After three straight days of some challenging weather conditions, the second of the weekend’s back-to-back Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup competitions in Idre Fjall, Sweden, took place under perfect blue skies on a perfectly prepared track on Sunday, with Marielle Thompson (CAN) and Swedish favourite Victor Oehling Norberg taking advantage and claiming the wins to close out a highly successful competition.
Sunday’s event was an entirely different beast than was the day before’s, as the continuous snow which slowed the athletes throughout the day on Saturday was replaced by bright sun and a fast-running, technical track that rewarded precision and punished mistakes. And, with the stakes up and the drama heightened, the big crowd on hand was rewarded with what may have been the most exciting ski cross competition of the season.
The course in Idre Fjall was set up in such a way that no one who stayed on their feet was ever really out of contention, and on several occasions we witnessed skiers falling 15 or 20 meters back of the frontrunner early on, only to nail the high-speed rhythms of the extended final straightaway to rocket through the finish line in the lead.
In fact, both eventual winners Thompson and Oehling Norberg found their way to the finals by winning heats that they trailed at some point.
Thompson, who took second-place on Saturday, was joined in the ladies’ big final by fellow Saturday finalists Sandra Naeslund (SWE) and Alizee Baron (FRA), who finished third and fourth on Saturday, respectively, as well as Katrin Ofner (AUT), who won Saturday’s small final.
The winner on Saturday, Anna Holmlund (SWE), failed to make it through to a big final for the first time this season, and with her out of the way the other four ladies’ simply moved up a step on the podium, with Thompson taking the win, Naeslund second, Baron third, and Ofner in fourth.
With strong starts, Naelsund and Baron pulled out front our of the gate, though Thompson would have them both reeled by the time they reached the course’s negative corner and would leave them to battle for second while she settled in to her lead. Later, Naeslund very nearly crashed over the biggest jump on the course, but was able to land cat-like on one foot, seeming to pull more speed out of the awkward air and pulling ahead of Baron over the final rollers to claim second.
“I tried to ski my best all day today and be patient with the course,” Thompson said after the race, “There were opportunities to make big moves on the bottom portion of the track which I capitalized on a couple times today. The track was a lot faster today and the weather was perfect. It couldn’t have been a better day.”
The win was Thompson’s fourth on the season, and her fifth podium after she earned second place on Saturday, and though it closed the gap slightly on World Cup leader Holmlund, she remains more than 200 points back of the Swede, with 607 points to Holmlund’s 815.
Baron maintains her hold on third overall, despite Naeslund’s two-podium weekend, with 539 points to Naeslund’s 491.
In the men’s final, Oehling Norberg was lined up against Thomas Zangerl (AUT), Jonas Lenherr (SUI), and Louis-Pierre Helie (CAN), who was appearing in his first-ever ski cross World Cup big final.
Helie nearly managed to sneak out front at the start of the big final, a snuck in behind Oehling Norberg to ski in second through the top two corners. However, it appeared he might have been focusing too much on a his first World Cup podium and not enough on who might be looking to get by him, as first Lenherr, then Zangerl had snuck by him by the end of the negative turn.
Oehling Norberg skied unbelievably well throughout the day, nailing the make-or-break “Triple Double” roller section of the course with aplomb time and time again, including one last time in the big final.
There, Oehling Norberg’s dominance on the day was most clearly highlighted, as all three of his competitors made small mistake on the tricky featuring, forcing them all into a tight pack and ending the day with another photofinish.
“It’s an awesome feeling to get another win in Sweden,” said Oehling Norberg following Sunday’s race, “To have my friends and family here to cheering me on from the sidelines is great. And it’s nice to be back on top of the podium. It’s been a weird season for me, but today I skied great and hopefully I can keep it going through the next few races.”
The win was just his second on a season that has seen him miss races due to back pain and have some unlucky outcomes despite strong skiing.
Despite losing a ski on the first turn and not making it out of the preliminary rounds, Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA) continues to lead the men’s rankings, though Brady Leman’s (CAN) sixth place performance moved the Canadian to within striking distance, with 510 points to Chapuis’ 584. Leman’s teammate Christopher Delbosco sits in third with 478 points after a strong weekend at a phenomenal competition in Idre Fjall.
From here, the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup tour moves on to one of the most anticipated stops of the season, with the Test Event for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games on Korea scheduled for February 26-28, 2016.
GEPA Pictures hi-res photos (for editorial use)
Source: fis-ski.com
