Newell 10th in Oberhof Sprint
Tour de Ski
Sun, Dec 29, 2013 - By USSA
OBERHOF, Germany (Dec. 29) – Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) skied into 10th place after qualifying 12th at the slushy freestyle sprint in Oberhof, the second stage of the Tour de Ski. Sophie Caldwell (Peru, VT) qualified fifth for the women, the best qualification of her career, before finishing 22nd behind Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN) in 18th. The Tour moves to Lenzerheide Tuesday for classic sprints, where U.S. athletes hope for better snow conditions and a chance to boost their overall tour standings.
Andy Newell, seen here at World Championships, skied into 10th place after qualifying 12th at the slushy freestyle sprint in Oberhof Sunday, the second stage of the Tour de Ski. (Sarah Brunson/U.S. Ski Team)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) skied into 10th place after qualifying 12th at the slushy freestyle sprint in Oberhof, the second stage of the Tour de Ski. Newell moved up to 11th in the Tour standings after Sunday’s sprint.
- Sophie Caldwell (Peru, VT) qualified fifth for the women, the best qualification of her career, before finishing 22nd behind Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN) in 18th. Caldwell moved into 13th and Diggins into 14th in the Tour standings, which are based on qualifying times.
- Diggins had a good start and took the early lead to set the pace, but she lost the lead in the transition from a downhill into an uphill about two-thirds into the race.
- The Swedes took both victories today with Calle Halfvarsson winning the men’s race and Hanna Erikson winning for the women.
- The sprint consisted of a single lap of 1.5k track starting in the stadium, around a track and then out into the woods. The narrow track and wet, thin snowpack was again a factor in the competition.
- The Tour moves to Lenzerheide, Switzerland Tuesday for classic sprints, where U.S. athletes hope for better snow conditions and a chance to boost their overall tour standings.
QUOTES
Chris Grover, U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Head Coach
It was just an okay day by us today. Liz, Holly and Simi all missed qualification so narrowly. Simi was unfortunate to have a snow squall just as he was beginning his qualification round that really slowed down the track. Highlights for us were Andy's 10th place finish. He skied his quarterfinal like a pro and really executed his plan, making a critical lunge at the finish to make it into the semifinal. And Sophie's fifth place qualification really demonstrates that she is a full World Cup contender in sprint now, able to qualify in either technique on any given day.