Randall/Diggins win World Cup Team Sprint
World Cup: Quebec City
Fri, Dec 7, 2012 - By USSA
QUEBEC CITY, PQ (Dec. 7) - Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) and Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN) made U.S. Ski Team history on the streets of Quebec City, taking the first ever American team event win. Diggins skied a masterful final lap of the two-person team sprint to put the USA into the lead, handing off to Randall who held off a hard-charging pack for the win. Kazhakstan took the men's victory. Their historic win was carried live on the USSA Network. Action continues from Quebec City Saturday with individual freestyle sprints. Live coverage of heats begins at 1:05 p.m. on the USSA Network.
Kikkan Randall leads the last lap to the finish as she and Jessie Diggins scored an historic win in the Quebec City World Cup team sprint. (Reese Brown).
HIGHLIGHTS
- Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) and Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN) combined for the first American win in a team event.
- Diggins came from behind on her third and final leg to survive a near crash and charge into the lead.
- Randall maintained the lead on the anchor leg, holding off charges by Germany and Norway.
- Last January, Randall and Diggins teamed up to finish a then record second in a freestyle team sprint in Milan.
- USA 2 with Ida Sargent (Orleans, VT) and Holly Brooks (Anchorage) qualified for the finals and finished ninth.
- Racing continues Saturday with an individual freestyle sprint. Start time is 1:15 p.m. EST with live coverage on the USSA Network beginning at 1:05 p.m.
QUOTES
Kikkan Randall
We just wanted to go out and execute a nice smooth race plan, build our way up through the field, stay out of trouble and I think we executed it just like we wanted to today and It's nice to make that happen.
It's a great reward to be able to win in front of friends and family. Everyone traveled really far to come out and support us today so we wanted to go out and do our job and put on a good show and the atmosphere here was fantastic today. It's so cool for us to see the American flag and hear our names called out. I'm glad we put in a good performance. I'm excited that I felt strong today, with this course and with the conditions, anything can happen but tomorrow I hope to put out a good performance like I did today.
I was really happy with the way I felt out there today. It was a good fast pace the whole race which I thought was a good test for me I'm really happy to be back on my skis and in good form.
Jessie Diggins
It was overwhelmingly awesome to be here and win with a crowd so close to home and to be sprinting with the girl who has been my mentor and who I've looked up to my entire life. All of the wax techs and coaches did their job perfectly and that made us do our jobs perfectly! I'm happy I stayed on my feet!
RESULTS
- Official Results
- Top 10 teams (Women):
| 1 | UNITED STATES I | USA | 21:49.5 | |||
| DIGGINS Jessica | ||||||
| RANDALL Kikkan | ||||||
| 2 | GERMANY | GER | 21:50.4 | |||
| KOLB Hanna | ||||||
| HERRMANN Denise | ||||||
| 3 | NORWAY I | NOR | 21:50.6 | |||
| BRUN-LIE Celine | ||||||
| FALLA Maiken Caspersen | ||||||
| 4 | RUSSIA II | RUS | 21:50.9 | |||
| SHAPOVALOVA Evgenia | ||||||
| NIKOLAEVA Svetlana | ||||||
| 5 | FINLAND | FIN | 21:51.0 | |||
| MALVALEHTO Mona-Lisa | ||||||
| KYLLOENEN Anne | ||||||
| 6 | SLOVENIA I | SLO | 21:58.7 | |||
| VISNAR Katja | ||||||
| FABJAN Vesna | ||||||
| 7 | RUSSIA I | RUS | 22:00.3 | |||
| DOTSENKO Anastasia | ||||||
| KOROSTELEVA Natalia | ||||||
| 8 | SWEDEN II | SWE | 22:08.1 | |||
| PAJALA Magdalena | ||||||
| SOEMSKAR Linn | ||||||
| 9 | UNITED STATES II | USA | 22:25.5 | |||
| SARGENT Ida | ||||||
| BROOKS Holly | ||||||
| 10 | NORWAY II | NOR | 22:38.6 | |||
| GJEITNES Kari Vikhagen | ||||||
| OESTBERG Ingvild Flugstad |