Kowalczyk and Northug: the 2010 World Cup Cross-Country Champions
World Cup
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 - By FIS
The Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country finished the season, for the third time, with the FIS World Cup Final of four races; a sprint in Stockholm and three races in Falun (both SWE). In both ladies' and men's overall rankings, the winners of the World Cup trophies were already decided before the Final started. By showing outstanding performances all season long Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk and Norway's Petter Northug claimed clear victory in the season standings.
In fact, Justyna Kowalczyk recorded her second consecutive overall World Cup title in a dominant manner. The Polish Olympic champion started in 29 of 31 races and earned World Cup points each time. In the end, she triumphed by an amazing 744 point margin over Marit Bjoergen (NOR) who showed a strong performance at the end of the season and won the World Cup Final. Injured Petra Majdic (SLO) finished 3rd overall. Kowalczyk took earned the small crystal trophies for the distance and sprint World Cup.
On the men's side, Petter Northug celebrated his first overall World Cup victory after losing the title last year in the World Cup Final. The 24-year-old Norwegian became the first to win the large globe for his country since the victory of Bjoern Daehli in 1999. Behind Northug, the 2008 overall World Cup winner Lukas Bauer finished second whilst youngster Marcus Hellner from Sweden took third spot. The Olympic Champion Northug claimed victory also in the distance overall World Cup while the sprint World Cup went to Sweden's Emil Joensson.
In the Nations' Cup, Norway took the honors 2198 points ahead of Russia. Sweden finished third, 3106 points behind the winning team. All in all, 15 different nations made it on to the Cross-Country podium this season and 10 even reached the top spot.
A couple of Cross-Country stars have already announced their retirement. The upcoming World Cup season 2010/2011 will be without former overall World Cup and Tour de Ski winner Virpi Kuitunen (FIN), Sweden's Olympic champion Anna Olsson (former Dahlberg), Olympic medalist Sara Renner (CAN) and Olympic medalist in relay Sabina Valbusa (ITA). Also overall World Cup winner of 2004, Germany's René Sommerfeldt concluded his long career with the FIS Cross-Country World Cup Final in Falun but said that the Cross-Country family will not lose him as he is thinking about being a coach in the future.
Viessmann FIS Cross-Country World Cup 2009/2010 champions
Ladies:
Overall World Cup: Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)
Distance World Cup: Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)
Sprint World Cup: Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)
Nations' Cup ladies: Norway
Men:
Overall World Cup: Petter Northug (NOR)
Distance World Cup: Petter Northug (NOR)
Sprint World Cup: Emil Joensson (SWE)
Nations' Cup men: Norway
Nations' Cup Overall: Norway
Contributed by Sandra Spitz