Angerer wins, American Swenson 11th in Kuusamo 15km

Angerer wins, American Swenson 11th in Kuusamo 15km{mosimage}KUUSAMO, Finland – Two-time Olympian Carl Swenson of Park City, Utah, whose best results have come in skating races, raged through the final kilometers Saturday and finished 11th in a World Cup 15km classic technique race won by Germany’s Tobias Angerer.

Angerer was timed in 36:32.8 to edge Norway’s Jens Arne Svartedal by 1.7 seconds. “I was very surprised, because the free technique is a bit better for me,” Angerer said. “But it went well from the beginning, and my skis were sensational.”

Swenson, the former Dartmouth ski captain who was hobbled last season by two bouts with flu-like symptoms, was 45th at the 2.4km mark and 33rd at the 6km point. At 12.4 kilometers, he was 18th as he stormed through the end of the race.

It is Swenson’s best result since Dec. 21, 2003, when he finished 11th in a 10km free technique race in Ramsau, Austria; he had three top 15s that season before battling sickness from mid-December – coincidentally, at Ramsau – to the end of the season.

Norwegian Tor Arne Hetland, who was ninth, kept the overall lead with 209 points, while Svartedal moved to second at 160 points with Angerer third on 136.

Defending women’s World Cup champion Marit Bjoergen of Norway stayed unbeaten by winning the women’s 10km classic; no U.S. women raced.

Bjoergen win was her third straight World Cup victory of the season.
Bjoergen, the defending overall champion, finished ahead of Finland’s Virpi Kuitunen and Germany’s Claudia Kuenzel.

Bjoergen followed her success at a sprint in Dusseldorf, Germany, and a 10-kilometer classic in Beitostolen, Norway. The 25-year-old finished in 26 minutes, 33.0 seconds, 29 seconds.

“This felt easier than when I won in Beitostolen,” Bjoergen said. “The start to the season has been very good, but I expect to get challenged by Kuitunen, (Katerina) Neumannova and (Kristina) Smigun.”

The top three were followed by Smigun of Estonia, the Czech Republic’s Neumannova and Finland’s Aino-Kaisa Saarinen.

Bjoergen leads the overall standings with 300 points. Kuitunen has 200 and Saarinen 160.

The so-called Nordic Opening weekend, which includes cross-country, ski jumping and nordic combined in Kuusamo – above Finland’s Arctic Circle, concludes Sunday with skating races, a men’s 15km and women’s 10km.

For complete details:
https://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=17652

– Associated Press/USSA News Bureau

Cross-country World Cup results
Men
10 kilometers classic style
1. Tobias Angerer, Germany, 36 minutes, 32.8 seconds.
2. Jens Arne Svartedal, Norway, 36:34.5.
3. Jens Filbricht, Germany, 36:40.8.
4. Vincent Vittoz, France, 36:41.2.
5. Andres Veerpalu, Estonia, 36:44.6.
6. Sami Jauhojarvi, Finland, 36:46.1.
7. Eldar Ronning, Norway, 37:07.8.
8. Vasili Rotchev, Russia, 37:09.4.
9. Tor Arne Hetland, Norway, 37:09.7.
10. Rene Sommerfeldt,Germany, 37:12.7.
11. Carl Swenson, United States,37:13.7.
12. Frode Estil, Norway, 37:14.9.
13. Giorgio Di Centa, Italy, 37:18.4.
14. Anders Aukland, Norway, 37:18.8.
15. Benjamin Seifert, Germany, 37:20.0.

Overall standings
After one sprint and two distance races
1. Tor Arne Hetland, Norway, 209 points.
2. Jens Arne Svartedal, Norway, 160.
3. Tobias Angerer, Germany, 136.
4. Peter Larsson, Sweden, 100.
5. Eldar Ronning, Norway, 99.
6. Sami Jauhojarvi, Finland, 90.
7. Vasili Rotchev, Russia, 72.
8. Andrus Veerpalu, Estonia, 67.
9. Jens Filbrich, Germany, 60.
10.Ivan Batory, Slovakia, 60.

Women
10 kilometers classic style
1. Marit Bjoergen, Norway, 26 minutes, 33.0 seconds.
2. Virpi Kuitunen, Finland, 27:02.0.
3. Claudia Kuenzel, Germany, 27:06.7.
4. Kristina Smigun, Estonia, 27:09.2.
5. Katerina Neumannova, Czech Republic, 27:13.4.
6. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, Finland, 27:17.1.
7. Petra Majdic, Slovenia,27:27.8.
8. Viola Bauer, Germnay,27:28.5.
9. Yulia Tchepalova, Russia,27:30.1.
10. Hilde G.Pedersen, Norway, 27:30.4.
11. Olga Rotcheva, Russia, 27:34.2.
12. Stefanie Boehler, Germany, 27:38.5.
13. Laurence Rochat, Switzerland, 27:39.1.
14. Natalia Baranova, Russia, 27:41.1.
15. Evi Sachenbacher Stehle, Germany, 27:41.5.

Overall standings
After one sprint and two distance races
1. Marit Bjoergen, Norway, 300 points.
2. Virpi Kuitunen, Finland, 200.
3. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, Finland, 160.
4. Cladia Kuenzel, Germany, 110.
5. Hilde G. Pedersen, Norway, 96.
6. Katarina Neumannova, Czech Republic, 90.
7. Natalia Baranova, Russia, 78.
8. Kristina Smigun, Estonia, 74.
9. Petra Majdic, Slovenia, 73.
10. Anna Dahlberg, Sweden, 63.