said. "I didn't want to believe it until the race was finished, but I when i finally got up off the snow I realized this was the best race of my life - it was really special."

Diggins is now the first U.S. woman with an individual World Championships gold medal. "I hope that this inspires the next generation to know that you can do it and work hard with a great team," she said. "I hope it inspires some little kids with glitter back home!"

It was the sixth day of racing in Planica, the stakes were high in the 10km skate race. With the Swedish team standing atop the podium in every race of the championships so far for the women, there was pressure to shake it up. Coming fresh off a bronze medal in the team sprint with teammate Julia Kern, Diggins was well prepared for the 10km along with teammates Rosie Brennan, Sophia Laukli and Kern. All started within a few minutes of each other in the strong 81-woman field and right out of the starting pen, racers were giving it their all. 

Through the first split zone at .9km, Diggins was 1.1 seconds back from the leader, Jonna Sundling of Sweden. Right in the mix was Brennan, who clocked in at fourth place - only two seconds back. With the pace progressing faster and faster, Diggins held it together, taking over the lead position starting at the 2.2km marker and never letting it up until she crossed the finish line. Laukli, Kern and Brennan kept a consistent pace through the twists and turns of the two lap course and as the splits showed, continually picked racers off. At the last time check marker at 7.7km, Diggins was first, Brennan was 11th, Laukli 25th and Kern 36th. 

"I was really excited for the race today. I’m a big fan of these courses so I was psyched to see what I could do," said Laukli. "The race itself went well and I felt great which I was happy about. I also had a lot of fun throughout the race and moving up bit by bit. Results-wise, I was maybe a little bummed and wanted a bit more, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. So overall I was happy to feel good and have some fun out there, which is all I could really ask for."

For Kern, after her race she focused on how big this day was for the entire team - merely hours after she brought home a World Championship medal with Diggins in the team sprint. 

"Although today was personally not the day I dreamed of, it was a huge day for our team," said Kern. "I am so incredibly proud of how our team reached a big milestone today, and how Jessie skied her heart out! I’m proud that I went out hard with the intention of being in the fight from the beginning. It is hard to post a top result by racing conservatively, so I went for it and unfortunately today was one of those days that things didn’t come together, and I am not sure why."

Diggins win today was also the first time a non-European won a gold medal at the World Championships since 2017. 

Behind Diggins in the silver medal position was Sweden's Frida Karlsson and bronze was Ebba Andersson. As for her teammates, Brennan finished 15th, Laukli 25th and Kern 34th. 

Now, the team focuses on the men's 15km tomorrow, March 1. 

RESULTS
Women's 10k

Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern teamed up for the freestyle team sprint at World Championships and took home the bronze medal. With new snow coating the Julian Alps, both men and women put forward their fastest sprinters for the team sprint. On the same 1.4km course from the classic sprint two days prior, today’s race featured a qualification round and 3x1.4km final round. With over 34 teams in the qualification for the men and 26 for the women, both athletes' qualifying times combined together decided the 15 teams that would move onto the final.

Thorough the qualification round, the women representing the red, white and blue came out on top, qualifying first with their combined time. Diggins and Kern, both feeling strong and ready, put the pieces together and had forward momentum with their number one spot for the afternoon race. For the men, Ben Ogden and JC Schoonmaker teamed up. Earlier in the week, Schoonmaker was top ten in the 1.4km classic sprint, finishing the day in ninth place - teamed up, the young but strong duo skied a fast and technically sound sprint race and ended the qualifications within the top three.

With thousands of fans once again filling the grand stands on all sides of the stadium, the atmosphere was filled with cheers that could be heard miles away. The course was slow at the start but the more athletes skied over the track, the faster it became. When it came to race time, everyone was ready. With qualifications deciding the 15 teams moving onto the final, the U.S. teams were a definite threat. 

Diggins and Kern led the final race until the last lap. With both women skiing three laps of the 1.4km lap, the strategy was to stay out of trouble, ski smart and fast and compete for your team and your relay-mate. “I really truly feel like we earned a medal,” said Diggins. “It’s not like we lost a gold, rather we earned a bronze! We earned the right to be proud of a really hard race and even if there was no medal we went out there and prepared and supported each other and believed and skied a good, hard, honest race and that is what makes me proud!”

For Kern, this was her first-ever World Championships podium.

“It’s really exciting (bringing home a medal to the United States),” said Kern. “I think it is really exciting. I think we are growing the sport the best we can in the U.S. and we hope that this inspires people back home and keeps developing our sport in the U.S. to become bigger and bigger!”

On the 10 year anniversary of the team sprint medal in Val di Fiemme, the U.S. women put the pieces together to bring home another team sprint medal and this time, with Kern and Diggins. 

“I love team sprinting,” said Diggins. “Any time you race for the team as a whole, you really bring your best and that is what we did today. It was really special.”

RESULTS

Women's 

Men's

Four U.S. women were in the top 30 for the 15kmsSkiathlon at the 2023 World Championships. With 7.5km of classic to start the race and 7.5km of skate to bring it home, the field of 50 women skied a fast-paced race on the third race of the championships. 

The forecasted rain and wind held off for race day and instead the glaring sun came out to play, creating a spring skiing-esque feel. Instead of dealing with the rain, athletes and support staff were seen cutting their race suits to t-shirts and shorts to deal with the heat. 

With a mass start, the strong field of women descended onto the first half of the course, which features a long downhill into a technical 180-degree turn at the lowest part of the track. Three classic tracks span the narrow course and, as it goes in mass starts, there was carnage. Unfortunately, on the second lap of the classic course, Rosie Brennan who was leading the entire field of skiers got caught up in the deep, powdery snow and lost a ski, sending her back nearly a minute from the leader. 

"I have never had that happen before," Brennan said. "I had a moment of not knowing what to do. At first I thought maybe my boot just came off the binding, but then I went to pick up my ski and I realized it was the binding. Luckily one of my coaches was there with one of my skis." 

Brennan pushed on with a spare ski. Throughout the next several kilometers and through the transition zone she continued to pick athletes off and move up the ranks to 19th place. 

"I feel like... I am at the World Championships representing my country and I have to give it my best until the very end," said Brennan. 

A highlight of the day was young athlete Sydney Palmer-Leger skiing to a top 20 in her first ever World Championships race. Palmer-Leger has a few World Cup starts to her resume but this was her first time on the World Championships stage. Nerves aside, Palmer Leger led the pack of four U.S. women throughout the entire race and ended the day in 20th place. Aside from a top 20 in her first World Champs, this was her first ever skiathlon for the 21 year old, making her result even more impressive.

“Getting top 20 at my first World Championships was pretty amazing," she said. "I didn’t have any expectations how it was going to go and I just went out there to have some fun and I definitely succeeded!”

Hailey Swirbul skied a consistent race and crossed the finish line in 26th and Sophia Laukli was in the top 30 in 29th. Among the crashes in the first few kilometers, Laukli broke a pole and skied with a reserve pole until lapping through the stadium where a staff member was there with a new one. Despite the broken pole, Laukli skied strong and added another top 30 to her resume. 

Winning the day was Ebba Andersson of Sweden and in second was teammate Frida Karlsson. Astrid Oeyre Slind of Norway was third. 

Now, the women will reset and look forward to the next races. Tomorrow, the men and women will race the team sprint. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women's skiathlon

HOW TO WATCH

Sunday, Feb. 26 - skiandsnowboard.live

5:30 a.m. ET - Team Sprint, Skate, Men’s and Women’s 

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 10k, Skate, Women’s 

Wednesday, March 1  - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 15k, Skate, Men’s 

Thursday, March 2 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x5k Relay, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Friday, March 3 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x10k Relay, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, March 4 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 30k, Classic, Women’s

Sunday, March 5 -  skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 50k, Classic, Men’s 

Not every day of cross country ski racing can include firm snow with perfect tracks, and today was no exception. Despite the challenging conditions, the U.S. men posted solid results among the strong field in the men's 30k skiathlon, highlighted by a top-20 result from Scott Patterson, who was 19th overall.

The skiathlon race features both techniques - skate and classic. Throughout the 30km of distance, athletes started the first 15km with the classic technique, then transitioned straight to the skate technique for the second 15km. 

For the classic portion of the race, the course led the skiers downhill for the first 1-1.5km. With technical turns at high speeds in a pack of 64 skiers, it was hard not to get tangled up; there were a few significant crashes that led to several broken poles and broken skis. Moving forward, the U.S. men consistently skied within the same pack. Within seconds of each other, Patterson was 18th going into the stadium for the first lap. Wonders and Gus were right behind him in the top 30. At the 6km marker, Patterson dropped back by only a few skiers, again in a large pack and was positioned in 26th, Hunters 30th and Schumacher 35th. 

After the first 15km of classic skiing, all athletes skied through the exchange zone to switch to their skate skis and poles, and began the second half of the race, this time on a new course.

With Simon Hegstad Krueger of Norway leading the way, he eventually put some space between him and his teammate Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, the winner of yesterday's 1.4km individual classic sprint. With the snow getting choppier each lap, the athletes pushed through. 

"This course has some really long working sections and with the snow, it made them even longer," said Schumacher. "I just tried to ski as well as I could, and I finished the race to prove that I can and to keep practicing fighting through." 

At the end of the day, Norway swept the podium. Krueger won, Klaebo was 4.09 seconds behind in second and Roethe was third. For the U.S. Patterson scored a World Championships top-20 result, Wonders was 24th and Schumacher 38th. 

"It was a good race! I skied a very consistent race which I am happy with, with good transitions into skate." said Wonders. "Overall I am happy with the performance!" Teammate Patterson was similar in his post-race response. "Today was fine!" he said. "I never really feel like I could find the top gear but it was a fine start to World Championships but I am definitely looking forward to more racing!" 

Now, the men will have a rest day and the women will race the 15k Skiathlon tomorrow, Feb. 25. 

RESULTS 

Men

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, Feb. 25 - skiandsnowboard.live

8:00 a.m. ET - 15k Skiathlon, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Sunday, Feb. 26 - skiandsnowboard.live

5:30 a.m. ET - Team Sprint, Skate, Men’s and Women’s 

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 10k, Skate, Women’s 

Wednesday, March 1  - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 15k, Skate, Men’s 

Thursday, March 2 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x5k Relay, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Friday, March 3 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x10k Relay, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, March 4 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 30k, Classic, Women’s

Sunday, March 5 -  skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 50k, Classic, Men’s 

On the first day of competition at the 2023 Nordic World Championships in Planica, Slovenia the U.S. Cross Country Team not only sent three women to the classic sprint heats and two men, but three athletes had their best-ever results at the World Championships. 

On a cool and partly cloudy afternoon, over 200 skiers, representing 60 nations descended onto the classic sprint 1.4km course for the first race of the World Championships.

In the qualifications round, it took skiers just over three minutes to ski the 1.4km course. With thousands of fans, donning their countries’ flags surrounding the course, the sights and sounds of Planica filled the stadium with loud cheers for the athletes. 

For qualifications, Rosie Brennan qualified the highest for the women, securing her position in the rounds in sixth overall. Right behind Brennan was teammate Julia Kern. Kern qualified 12th, breaking the top-30 to move onto the next race. Next, was Jessie Diggins. Diggins was merely seconds behind Kern and landed 14th. Hailey Swirlbul did not qualify for the rounds, but in a post-race reflection, Swirbul found several other highlights of the day. ““Everything was great. even though I didn’t have the race that I wanted, I ended up having one of the most fun days of my winter,” said Swirlbul. “I felt like the energy was really positive from everyone today. I also got the chance to go out on course for the heats and be there for support and that was really fun to support my teammates in a different way.”

For the men, two qualified for the heats. Ben Ogden led the way by qualifying in sixth overall among the strong field of over 100 racers. Teammate JC Schoonmaker was close behind and qualified in 15th; Kevin Bolger did not advance to the heats, but stayed through the entire race to support the team.

Onto the Heats

With the men’s and women’s heats going one after the other, the top 30 racers each fought to make it to the semifinals, with only the top two securing a spot and the third fastest “lucky loser” time moving on.

With the course breaking down before our eyes due to warm temperatures, impact of all of the racers and snow quality, the snow became choppy. Yet, the U.S. skiers charged on.

Kern was ultimately second in her heat and Brennan made it through to the next by having the fastest third-place time. Diggins did not advance. 

“In the semis, Rosie and I were battling in the race but we both had really good energy,” said Kern. “Overall, I gave it my all and it’s all looking good for the races ahead. It was awesome to see Rosie get her best ever classic sprint result and World Champs result and to also get my best ever World Champs result, along with JC skiing so well!”

“The course was pretty crazy. It was salted the night before and once it broke, it got really mushy,” said Diggins. “For me, this is my most challenging conditions to race in, but I was really proud of how I skied. That was some of my best slushy striding that I have ever done! But, I learned some things for the next time I race this course and it was very valuable - and it was so cool seeing JC, Julia and Rosie skiing into the finals!”

For the men, Ogden skied fast in his technical heat, but did not advance. For Schoonmaker, after a crash in his heat that he nearly missed, he advanced on to the semifinals.

At the end a long sprint day there were many moments to highlight but the best-ever results from three athletes were top of mind. Schoonmaker finished the World Championships classic sprint in ninth overall, securing his best-ever individual World Championships result. Rosie Brennan not only skied to her best ever individual World Championships result but also snagged her best-ever classic sprint result with her seventh place finish. In eighth place overall, Kern now adds the Planica classic sprint to her best ever World Championships result.

Next on the World Championships agenda is the skiathlon race. The men will race tomorrow, Feb. 24 and the women on the 25th. The skiathlon is a unique race that features both classic and skate techniques. The men will race two 15k’s and the women will race two 7.5k’s. Watch the action LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS

Women's

Men's

HOW TO WATCH

Friday, Feb. 24 - skiandsnowboard.live

9:30 a.m. ET - 30k Skiathlon, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, Feb. 25 - skiandsnowboard.live

8:00 a.m. ET - 15k Skiathlon, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Sunday, Feb. 26 - skiandsnowboard.live

5:30 a.m. ET - Team Sprint, Skate, Men’s and Women’s 

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 10k, Skate, Women’s 

Wednesday, March 1  - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 15k, Skate, Men’s 

Thursday, March 2 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x5k Relay, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Friday, March 3 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x10k Relay, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, March 4 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 30k, Classic, Women’s

Sunday, March 5 -  skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 50k, Classic, Men’s 

USA U18's Win First Ever Relay at Nations Cup

The best U18 skiers traveled to Jyvaskyla, FIN, and ended the weekend on top of the World. At the 2023 Nordic Nation's Championships, the future of the U.S. Cross Country skiing shined bright with two overall wins - one of them being the first-ever win in the men's relay - and eight top-10 results. 

For the first international racing experience for many of the young athletes of the U.S. made possible by the support of the National Nordic Foundation (NNF), the men's team relay came out on top for the first time in history. The last time that the U.S. was on the podium was in the women's relay, with now U.S. Cross Country Team athlete Julia Kern and former U.S. athletes, Heidi Halvorsen and Katherine Ogden. 

For the first time since 2020, the U.S. sent the best U18 skiers to race in the Nation's Cup, a competition designed to give the young athletes exposure to international travel and begin building positive team bonds on the competitive circuit. Along with the U.S., many other nations sent athletes, including Norway, Sweden, Finland and more. 

"A huge thanks goes as the club coaches that led the U18 Nordic Nations Cup trip," said Bryan Fish, Cross Country Development Director. "These development trips would not be possible without the financial support of the National Nordic Foundation. The USA Cross Country system is built on teamwork and this community collaboration is impressive for our short and long-term success."

For the individual podiums, Stratton Mountain School's Finegan Bailey and Green Mountain Valley School's Tabor Greenberg skied to the top in the men's 10km skate, and Sydney Drevlow (Loppet Nordic Racing), Neve Gerard (Mt. Bachelor), Fin Bailey (Stratton Mountain School), Rose Horning (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail), and David Isom (Minneapolis Ski Club) found the top-10. 

RESULTS 

Men's CLASSIC SPRINT:

4th – Fin Bailey

Women's 5km FREESTYLE:

8th – Sydney Drevlow

9th – Neve Gerard

10th – Rose Horning

11th – Lena Poduska

Men's 10km FREESTLYE:

1st – Tabor Greenberg

6th – Fin Bailey

10th – Davis Isom

RELAY:

USA Boys – 1st

USA Girls – 4th