Justyna Kowalczyk from Poland dominate the Pursuit in Rybinsk as expected and won the race over 2 x 7,5km in 41:50.8min, 9,8 seconds ahead of Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle from Germany. Olga Schuchkina captured the last spot of the podium and finished 21,2 seconds behind Kowlaczyk on the third place.

Kowalczyk made the pace from the beginning on. After two kilometers she had already a little gap to her contenders. Behind her, there was a group with four Russians and Evi Sachenbacher Stehle from Germany who were fighting for the other podium spots. After an attack of Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle in the last round, the group was split. The German took her first podium place in this season with the second rank while Olga Schuchkina and Yulia Tchekaleva were fighting for the third place. In the final sprint Schuchkina was 0.9 seconds faster then her team mate Techekaleva.

With winning all intermediate bonus sprints, Justyna Kowalczyk won in total 130 World Cup points in this race and she is now clearly in the lead of the overall World Cup with being 268 points ahead of Petra Majdic, who is not at the start during this World Cup weekend in Rybinsk. Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN) is in this ranking on the third place.

In the distance World Cup ranking, Kowalczyk increased her gap as well. She has now in total 676 points while Aino Kaisa Saarinen is second with 414 points.

Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)
It was my goal here to win this race. Therefore I was here. And also to gain as much as possible World Cup points for the overall World Cup ranking. The race was great. In classics everything was just perfect. The skis worked very well. In free technique I had to work a bit harder but I had nothing to do except for racing and racing forward. It is not so easy to ski alone but I felt confident.

Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle (GER)
I'm really happy about my second place. I felt better and better during the race and manage to reach the Russian group and go ahead. This podium removed a stone from my heart as this season started not so well for me. Now I feel fine and hope to reach the top shape at Olympics.

Olga Schuchkina (RUS)
I'm very glad. It is my first ever podium in the WC races. The skis were wonderful. I started well and stayed in the leading group during the whole race. Then I joined Evi's spurt and finished third as a result.

FIScrosscountry.com
Saturday 23 January 2010

First victory for Artem Zhmurko

24-year-old Artem Zhmurko took in his second World Cup race his first victory ever. The Russian newcomer finished the today's Pursuit over 2 x 15 km in a time of 1:15.23min, 0,9 seconds ahead of his team mate Ilia Chernousov. The success of the Russian team made Sergej Shiriaev complete who won the sprint for the third place just ahead of the German René Sommerfeldt.

For Zmurko it was after winning last year the 30 km at the Universiade and the 9th place last week at the World Cup in Otepää the greatest success in his career so far while Ilia Chernousov also managed his first World Cup podium ever.

The competition was animated with the intermediate sprints for World Cup points. Three times the athletes had the chance to fight for them. René Sommerfeldt was one of the most dominate racers for it and took during the race already 30 World Cup points. But at the end, the race was decided on the last uphill and the finish sprint between seven athletes.

In the overall World Cup ranking nothing has changed after the today's race. Still Petter Norhtug (NOR) is in the lead ahead of Lukas Bauer and Marcus Hellner. René Sommerfeldt moved a big step forward to the seventh in the World Cup ranking by winning in total 80 points today. Also the distance World Cup ranking stays the same like yesterday: Northug ahead of Bauer and Hellner.

Artem Zhmurko (RUS)
I'm so happy about my first place! Classic part was quite hard for me but I tried to keep up. Free technique part went better, I stayed in the leading group all the time and managed to go ahead at the finish. I had no special tactic, I just tried to ski as fast as possible.

Ilia Chernousov (RUS)
I'm satisfied with my podium place because the competitors were really strong. I always kept my eye on Germans and Italians.

Sergej Shiriaev (RUS)
I'm glad to be the third today. It was a tough fight but the audience was very supportive and my skis were well prepared so I could compete successfully. Thanks to all!

FIScrosscountry.com
Saturday 23 January 2010

Lamy Chappuis wins "Schwarzwaldpokal"

Jason Lamy Chappuis won the individual competition in Schonach. With his fifth victory of the season he could also score valueable points again in the fight for the overall World Cup. Pavel Churavy from the Czech Republic was second, young Italian Alessandro Pittin third.
 
On this sunny day in the ski resort in the Black Forest most of the 10 000 fans were hoping for a German victory - the last German winner was Hubert Schwartz 23 years ago. But the audience also cheered on the athletes from other countries.

So the leaders after the jumping - all on a shared first place - Pavel Churavy, Alessandro Pittin and Wilhelm Denifl started the race at the very same time. They were followed closely by the highflyer of the season, Jason Lamy Chappuis (+0:01) and Finland's Lauri Asikainen (+0:02). But the young Finn could not keep up the speed in the second lap, Wilhelm Denifl after half of the race.
The remaining athletes kept their lead stable: "We worked together in the race and keep the distance to the others", Lamy Chappuis explained the tactics of the leaders. After half of the race only the two Germans Tino Edelmann, Bjoern Kircheisen and Swiss Ronny Heer chased the leading group. But in spite of hard work they got not get closer than 20 seconds to the leaders - Pittin, Lamy Chappuis and Churavy were fighting for the victory.
Junior World Champion Pittin was in the lead in the last lap, but close before the home stretch Jason Lamy Chappuis got in front. The French was slipstreaming behind Pittin in the final lap and waited for the right moment to attack. A successful tactics - on the last part of the course he could get a lead of a couple of meters, defended that until the finish line and won after 21:34.5 minutes. Pavel Churavy followed as second (+2.1), ahead of Pittin (+4.4).
 
The winner was satisfied: "The race suited me very well. I had a good lead and 500 m before the finish I could break away of the other two." After one in 2002 and two more early 2009, it was the fourth podium finish in a World Cup for Pavel Churavy: "I'm very happy. Sports is really fun like that - here in Schonach everything is well organized and the public interest is huge." Also only 19-year-old Pittin was happy about his second podium result, after the third place in Ramsau last December: "It was a very tough race. We worked well together and had a good lead in the fourth lap. Unfortunately I could not keep up with Jason in the last climb, I was not strong enough for the sprint."
 
There was a little sensation in the jumping competition earlier today: Three jumpers shared the first place so that the so-called "Leader's box" was almost too small at the end. Czech Pavel Churavy, young Italian Alessandro Pittin and Austrian Wilhelm Denifl all reached 120 points. Churavy and Pittin with jumps of 92.5 m (the longest jumps of the round), Denifl with 91 m. World Cup leader Jason Lamy Chappuis (91.5 m, 199.8 points) and Lauri Asikainen (90 m, 119.6 points, +0:02) followed. Denifl ended the race on a good seventh place (+1:03.3), Asikainen was only 47th (+3:38.2).
 
With this victory in Schonach Lamy Chappuis not only celebrated his fifth victory of the season, but also scored valueable points. At the moment he is 380 points ahead of Austrian Felix Gottwald. If the French has a lead of 300 points after the competitions in Seefeld, the last competitions before the Olympics, he already is the winner of the overall World Cup. "This was a very important competition for me, because it was my last before the Olympic Games. I will not take part in Seefeld, so I wanted to score as many points as possible." So Seefeld will be a challenge for Gottwald - he has to score at least 80 points.
 
The German team will be one of the favorites for the team competition on Sunday. Four athletes finished in the Top 10 today (Bjoern Kircheisen 4th, Tino Edelmann 5th, Mark Schlott 8th and Georg Hettich 9th) - this means they have best chances to repeat last year's victory - the fans would love to see that happen.
 
And there was another reason to celebrate for the Germans: The team for the Olympic Games was complete after the competition. Georg Hettich, Olympic Champion 2006, will be the fifth man on the team for Vancouver, besides Kircheisen, Edelmann, Frenzel and Rydzek. Head coach Hermann Weinbuch confirmed that: "Georg Hettich showed his best performance of the season with this ninth place today. In spite of difficult conditions he had a good jump and defended his place in the race. For Vancouver I wanted somebody who puts his heart in the game. At the moment he is only fifth man on the team but if he does really well in training in Vancouver we would have to talk again."

FISnordiccombined.com
23.01.2010 17:38