The 2023 FIS Cross Country Ski World Championships has come to a close, ending the two-week race series with one of the most grueling races, the 50km classic. Four U.S. men lined up to the mass start: Scott Patterson, Gus Schumacher, Hunter Wonders and David Norris. Patterson led the team with a 16th place, only two minutes behind the Norwegian leader, with the rest of the U.S. team only seconds behind. 

It was another hot day in Planica. The temperatures climbed throughout the late morning into the afternoon making it a klister day for the kick wax. Same with the women's race, the men had pairs of skis lined up in the stadium area to switch mid-race to have a new pair of sticks to power them through the endless amount of kilometers they were racing. 

With over 31 miles to race and 4,000+ feet of elevation gain, the course played to the strength of those who could charge the uphills, actively recover on the short downhills and maintain a consistent pace. On the first of seven laps, Patterson was in the lead pack, sitting in third place right behind Norway and Finland. A ski length away were teammates Wonders, Norris and Schumacher. Through the next couple of laps, the field began to naturally spread out. With each athlete taking advantage of the feed zones and fueling up with mixtures of electrolytes, energy chews and dumping water on their head, the hours ticked by and the end was close. 

On the last of seven laps, at the high point of the course, Patterson and Norris were neck and neck, working together as teammates on the long uphills. Norris, who is a ski coach and accountant back in the States, traveled over to Slovenia last Tuesday after winning the American Birkebiener in Hayward, Wisconsin. He and Patterson, good friends, have skied and raced together for years, which played to their advantage today as they were able to push each other when they needed it most. At the finish, Patterson was 16th, Norris was 22nd, Schumacher was 28th and Wonders 31st. 

On the last downhill, all four U.S. men charged and skied into the roaring stadium with three in the top 30, and Hunters just seconds away. With the entire team waiting in the finish zone, the U.S. has many things to celebrate at this World Championships, on and off the snow. 

RESULTS
Men's 50k

In the last women’s race of the 2023 World Championships in Planica, Slovenia the 30km classic track was set for one of the most grueling races of the event. With the sun and heat making an appearance after days of rain, sleet, snow and generally unfavorable weather, the 46 women athletes lined up for the mass start race. American Rosie Brennan led the day for the team - in one of her gutsiest races yet. To put this course into perspective, 30km is 18.3 miles total and the athletes would climb over 3,000ft as they crossed the finish line. 

It all started at the noon hour. Along with Brennan on the U.S. roster was Julia Kern, Hailey Swirbul and Sydney Palmer-Leger. All having a few races under their belt in the days leading up, the women were feeling confident going into the last race of an already successful championships. With the length of the course, the athletes and their technicians had to make a solid game plan - would you change skis in the middle of the race to click into a fresh pair with more kick wax? Or would you stick with the planks you had on the start line and ski the entire 18+ miles on the same pair? That was the question for the entire field, with the rapid warming of temperatures throughout the 1.5 hours of racing.

With the sound of the gun launching the athletes onto the course, the women had 30km in front of them, on a hilly and very technical course. Featuring sharp corners that led to broken skis, bindings and poles in the earlier races, to long uphills and fast downhills, this course was simply just challenging. That did not stop the athletes from charging, though. Brennan started the race in the lead pack and never let up until she toed the finish line. With Ebba Andersson of Sweden leading the race, a group of five chased her, one of them Brennan.

As the racers spread out as more kilometers were skied, Brennan was still in the lead pack and Kern and Swirbul were only 60 seconds back, navigating the course and the conditions with several other countries. On the second lap through the stadium, Palmer Leger pulled out of the race.

Coming through the stadium after 12-13km, the women changed skis, snapping on a fresh pair of planks to take them to the end. By doing this, the majority of the field had new wax and better odds at cleanly climbing the hills without slipping on the skied out classic tracks. By changing skis, Andersson of Sweden gained a stronger lead but Brennan continued to be right on her heels along with four other racers.

“This one of the best classic races I have ever seen Rosie ski,” said Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “And by far one of the most entertaining classic races I’ve ever watched.”

Going into the last lap, Swirbul was gaining on the athletes ahead of her and was charging up the uphills. As she crested the highest point of the course, she was in perfect position to land herself in the top-20, and that she did. As she crossed the finish line, she was 18th overall, her best-ever individual result at World Championships.

For Brennan, she was having one of the best races of her year. In the sprint to the finish, she crossed the line in fifth, a major result for her but also keeping her hungry for more, knowing that the podium was a second away.

“I skied with my heart today and gave it my all,” said Brennan. “That was a fight. You have to take a chance and put yourself in it, and I fought until the end and gave it all I had.”

At the end of the day, Brennan was fifth, only 16.39 seconds out of first, Swirbul was 18th and Kern was 27th. For the podium, Andersson won the day, Anne Kjersti Kalvaa of Norway was second and Sweden's Frida Karlsson was third. 

Now, the team will be out on course cheering the men as they ski the 50km tomorrow, March 5, then will pack up and head to Norway for period four of World Cup ski racing.

RESULTS

Ben Ogden, Hunter Wonders, Scott Patterson and Gus Schumacher finished seventh in the men’s 4x10km relay today at the 2023 World Championships.

The day started with snow, then turned to rain, then the sun peaked out for a few minutes before the rain came back, making the conditions for the men’s 4x10km team relay anything but easy. With the wax techs from around the World scrambling to find the right wax for both skate and classic skies, 15 teams were at the start line for the third to last race of the championship.

Right off the gun, Ogden was in the mix with the lead pack. With Norway taking the immediate lead, which they never let up until the end, Ogden maintained the speed and led the chase pack through the first 10km of the race. Coming into the stadium, Ogden tagged off teammate Wonders in the fifth position. Also classic skiing, Wonders skied a consistent leg. Taking two laps around the same 5km course the women raced the day prior, Wonders glided up the hills despite the difficult wax conditions and worked the downhills. Into the stadium to tag off the first skate skier of the race, Wonders was in 11th place. Patterson was up next. With Norway now significantly ahead of the entire field, Patterson was chasing the chase pack that included Germany, France, Finland, Sweden and Canada.

"It felt good, it felt really good! The goal is to ski smart - chill in the beginning and ski hard at the end, and we all executed that and I'm stoked. It was a fun one for the whole team." said Ogden. 

With coaches surrounding the entire course and teammate Jessie Diggins on the highest part of the course, Patterson pushed it and made up significant time while fighting for position. As he skied into the stadium before the tag zone, Patterson made up nearly 40 seconds, putting Schumacher in good position to ski the last leg of the relay. With Schumacher anchoring the team, Patterson had a clean tag and Schumacher gave it his all for the last 10km of the cumulative 40km race.

Norway won the day by 46 seconds ahead of Finland who finished the day second. Germany and France fought until the last chance with Germany narrowing out the French team by one second as they crossed the line. The young USA team crossed the line in seventh place and Schumacher was greeted by his teammates as he crossed the line. As all the men congratulated everyone in the finish pen, they were all smiles as they reflected on their race. At the Olympics, the men’s 4x10km relay finished eighth, at World Championships they were seventh, and as all the men said, “it can only go up from here.”

Next up are the longer distance races of World Championships, with the women racing 30km tomorrow, March 4, and the men 50km on March 5.

RESULTS

Hailey Swirbul, Rosie Brennan, Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern crossed the finish line in fifth place today, securing a top-five result on the World stage for the 4x5km team relay. 

On a cold, crisp day with fresh snow on a grueling course which has 200m of climbing, two classic racers and two skate racers from each country put their best effort into the 4x5km team relay. 

Sweden, who were the strongest favorites of the day, led off the line with quick tempo and instant speed. Swirbul of the U.S. led the first leg of the race, claiming her spot in the lead pack right behind Germany. Sweden, Norway, Germany and Finland battled for spots through 3km, until the pack started to spread out. Swirbul kept position and came through the roaring Planica stadium in seventh place, less than 40 seconds out of first. 

Tagging off to the next classic skier, Swirbul had a clean tag to teammate Brennan. Brennan was ready to chase, and chase she did. Closing the gap second by second, she charged up the icy uphills and worked the glazed-over downhills. Falling as she entered the stadium and breaking a pole was not part of the plan, but Brennan, as she does, fought back and skied into stadium with all she had, tagging off teammate Diggins to start the skate portion of the relay. 

Diggins, who just two days ago brought home the first ever individual World Championships gold medal for the United States of America in the 10km skate, was ready to skate once again. Right off the bat, Diggins chased. Closing the gap at every kilometer, the team went from a minute back to around 30 seconds, showcasing her speed in short distances. 

With several broken poles in the race, including a broken pole from Ebba Andersson of Sweden, which cost them more than 15 meters and taking away their lead, the women in the field fought hard. 

Diggins skied into the stadium with ferosity and tagged off the U.S. anchor leg, Kern. Kern showed her speed early and did not hold back. With Norway, Germany and Sweden gaining a more significant lead in the last 5km of the day, Kern chased down the pack and was never far behind. As she came into the stadium, her teammates ran to the finish corral to cheer her across the line. With open arms, Diggins, Brennan and Swirbul made room in their arms for Kern to fall into. 

At the end of the day, the women were fifth across the line, a solid result for the U.S. team. The podium featured Norway in first, Germany in a strong second and Sweden in third. 

"Each of us gave it our all today, said Kern. "That is all you can ask for. I'm just super excited for this team and the effort we put in out there." For Diggins, the sentiment was the same. "All you can give is all that you've got, and this is a team that really gives it their all."

Tomorrow, the men will race the 4x10km team relay. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS

On the cusp of the inaugural Stifel America’s Downhill at Aspen, the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team’s first coach is still impacting the athletes over a half-century later. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is thrilled to announce that the organization has reached its $20 million goal to endow the Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund.

The Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund supports travel expenses for A, B, C and Pro team athletes across alpine, cross country, freestyle, snowboard and freeski. It is unique in the sports world—no other national governing body has an endowment that provides financial support specifically for its athletes’ travel needs. The Beattie Fund is part of the larger Marolt Athlete Endowment campaign, which also raises funds to support coaching, athlete education and sports career transition assistance, in perpetuity.

The fund is named in honor of the late Coach Beattie (1933 – 2018), an icon of the sport of alpine ski racing who led the alpine team to its first men’s medals in 1964 and was a tireless supporter of athletes up to his passing in 2018. Its launch in his name five months prior to his passing was one of his proudest moments.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard thanks all the supporters whose generosity made this achievement possible, especially Board of Trustees members Phill Gross, for his dedication and leadership as the Marolt Athlete Endowment campaign chair, and Karen Arnold, whose passion for this mission drove fundraising forward and across the finish line.  

As one of alpine ski racing’s most passionate pioneers, Beattie remained an outspoken advocate for athlete travel funding throughout his life. The fund was created to specifically close the gap on funding of athlete travel costs to training camps, and domestic and international competitions. While in the past most of those expenses were covered by the team, in recent years a gap in funding created scenarios where athletes were paying to travel with the team.

Beattie stumbled into the national team role in the early 1960s but went on to become its first full-time coach, leading Billy Kidd and Jimmie Heuga to silver and bronze in the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck. He was one of the originators of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup tour, which began in 1967, and went on to pioneer NASTAR, start World Pro Skiing and become a legendary broadcaster with ABC and ESPN. He remained an active trustee with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation for a half-century and was well known for his impassioned speeches at board members imploring more support for athletes.

As a nonprofit organization, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has limited annual resources to allocate across multiple sports. Endowments like the Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund are a great way to augment athlete support and maintain core operational funding. While he was a New Hampshire native, Beattie called Aspen, Colorado home for more than 40 years. It is fitting that we announce the realization of his dream of athlete travel funding ahead of the alpine competition that he championed for many years.

Two U.S. athletes broke into the top twenty in today's 15km individual skate at the 2023 World Championships, with Scott Patterson in 15th and Gus Schumacher in 19th - a strong result for the young men's team. As Head Coach Matt Whitcomb said post-race, the theme of the day was "vicious skiing" by the men's team.  

On a three-lap course of the hilly Slovenian course, it played to the strength of many of the athletes, with working downhills and tactical climbs. With Patterson on the start line were teammates Schumacher, Hunter Wonders and Ben Ogden. With all men having at least one race under their belt of this World Championships and several days of training, the men were ready to compete with the field of 100 other racers, representing over 25+ countries. 

Same as for the women’s 10km skate, the entire tech and coaches staff was on course cheering. At nearly every part of the course, you could see a U.S. coaching staff member yelling splits, or simply just cheering them on until they reached the next person.

For the U.S. men, Patterson led the way for the team. Throughout the entire race, Patterson put up great splits through every course marker. All points throughout the race, he was within the top 20, at some points, in the top ten. As with Patterson, all other athletes posted solid splits on the race. In the first 5k, Wonders was top five in the field, showing his strength and speed out of the gate. Schumacher and Ogden held a consistent and strong pace through the 15k, moving around from top 10, top 15 and top 20 through the 15km of the course. Patterson held strong in the top ten until the last 2km where he ran out of gas. Yet, Patterson pushed until the end and walked away on a high note with only 1.33 minutes out from the top, landing him in the top 15. "I would call it a stellar day for our men out there," said Coach Kristin Bourne. 

Norway won the day, taking the first four spots. Johannes Hosfløt Klaebo was fourth, Hans Christer Holund third, Harald Oestberg Amundsen second and Simen Hegstad Krueger won the gold. For the U.S. team, Patterson led the way and ended the day in 15th, Schumacher was 19th, Ogden 27th and Hunters 33rd.

"All four guys had moments of really great racing out there, and they all skied really well today," said Chris Grover, the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Program Director. 

Now the team resets for the men's 4x10km relay, which features two legs of skate and two legs of classic technique on Friday, March 3. 

RESULTS

At this year's World Championships, you may have heard familiar voices commentating on the multiple races in Planica, Slovenia - that's because five-time Olympian and Olympic champion Kikkan Randall and NBC's Chad Salmela were in the booth for InFront's streaming site skiandsnowboard.live.

Randall has a storied career in cross country skiing. She won the first ever gold medal for Team USA in the 2018 Games with Jessie Diggins and competed in nine World Championships in her career, standing on the podium in three, including the team relay gold, again with Diggins by her side. One of the most decorated skiers in the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team history books with over 14 World Cup wins, Randall's history and perspective within the sport of cross country skiing comes through in the commentating booth. 

Along with Randall is Salmela, a former U.S. Biathlon Team athlete from 1990-98 and commentator of over five Olympics. He has been calling cross country races for years, including the race that Randall and Diggins won at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games - the team sprint. Salmela's "HERE COMES DIGGINS, HERE COMES DIGGINS" screams were heard through the screens of millions of Americans on the day that Diggins and Randall brought home an Olympic gold medal in 2018, and now he is back in the booth aside Randall calling the next rounds of history. 

Catch the two legends together commentating on the remaining races of the FIS Cross Country World Cup circuit, LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live. With over three weeks left of the season, with the World Cup crystal globe in reach, Randall and Salmela will be taking us through this journey with them. 

Jessie Diggins made history at World Championships with a gold medal in the women's 10km skate - the first individual World Championships gold medal in history for the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. "This was one of the best races of my life," Diggins said. "I didn't want to believe it until the race was finished, but I when i finally got up off the snow I realized this was the best race of my life - it was really special."

Diggins is now the first U.S. woman with an individual World Championships gold medal. "I hope that this inspires the next generation to know that you can do it and work hard with a great team," she said. "I hope it inspires some little kids with glitter back home!"

It was the sixth day of racing in Planica, the stakes were high in the 10km skate race. With the Swedish team standing atop the podium in every race of the championships so far for the women, there was pressure to shake it up. Coming fresh off a bronze medal in the team sprint with teammate Julia Kern, Diggins was well prepared for the 10km along with teammates Rosie Brennan, Sophia Laukli and Kern. All started within a few minutes of each other in the strong 81-woman field and right out of the starting pen, racers were giving it their all. 

Through the first split zone at .9km, Diggins was 1.1 seconds back from the leader, Jonna Sundling of Sweden. Right in the mix was Brennan, who clocked in at fourth place - only two seconds back. With the pace progressing faster and faster, Diggins held it together, taking over the lead position starting at the 2.2km marker and never letting it up until she crossed the finish line. Laukli, Kern and Brennan kept a consistent pace through the twists and turns of the two lap course and as the splits showed, continually picked racers off. At the last time check marker at 7.7km, Diggins was first, Brennan was 11th, Laukli 25th and Kern 36th. 

"I was really excited for the race today. I’m a big fan of these courses so I was psyched to see what I could do," said Laukli. "The race itself went well and I felt great which I was happy about. I also had a lot of fun throughout the race and moving up bit by bit. Results-wise, I was maybe a little bummed and wanted a bit more, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. So overall I was happy to feel good and have some fun out there, which is all I could really ask for."

For Kern, after her race she focused on how big this day was for the entire team - merely hours after she brought home a World Championship medal with Diggins in the team sprint. 

"Although today was personally not the day I dreamed of, it was a huge day for our team," said Kern. "I am so incredibly proud of how our team reached a big milestone today, and how Jessie skied her heart out! I’m proud that I went out hard with the intention of being in the fight from the beginning. It is hard to post a top result by racing conservatively, so I went for it and unfortunately today was one of those days that things didn’t come together, and I am not sure why."

Diggins win today was also the first time a non-European won a gold medal at the World Championships since 2017. 

Behind Diggins in the silver medal position was Sweden's Frida Karlsson and bronze was Ebba Andersson. As for her teammates, Brennan finished 15th, Laukli 25th and Kern 34th. 

Now, the team focuses on the men's 15km tomorrow, March 1. 

RESULTS
Women's 10k

Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern teamed up for the freestyle team sprint at World Championships and took home the bronze medal. With new snow coating the Julian Alps, both men and women put forward their fastest sprinters for the team sprint. On the same 1.4km course from the classic sprint two days prior, today’s race featured a qualification round and 3x1.4km final round. With over 34 teams in the qualification for the men and 26 for the women, both athletes' qualifying times combined together decided the 15 teams that would move onto the final.

Thorough the qualification round, the women representing the red, white and blue came out on top, qualifying first with their combined time. Diggins and Kern, both feeling strong and ready, put the pieces together and had forward momentum with their number one spot for the afternoon race. For the men, Ben Ogden and JC Schoonmaker teamed up. Earlier in the week, Schoonmaker was top ten in the 1.4km classic sprint, finishing the day in ninth place - teamed up, the young but strong duo skied a fast and technically sound sprint race and ended the qualifications within the top three.

With thousands of fans once again filling the grand stands on all sides of the stadium, the atmosphere was filled with cheers that could be heard miles away. The course was slow at the start but the more athletes skied over the track, the faster it became. When it came to race time, everyone was ready. With qualifications deciding the 15 teams moving onto the final, the U.S. teams were a definite threat. 

Diggins and Kern led the final race until the last lap. With both women skiing three laps of the 1.4km lap, the strategy was to stay out of trouble, ski smart and fast and compete for your team and your relay-mate. “I really truly feel like we earned a medal,” said Diggins. “It’s not like we lost a gold, rather we earned a bronze! We earned the right to be proud of a really hard race and even if there was no medal we went out there and prepared and supported each other and believed and skied a good, hard, honest race and that is what makes me proud!”

For Kern, this was her first-ever World Championships podium.

“It’s really exciting (bringing home a medal to the United States),” said Kern. “I think it is really exciting. I think we are growing the sport the best we can in the U.S. and we hope that this inspires people back home and keeps developing our sport in the U.S. to become bigger and bigger!”

On the 10 year anniversary of the team sprint medal in Val di Fiemme, the U.S. women put the pieces together to bring home another team sprint medal and this time, with Kern and Diggins. 

“I love team sprinting,” said Diggins. “Any time you race for the team as a whole, you really bring your best and that is what we did today. It was really special.”

RESULTS

Women's 

Men's

Four U.S. women were in the top 30 for the 15kmsSkiathlon at the 2023 World Championships. With 7.5km of classic to start the race and 7.5km of skate to bring it home, the field of 50 women skied a fast-paced race on the third race of the championships. 

The forecasted rain and wind held off for race day and instead the glaring sun came out to play, creating a spring skiing-esque feel. Instead of dealing with the rain, athletes and support staff were seen cutting their race suits to t-shirts and shorts to deal with the heat. 

With a mass start, the strong field of women descended onto the first half of the course, which features a long downhill into a technical 180-degree turn at the lowest part of the track. Three classic tracks span the narrow course and, as it goes in mass starts, there was carnage. Unfortunately, on the second lap of the classic course, Rosie Brennan who was leading the entire field of skiers got caught up in the deep, powdery snow and lost a ski, sending her back nearly a minute from the leader. 

"I have never had that happen before," Brennan said. "I had a moment of not knowing what to do. At first I thought maybe my boot just came off the binding, but then I went to pick up my ski and I realized it was the binding. Luckily one of my coaches was there with one of my skis." 

Brennan pushed on with a spare ski. Throughout the next several kilometers and through the transition zone she continued to pick athletes off and move up the ranks to 19th place. 

"I feel like... I am at the World Championships representing my country and I have to give it my best until the very end," said Brennan. 

A highlight of the day was young athlete Sydney Palmer-Leger skiing to a top 20 in her first ever World Championships race. Palmer-Leger has a few World Cup starts to her resume but this was her first time on the World Championships stage. Nerves aside, Palmer Leger led the pack of four U.S. women throughout the entire race and ended the day in 20th place. Aside from a top 20 in her first World Champs, this was her first ever skiathlon for the 21 year old, making her result even more impressive.

“Getting top 20 at my first World Championships was pretty amazing," she said. "I didn’t have any expectations how it was going to go and I just went out there to have some fun and I definitely succeeded!”

Hailey Swirbul skied a consistent race and crossed the finish line in 26th and Sophia Laukli was in the top 30 in 29th. Among the crashes in the first few kilometers, Laukli broke a pole and skied with a reserve pole until lapping through the stadium where a staff member was there with a new one. Despite the broken pole, Laukli skied strong and added another top 30 to her resume. 

Winning the day was Ebba Andersson of Sweden and in second was teammate Frida Karlsson. Astrid Oeyre Slind of Norway was third. 

Now, the women will reset and look forward to the next races. Tomorrow, the men and women will race the team sprint. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women's skiathlon

HOW TO WATCH

Sunday, Feb. 26 - skiandsnowboard.live

5:30 a.m. ET - Team Sprint, Skate, Men’s and Women’s 

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 10k, Skate, Women’s 

Wednesday, March 1  - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 15k, Skate, Men’s 

Thursday, March 2 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x5k Relay, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Friday, March 3 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x10k Relay, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, March 4 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 30k, Classic, Women’s

Sunday, March 5 -  skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 50k, Classic, Men’s