Nordic Worlds: Finns win women’s relay
The Finland women’s cross country team dominated the field today in a 4×5 km relay race at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. The team, made up of World Cup stars Pirjo Muranen, Virpi Kuitunen, Riitta-Liisa Roponen and Aino Kaisa Saarinen, won the race by 13 seconds to defend their title, won at the 2007 championships.
“This is a great feeling to get every day a gold,” Saarinen told Associated Press writer Mattias Karen. Saarinen also claimed gold in the opening 10K classical race last week and the team sprint on Wednesday.
The German team led by Claudia Nystad pulled in the second-place honors, while Sweden was .4 seconds behind to climb on the podium in third.
The American team of Kikkan Randall, Morgan Arritola, Elizabeth Stephen and Caitlin Compton finished 14th.
“Each individual skied their hardest, so that’s all we can ask,” U.S. cross country head coach Pete Vordenberg said.
The American athletes sank in the standings during every leg of the race, but Vordenberg saw a lot to be proud of in his racers. “We had a really strong start with Kikkan. She probably had her best classic race of all time. Then it tagged over to Morgan and I think it’s safe to say it was her best 5K classic race as well,” Vordenberg said. “Liz had a really fast start. She probably didn’t pace it quite right, but skied super strong. Caitlin was our anchor. She didn’t have the best day, but she skied her butt off and that’s what we ask of them.”
Tomorrow the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will tackle the men’s 4X5 relay. “We have the men’s relay tomorrow and it’s kind of a hodge podge of distance guys and sprinters,” Vordenberg said. “I think it’s just going to be another day of looking how each person can ski. I think the sprinters are going to have a really good opportunity to whip some people and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Go to UniversalSports.com for highlights of all the action in Liberec.
The Finland women’s cross country team dominated the field today in a 4×5 km relay race at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. The team, made up of World Cup stars Pirjo Muranen, Virpi Kuitunen, Riitta-Liisa Roponen and Aino Kaisa Saarinen, won the race by 13 seconds to defend their title, won at the 2007 championships.
“This is a great feeling to get every day a gold,” Saarinen told Associated Press writer Mattias Karen. Saarinen also claimed gold in the opening 10K classical race last week and the team sprint on Wednesday.
The German team led by Claudia Nystad pulled in the second-place honors, while Sweden was .4 seconds behind to climb on the podium in third.
The American team of Kikkan Randall, Morgan Arritola, Elizabeth Stephen and Caitlin Compton finished 14th.
“Each individual skied their hardest, so that’s all we can ask,” U.S. cross country head coach Pete Vordenberg said.
The American athletes sank in the standings during every leg of the race, but Vordenberg saw a lot to be proud of in his racers. “We had a really strong start with Kikkan. She probably had her best classic race of all time. Then it tagged over to Morgan and I think it’s safe to say it was her best 5K classic race as well,” Vordenberg said. “Liz had a really fast start. She probably didn’t pace it quite right, but skied super strong. Caitlin was our anchor. She didn’t have the best day, but she skied her butt off and that’s what we ask of them.”
Tomorrow the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will tackle the men’s 4X5 relay. “We have the men’s relay tomorrow and it’s kind of a hodge podge of distance guys and sprinters,” Vordenberg said. “I think it’s just going to be another day of looking how each person can ski. I think the sprinters are going to have a really good opportunity to whip some people and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Go to UniversalSports.com for highlights of all the action in Liberec.
Rank | Bib | Name | Nation | Time | FIS Points | |
1 | FINLAND | FIN | 54:24.3 | |||
MURANEN Pirjo | 14:11.2 | |||||
KUITUNEN Virpi | 13:57.2 | |||||
ROPONEN Riitta-Liisa | 13:41.2 | |||||
SAARINEN Aino Kaisa | 12:34.7 | |||||
2 | GERMANY | GER | 54:37.3 | |||
ZELLER Katrin | 14:34.7 | |||||
SACHENBACHER STEHLE Evi | 14:44.9 | |||||
GOESSNER Miriam | 12:37.9 | |||||
NYSTAD Claudia | 12:39.8 | |||||
3 | SWEDEN | SWE | 54:37.7 | |||
ANDERSSON Lina | 14:33.0 | |||||
NORGREN Britta | 14:38.6 | |||||
HAAG Anna | 13:09.3 | |||||
KALLA Charlotte | 12:16.8 | |||||
4 | NORWAY | NOR | 54:40.4 | |||
BJOERGEN Marit | 14:19.9 | |||||
JOHAUG Therese | 14:20.3 | |||||
STEIRA Kristin Stoermer | 13:01.2 | |||||
KRISTOFFERSEN Marthe | 12:59.0 | |||||
5 | ITALY | ITA | 55:16.8 | |||
CONFORTOLA Antonella | 15:13.0 | |||||
LONGA Marianna | 14:07.7 | |||||
VALBUSA Sabina | 13:19.7 | |||||
FOLLIS Arianna | 12:36.4 | |||||
6 | POLAND | POL | 55:36.4 | |||
KOWALCZYK Justyna | 14:06.9 | |||||
MAREK Kornelia | 15:07.6 | |||||
JASKOWIEC Sylwia | 12:42.2 | |||||
MACIUSZEK Paulina | 13:39.7 | |||||
7 | JAPAN | JPN | 55:40.4 | |||
NATSUMI Madoka | 14:43.5 | |||||
ISHIDA Masako | 14:07.1 | |||||
KASHIWABARA Michito | 13:28.9 | |||||
FUKUDA Nobuko | 13:20.9 | |||||
8 | RUSSIA | RUS | 56:01.7 | |||
SIDKO Alena | 14:16.6 | |||||
ROTCHEVA Olga | 15:07.2 | |||||
TCHEPALOVA Julija | 13:37.6 | |||||
MEDVEDEVA Evgenia | 13:00.3 | |||||
9 | FRANCE | FRA | 56:04.4 | |||
BOURGEOIS PIN Elodie | 15:14.8 | |||||
LAURENT PHILIPPOT Karine | 14:31.4 | |||||
HUGUE Coraline | 13:08.1 | |||||
BOURGEOIS Celia | 13:10.1 | |||||
10 | BELARUS | BLR | 56:49.1 | |||
VASILJONOK Olga | 15:15.4 | |||||
SANNIKOVA Alena | 14:33.9 | |||||
RUDAKOVA Ekaterina | 13:38.7 | |||||
LOPATINA Viktoria | 13:21.1 | |||||
11 | KAZAKHSTAN | KAZ | 56:55.7 | |||
ROSHINA Tatjana | 15:57.3 | |||||
KOLOMINA Elena | 14:47.5 | |||||
MALAHOVA Svetlana | 13:12.4 | |||||
JATSKAJA Oxana | 12:58.5 | |||||
12 | UKRAINE | UKR | 57:19.1 | |||
JAKIMCHUK Vita | 15:33.0 | |||||
NESTERENKO Lada | 15:36.3 | |||||
ANTSYBOR Maryna | 13:26.7 | |||||
SHEVCHENKO Valentina | 12:43.1 | |||||
13 | CZECH REPUBLIC | CZE | 57:33.4 | |||
SKALNIKOVA Eva | 16:16.7 | |||||
RAJDLOVA Kamila | 14:30.9 | |||||
JANECKOVA Ivana | 13:26.3 | |||||
ERBENOVA Helena | 13:19.5 | |||||
14 | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | USA | 57:40.7 | |||
RANDALL Kikkan | 14:34.1 | |||||
ARRITOLA Morgan | 15:11.3 | |||||
STEPHEN Elizabeth | 13:25.2 | |||||
COMPTON Caitlin | 14:30.1 | |||||
15 | ESTONIA | EST | 58:10.0 | |||
UDRAS Kaija | 15:12.7 | |||||
OJASTE Triin | 15:02.7 | |||||
MANNIMA Tatjana | 14:05.9 | |||||
SIRGE Kaili | 13:48.7 |