Bjoergen rolls in stage two; US team 7-8-13
Marit Bjoergen seems to be gaining strength the closer to the end she gets. The World Cup cross country leader motored through the second stage of the World Cup final at Falun, Sweden today (March 16) taking the victory in the 2.5k free technique race over Charlotte Kalla by six seconds. Marthe Kristoffersen was third. Her lead in the Finals event is now 21 and a half seconds over Kalla.
“I went fast up Moerderbacken and then I knew I could take some seconds in the downhill section. After two stages I am where I wanted to be. … but it is a classic tomorrow and it will be important to have good skis.”
It was a good race for the American squad with Sprint Champion Kikkan Randall finishing seventh, Jessie Diggins eighth and Liz Stephen 13.
“My skis were awesome today,” said Randall. “I’m pretty satisfied. The hill climb is a pretty fun hill to ski. It changes grades a couple of times and it’s packed with fans and then gets nice and steep at the top. But I felt good through that part so I could power through the top and know that there was an exciting downhill waiting for you on the other side. I tried to think of the first half of the race as just wanting to shift gears – getting into a little higher of a gear as I went. I started off a little more conservative as I would than in a sprint but then build the pace up the uphill. And I felt like it worked just great because I had good energy to make a good punch at the end.”
Diggins said the reputation of the Falun had intrigued her. “The hill is really hard to keep your tempo up it just kind of pitches up. I feel like maybe there were a few places where I could have tucked a little lower, or just not rocked back on my heels. But I feel like I gave it everything I had. It was really cool to try because I’ve always heard about the “murderbacken” [Moerdarbacken] and how’s it’s the demon hill. So it was really cool to just be here and give it a try and race against such amazing people.”
Falun (SWE)
Stage World Cup
Ladies’ 2.5 km F
| Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Time | FIS Points |
| 1 | 53 | 1303777 | BJOERGEN Marit | 1980 | NOR | 6:54.4 | 0.00 |
| 2 | 50 | 3505217 | KALLA Charlotte | 1987 | SWE | 7:00.6 | 11.97 |
| 3 | 24 | 3425349 | KRISTOFFERSEN Marthe | 1989 | NOR | 7:05.8 | 22.01 |
| 4 | 46 | 3435001 | KOWALCZYK Justyna | 1983 | POL | 7:08.6 | 27.41 |
| 5 | 13 | 3425003 | STEIRA Kristin Stoermer | 1981 | NOR | 7:09.0 | 28.19 |
| 6 | 22 | 3425301 | JOHAUG Therese | 1988 | NOR | 7:09.7 | 29.54 |
| 7 | 45 | 1365857 | RANDALL Kikkan | 1982 | USA | 7:10.0 | 30.12 |
| 8 | 23 | 3535410 | DIGGINS Jessica | 1991 | USA | 7:10.4 | 30.89 |
| 9 | 17 | 3425483 | HAGEN Martine Ek | 1991 | NOR | 7:11.1 | 32.24 |
| 10 | 14 | 1255374 | ROPONEN Riitta-Liisa | 1978 | FIN | 7:13.4 | 36.68 |
| 10 | 6 | 3195059 | BARTHELEMY Laure | 1988 | FRA | 7:13.4 | 36.68 |
| 12 | 36 | 3425499 | WENG Heidi | 1991 | NOR | 7:14.7 | 39.19 |
| 13 | 3 | 3535261 | STEPHEN Elizabeth | 1987 | USA | 7:14.8 | 39.38 |
| 14 | 34 | 3185256 | LAHTEENMAKI Krista | 1990 | FIN | 7:15.9 | 41.51 |
| 15 | 25 | 3505183 | HAAG Anna | 1986 | SWE | 7:16.1 | 41.89 |
| 16 | 40 | 1373617 | FESSEL Nicole | 1983 | GER | 7:16.7 | 43.05 |
| 17 | 8 | 1142563 | SHEVCHENKO Valentina | 1975 | UKR | 7:17.2 | 44.02 |
| 18 | 7 | 3505003 | RYDQVIST Maria | 1983 | SWE | 7:19.4 | 48.26 |
| 19 | 35 | 1247226 | ZELLER Katrin | 1979 | GER | 7:20.0 | 49.42 |
| 20 | 4 | 3195040 | FAIVRE PICON Anouk | 1986 | FRA | 7:20.7 | 50.77 |
| 21 | 29 | 3205075 | HERRMANN Denise | 1988 | GER | 7:23.7 | 56.56 |
| 21 | 20 | 1274580 | ISHIDA Masako | 1980 | JPN | 7:23.7 | 56.56 |
| 23 | 52 | 3485198 | IVANOVA Julia | 1985 | RUS | 7:24.2 | 57.53 |
| 24 | 30 | 3485510 | MEDVEDEVA Polina | 1989 | RUS | 7:24.7 | 58.49 |
| 25 | 28 | 3195056 | JEAN Aurore | 1985 | FRA | 7:26.5 | 61.97 |
| 26 | 15 | 1293107 | BOEHLER Stefanie | 1981 | GER | 7:27.4 | 63.71 |
| 27 | 31 | 3105040 | GAIAZOVA Daria | 1983 | CAN | 7:27.5 | 63.90 |
| 28 | 39 | 3485342 | DOTSENKO Anastasia | 1986 | RUS | 7:28.0 | 64.86 |
| 29 | 48 | 3055066 | SMUTNA Katerina | 1983 | AUT | 7:29.2 | 67.18 |
| 30 | 18 | 3295000 | BROCARD Elisa | 1984 | ITA | 7:31.4 | 71.43 |
| 31 | 38 | 3505481 | BRODIN Hanna | 1990 | SWE | 7:31.7 | 72.01 |
| 32 | 43 | 3505090 | INGEMARSDOTTER Ida | 1985 | SWE | 7:31.9 | 72.39 |
| 33 | 32 | 1255665 | SAARINEN Aino- Kaisa | 1979 | FIN | 7:33.0 | 74.52 |
| 34 | 51 | 3425365 | FALLA Maiken Caspersen | 1990 | NOR | 7:33.3 | 75.10 |
| 35 | 47 | 3565002 | FABJAN Vesna | 1985 | SLO | 7:35.1 | 78.57 |
| 36 | 44 | 3185137 | KYLLOENEN Anne | 1987 | FIN | 7:36.8 | 81.85 |
| 37 | 21 | 3205224 | KOLB Hanna | 1991 | GER | 7:37.1 | 82.43 |
| 38 | 37 | 3515087 | VAN DER GRAAFF Laurien | 1987 | SUI | 7:37.2 | 82.63 |
| 39 | 9 | 3155041 | NYVLTOVA Eva | 1986 | CZE | 7:37.4 | 83.01 |
| 40 | 5 | 3185004 | SARASOJA-LILJA Riikka | 1982 | FIN | 7:39.2 | 86.49 |
| 41 | 10 | 3295088 | DE MARTIN TOPRANIN Virginia | 1987 | ITA | 7:42.0 | 91.89 |
| 42 | 27 | 3485717 | SOBOLEVA Elena | 1992 | RUS | 7:42.3 | 92.47 |
| 43 | 1 | 3305134 | KOBAYASHI Yuki | 1987 | JPN | 7:42.4 | 92.66 |
| 44 | 33 | 3425410 | OESTBERG Ingvild Flugstad | 1990 | NOR | 7:42.7 | 93.24 |
| 45 | 42 | 3105013 | CRAWFORD Chandra | 1983 | CAN | 7:43.1 | 94.02 |
| 46 | 16 | 3185114 | AHERVO Laura | 1984 | FIN | 7:47.0 | 101.54 |
| 47 | 2 | 3485498 | GUSCHINA Mariya | 1989 | RUS | 7:51.3 | 109.85 |
| 48 | 49 | 3565005 | VISNAR Katja | 1984 | SLO | 7:52.7 | 112.55 |
| 49 | 26 | 3105084 | MARSHALL Alysson | 1988 | CAN | 8:07.2 | 140.54 |
| Did not start | |||||||
| 41 | 3185003 | MALVALEHTO Mona-Lisa | 1983 | FIN | |||
| 19 | 3485032 | KOROSTELEVA Natalia | 1981 | RUS | |||
| 12 | 3425183 | JACOBSEN Astrid Uhrenholdt | 1987 | NOR | |||
| 11 | 1305426 | SKOFTERUD Vibeke W | 1980 | NOR | |||
About the Author: Hank McKee
