An article on CTV.ca points out that Canadian Olympians winning medals are paid $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000 for gold, silver and bronze medals respectively. Paralympians, on the other hand, are not paid.
The B Sample for Polish skier Kornelia Marek has tested positive for the banned substance EPO. Last week the Polish Ski Association was informed the Marek’s A-sample, taken following the 4×5km relay at the Olympics, had tested positive for EPO. Marek denied she had done anything wrong, and expressed the hope that the B sample would prove her innocence.
That hope was short lived, and she now faces a two-year ban. The 25-year-old skied very well at the Olympics, helping the Polish team to 6th in the relay and placing 11th in the 30km. Marek’s previous best World Cup result had been a 26th.
Fredrik Aukland of Norway, the Swiss National Team coach will leave the Swiss team after the season.
Earlier today he explained reasons for his decision.
“I want to spend more time with my girls at home and therefore want to reduce traveling.”
Aukland will continue to be involved in Cross-Country skiing.
“I’ve got new job with Arena Group. I will help them to develop concepts for health and motivation.”
Aukland, however, will not leave Dario Cologna.
“I will continue coaching for a few racers like Dario. I have had a fantastic time in Switzerland and will take with me this great experience. Now new challenges are ahead of me!”
On Sunday in Lahti, the Norwegians showed that homefield advantage can’t hold a candle to fitness, as both their men and women skied away from host nation Finland and everyone else in the 4×5 and 4×10 k relays.
In the women’s race, it was Marit Bjoergen besting Germany’s Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Italy’s Arianna Follis in a three-up sprint, while for the men, it was Norway’s second team, anchored by the unheralded Kristian Tettli Rennemo, that won over their first team, as well as Germany and Russia.
Full results here, and report to come.
Marit Bjoergen and Maurice Manificat won the 15 and 30 k pursuit races in Lahti, Finland this morning. Kikkan Randall and James Southam led the way for the United States, in 24th and 36th, respectively. No Canadians took to the start line.
With four athletes with a chance, albeit small, to medal in Sunday’s 50 k classic event at the Olympics, Canada’s Head Coach Inge Braten is planning on leaving Brian McKeever off the start list, instead choosing Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw, George Grey, and Ivan Babikov.
McKeever was shooting to become the first athlete to compete in the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, as he is legally blind.
For more, see this article by the Canadian Press.
We have received a number of questions about the classic wax for the men’s 4×10km relay and the women’s 4×5km event.
The men’s race was the more challenging of the two, with some rain early turning to very heavy wet snow.
From what we were able to determine, most teams raced on hairies. Tor Arne Hetland, the German sprint coach, told us that the Germans were on klister. Lukas Bauer (CZE) was on hairies and said he believed that 90% of skiers raced on hairies. He did say that he thought Johan Olsson of Sweden raced on hard wax.
The Canadian team had zeros on course as backup skis, and Andy Newell skied hairies on a pair of Kikkan Randall’s skis.
The women’s race featured a little bit of snow, but the track was fairly transformed. The US raced on klister, and given the wet, predominantly corned nature of the snow, most teams were likely on something similar.
International media are reporting that Sweden’s Emil Jonsson and Norway’s Ola Vigen Hattestad and Marit Bjoergen are all sitting out of the team sprint.
The Norwegians will start Oystein Petterson and Petter Northug on the men’s side, while it will their women’s team will consist of Celine Brun-Lie and Astrid Jacobsen.
Sweden’s team has not been confirmed, but Jonsson has apparently contracted an illness since appearing happy and healthy at the men’s pursuit yesterday. Hattestad is also sick, and Bjoergen, while not ill, is sitting out as a precaution to allow her to give everything in the relay and 30k.
The American pairs for Monday’s team sprint have been selected, according to U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Pete Vordenberg.
For the men, it will be veteran sprinters Torin Koos and Andy Newell. For the women, Kikkan Randall and Caitlin Compton will start.
Referring to Koos and Newell, Vordenberg said that “right now, these are the guys with the most experience–that, to us, made the most sense.”
Kris Freeman and Simi Hamilton were both considered for the team, but Freeman has had some issues with blood sugar management, while Vordenberg said that he’s not sure about Hamilton’s health.
As for the women, Randall is a no-brainer, while Compton is also a strong skater.
Late Saturday night, Chandra Crawford tweeted the Canadian selections: Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey on the men’s side, and Sara Renner and Dasha Gaiazova for the women.
Kershaw had to beat out George Grey for a spot, as the latter matched up with Harvey for a third-place finish in last year’s World Cup at Whistler Olympic Park. Following some lackluster results in the Canmore World Cups two weeks ago, Kershaw sat out Monday’s 15k in order to be fresh for the team sprint, but after today’s pursuit finish behind Grey, he said that he wasn’t sure whether he’d be picked.
Gaiazova had to beat out Crawford, but her sprinting consistency this season appears to have given the former the edge.
Norwegian legend Bente Skari says she is “sure” that Marit Bjoergen will win more medals over the rest of the 2010 Olympics.
“She seems to be so full of self confidence,” Skari told FasterSkier this morning.
After some rough going over the last few winters, Skari said that she didn’t expect to see her countrywoman performing well this year.
“Right now I’m not surprised that she is doing that well. But if you had asked me before the season, I had thought that she will not have these medals,” said Skari.
She added that the Norwegian women are all thrilled by Bjoergen’s success, and that they are “working as a team,” rather than a bunch of individuals gathered in one place.
Skari is in Whistler as a member of the race jury. That body is currently involved in a minor controversy stemming from yesterday’s women’s pursuit, when Norway accused Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) of skating too early in the transition. The case affects the Norwegians because Kowalczyk edged Kristin Stormer Steira (NOR) in a photo finish.
Norway didn’t lodge a protest, but Skari said that the jury already examined the incident and ruled that Kowalczyk didn’t do anything wrong.
“What [Norway] can do now is make an appeal, and they are welcome to do that,” she said.
The Norwegian television station NRK reported this morning that its country’s team will make its decision on an appeal after today’s men’s pursuit.
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