Nordic Roundup: 12 for Ahonen; Worlds without Aukland?; Lodwick podium; U.S. lady flyers

Nordic Roundup: 12 for Ahonen; Worlds without Aukland?; Lodwick podium; U.S. lady flyers{mosimage}Ski jumper Janne Ahonen has dominated his sport since the opening meet of the season, and Saturday he set the record for most victories in a World Cup season, collecting his 12th win of the winter in Neustadt, Germany.

This was one of his toughest wins, according to Ahonen because he had been sick with the flu January 15-16 and returned to Finland for rest and then some training. But he didn’t get the training he hoped for, so when he returned to Germany, he was a little antsy. No need to worry. He won the first meet of the weekend and broke away from German martin Schmitt, who won 11 events in the 2000 season, and Adam Malysz of Poland, who won 11 in 2001.

Ahonen is not only well in front of the points parade, he’s almost triple the No. 2 jumper – Czech Jakub Janda, who won Sunday’s event – in prize money. Ahonen, who loves drag racing in the summer, won’t have a problem paying for gas after this season. Halfway through the winter, he’s won 305,500 Swiss francs (about $230,000) while Janda has a 106,000 Sfr.

Aukland shaky for ’05 world Championships

Norway’s Anders Aukland, one of the premier classic skiers in cross-country racing but battling a virus all season, may not get a ticket to the upcoming nordic World Championships February 17-27 in Oberstdorf, Germany.

According to a story on langrenn.com, Aukland wasn’t sure he would be healthy enough to race at the Norwegian Championships, the final selection ground for Worlds. “It’s going better,” he said, “but I’m still in no shape to race. …I have to see day to day.”

Aukland won the fabled Vasaloppet and Marcialonga, two long-distance, classic technique races, a year ago – Sweden’s Vasa is a 90-kilometer hairshirt, the Marcialonga goes from Moena to Cavalese in Italy’s Val di Fiemme and is a 70km bruiser. With that kind of distance pedigree, Aukland had circled the 50km classic at Worlds…but that was when he was healthy. As he told the Norwegian website, “I need to be completely healthy for there even to be any reason for me to start.”

Lodwick snags fourth podium in combined

An intensive week of training in Norway paid a quick dividend for Todd Lodwick as he led the one-round of jumping Sunday in Liberec, Czech Republic and held on during the 7.5km race to finish third. He also stands third in the World Cup points while Johnny Spillane is eighth; he caught a cold of some sort in Norway and it slowed him mightily as he dropped to 28th in the sprint portion of the contest.

“We had an intensive week, jumping and then doing intervals every other day,” Lodwick told Ski Racing. “So, we’re a little tired, a little leg weary, and Johnny’s fighting that cold, or whatever it is…but this is the plan for the season. That was the end of the heavy workouts and we’re looking to medal at Worlds in Oberstdorf. We feel we’re ready. We’ll see.”

Sagen, Van, Jerome still sizzling

Norway’s Anette Sagen won the opening two events of the women’s ski jumping Continental Cup schedule, but Americans Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome and Alissa Johnson aren’t making it easy for her. A year ago, Sagen won the women’s jumping demonstration event at World Juniors in Geilo, Norway.

Van was second in each meet while Jerome was fifth in Planica, Slovenia, and third in Dobbiacco, Italy. Johnson, who had her skis clipped en route to Planica, got a new pair and finished eighth in the first event, sixth in the second.

Wadsworth, King Wins at Bachelor

Former Olympic cross-country skiing teammates Justin Wadsworth and Suzanne King won this season’s 3rd U.S. Bank Great Nordeen*Shortnord Nordic Ski Race from Sunrise Lodge at Oregon’s Mount Bachelor to Wanoga Sno-Park. Wadsworth, a three-time Olympian, had a winning time was 57:21.4 while King, a two-time Olympic performer, topped the women in the field of 200-plus with a time of 1:06.12.3. The Shortnord winner was Carson Miller (1:11.58.6) while Inge Scheve was the women’s winner (1:14.15.4).

Rather than scrub the 42-km race because of the unusual low-snow winter, organizers shortened it to 30km. The U.S. Bank race is a major fundraiser for the Mount Bachelor Ski Education Foundation nordic department, supporting race training programs as well as masters, junior and youth programs.