In the first race of the North American World Cup series, a North American and the winningest skier in U.S. history, Jessie Diggins took home her 20th World Cup victory and her 58th World Cup podium. With Diggins' win today, she has now surpassed fellow Olympic champion Kikkan Randall for most wins in one single season, with her fifth individual win this season in Canmore. 

It's the first time the FIS Cross Country World Cup has come back to Canada since 2019 and the first time more than a dozen Americans got their career first World Cup start. Before the race even started, the day was turning out to be special. 

"USA, USA, USA" was heard throughout the venue, with fans traveling from as far as Vermont to come cheer on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. With the World Cup finally coming back to the U.S. next week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, fans are making their way from all corners of the country to come cheer on their favorite skiers, creating an atmosphere that is new and exciting, as very few of the athletes on the current team have ever raced this close to home on the World Cup level. 

For both the men and women's U.S. start list, it included not only the typical 12 athletes between both genders, but both 12 athletes per gender. With the best cross country skiers in North America, the Canmore Nordic Center prepared a challenging but exciting course, where athletes would loop around four times to equal out a 15k mass start skate. With all on the line at once, it was anyone's game. 

In the women's race, through the first lap, the field hardly broke - the course profile featuring hill after hill, it was challenging to break up the packs as they clustered together again on the next hill. With that, racers had to navigate the high-speed corners, steep uphills and fast downhills together in a pack.

Through the first lap, Diggins led through the stadium lap, with Sophia Laukli, Rosie Brennan and Julia Kern with her in the lead pack. Alongside the athletes who have skied on the World Cup for years, like Diggins, Brennan, Laukli and Kern, were three new World Cup names: Margie Freed of Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Emma Albrecht of the Montana State Ski Team and Mariah Bredal of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. 

Going into lap two and three, it was a similar story, with Laukli moving up in the ranks, at one point, leading the race for several kilometers, pushing the pace on the uphills and making her move to spread the lead pack out. With the skiers breaking up ever so slightly, it was now Diggins and Laukli setting the tone for the rest of the race.

"Going into lap three and knowing my sprinting abilities, I decided that it was going to be worth making a bit of a move on the uphill because I was feeling super good and I just wanted to get the group as small as possible," said Laukli. "I sent it on that lap - it definitely worked and then I took that same tactic into the fourth loop. I just focused on going all out and it worked. I've never done that type of thing in a race before - leading and going ham - but in this space that is what I needed to do! For me, going really hard and leading was the best method for me to get a top result." 

In the last lap, Diggins and Laukli were in the mix with Heidi Weng of Norway, Ebba Andersson of Sweden, and a handful of others. It was anyone's game going into the final sharp corner into the stadium. Diggins came into the final stretch in the lead - with a huge smile on her face and family in the crowd, she pumped her hand into the air and took home her 20th career victory. Laukli ended up eighth on the day but had much to celebrate after taking control of the race and mixing things up. 

"I was going with the flow," said Diggins. "After a couple of laps, I knew it was going to be a sprint finish, so I had to be smart. But I wanted to play it tactically! The entire time, I had a pretty fluid race strategy. I knew it was going to be fast, especially on this really hard course, so the entire race I was making myself be patient, which is not my strong suit, but I kept telling myself to 'be smart, be smart, be smart' and trust my sprint finish."

Rosie Brennan was next in 15th, adding another top 15 to her impressive 2023-24 resume and Julia Kern broke her way back into the top 20, in 19th. Sydney Palmer-Leger had her first-ever skate World Cup race, finishing 25th, Margie Freed was 29th, Mariah Bredal 30th, Lauren Jortberg 35th and Emma Albrecht in 40th. 

For the men, Patterson led the way for the Americans, crossing the line in eighth place. In a race similar to the women's, where the pack hardly broke until halfway through and there were various leaders throughout every major checkpoint, no one knew who would take the win. At 8.9k, Patterson was in fifth place, skiing with a group of Norwegians and Swedish athletes, putting himself in a good position for a top 10 result in Canmore. Alongside Patterson, there were more new faces to the World Cup, including Reid Goble of Bridger Ski Foundation's Pro Team, Braden Becker of Craftsbury Green Mountain Project and Graham Houtsma of Bridger Ski Foundation's Pro Team. 

At the end of the day, Patterson was back into the top 10 in eighth, with Gus Schumacher and Zanden McMullen in 22nd and 23rd, respectively, and David Norris rounding out the top 30 in 27th. Peter Wolter was 36th, Luke Jager 39th, Hunter Wonders 40th, Goble 44th, Becker 45th, Michael Earnhart 47th, Graham Houtsma 49th and Ben Ogden 54th. 

"I felt like this course has an edge," said Patterson, post-race. "If you bump it over, you're hurting really bad, but if you stay under it, you're going to be okay. On the third lap, and seeing how the women's race went, I knew that I needed to make some pretty hard moves to move up. On the fourth lap, I had to give everything to stay in the top. It's been a while since I've been in the top 10 and I'm psyched to do it in front of almost a home crowd. My parents and here, my friends from Alaska - it's just amazing to be here." 

Now, the team will race tomorrow's skate sprint in Canmore, the second of four races. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

Results
Women
Men

It was another big day of results in Planica, Slovenia for the 2024 U23 FIS Ski World Championships with Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Haley Brewster and Novie McCabe both in the top five, led by Brewster in second, securing her career-first U23 World Championships silver medal in the 20k mass start skate race.

On the fourth day of back-to-back races in Planica, it was the U23 athletes' turn on the challenging 20k course. In a mass start format, 45 women descended onto the course. Through the first several kilometers of the race, it was McCabe leading the pack, with Brewster in tow, alongside her fellow Americans, Kendall Kramer and Anabel Needham. At the halfway mark, McCabe continued her lead and Brewster was starting to make her move into the top 10, sitting around sixth place between Italy's Sara Hutter and Germany's Helen Hoffman.

Into the final hill and finish straight, it all came down to the sprint to the finish. As the athletes crested the final climb, McCabe got caught up in France's Maelle Veyre skis and had an unfortunate fall, which took her out of contention for the podium, but that did not slow McCabe down. Pushing across the line, and finishing fourth, McCabe adds another top 10 result to her U23 resume. 

"It was a very cool day today! It was fun to be in the mix, and I had some insanely good skis so that was definitely helpful," said McCabe. "Quite proud of the team effort, pretty awesome skiing by everyone! Skiing with Haley was definitely a highlight and super cool to see her end up on the podium!"

For Brewster, today's silver medal is her first medal won at the U23 World Championships and her first top five of the championships, topping her 13th place in the skate sprint earlier in the week. 

"It was definitely pretty fun," said Brewster. "It was very warm and the best part was getting to ski with Novie!"

Kendall Kramer finished within the top 20, in 17th place with Anabel Needham in 31st. For the men, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete John Steel Hagenbuch was the first American to cross the line in 17th, with Brian Bushey in 28th, Logan Moore in 37th and Elijah Weenig in 39th. 

Now, the U23 athletes will take a day to rest before the 10k classic interval start on Feb. 10. Tomorrow, Jan. 9, the Junior World Championships team will race the 10k classic. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

John Steel Hagenbuch of the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is taking home a bronze medal at the first race of the 2024 U23 FIS Ski World Championships, marking himself as the third-fastest U23 sprinter in the world today, Feb. 6. 

On-site in Planica, Slovenia, Steel Hagenbuch is on one of the biggest podiums of his career. After only eight World Cup starts, with a career-best result in the Östersund 10k in 13th, he is setting the tone for the championships and adding his first U23 World Championships medal to his resume. 

It was another warm day in Planica. On the same sprint course that the Junior World Championship athletes skied less than 24 hours earlier— where U.S. athlete Sammy Smith took home a silver medal— it was the U23’s chance. On the start list were several athletes who have consistently races on the World Cup circuit, many of them even racing through to the semifinals in sprints– the sprint field was strong in Planica. 

During the qualification round, Steel Hagenbuch was sixth, behind his Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Brian Bushey who crossed the finish line in third. Alongside both Bushey and Steel Hagenbuch, was Walker Hall qualifying in 23rd, all punching their ticket to the sprint heats. 

Into the quarterfinals, Steel Hagenbuch won his heat, .13 seconds ahead of Preben Horven on Norway, advancing through to the semifinal heat. Both Hall and Bushey did not advance out of the quarters but still added a top 30 to their U23 World Champs resume.

Into the quarters, Steel Hagenbuch was fourth, typically that would end an athlete's day as he did not finish in the top two or in the lucky loser position, but his heat was the fastest of the two semis, giving him the green light to race in a skate sprint final. 

Into the final, he was the lone American up against the top juniors from Norway, France, Switzerland and Sweden. Off the start line, the Dartmouth Ski Team star turned on the gas and skied a smart race, crossing the finish line in third, snagging his first U23 World Championships medal and capping off one of the best races of his career. 

“Considering that I was relieved to even make the heats, it was a really incredible day to go all the way to the final,” said Steel Hagenbuch. “It was not possible without a great support team, cracked skis, and a whole lot of luck. This is definitely my best sprint ever, so I’m grateful for such good timing! There were a lot of really strong competitors out there, and I was happy with how I executed my race plan of attacking on the second part of the course. It was easy to get nervous lining up with some really strong sprinters, but I was confident in my climbing and finishing speed after a solid qualifier. After today, the motivation is really high headed into my main focus - the 20km skate mass start on Thursday!”

At the end of the day, Steel Hagenbuch led the team in third, Hall in 18th, Bushey in 21st, Elijah Weenig in 45th. For the women, Haley Brewster of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team was the leading American in 13th, Anabel Needham 23r and, Nina Seemann 28th; Novie McCabe did not start. 

Next up is the 20k mass start, scheduled for this coming Thursday, Feb. 8. Tomorrow, the World Champs Junior athletes will race the 20k.

RESULTS
Men
Women

Sammy Smith of the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team started off the 2024 FIS Ski Junior World Championships with a silver medal in the first race of the championships, the skate sprint. This is the best-ever sprint result for any American at the Junior World Championships, and only the second silver medal the American women have historically won at the championships. 

On location in Planica, Slovenia, the best junior athletes in the world are having their turn on the same course as the FIS Ski World Championships a year earlier, with 450 athletes and 42 countries present. Smith, who has been racing on the World Cup for the majority of the season, including taking home her career-best result just a week ago in Goms, Switzerland in 21st, has been a force despite only being 18 years old. 

Smith is a multi-sport athlete. She is also a soccer player, having represented the USA at the FIFA U-17 World Cup over the summer and grew up as a freestyle skier. But, it's ski season, which means Smith is solely on skis and finding success at every turn in the process. 

"I’m super excited about today’s race," said Smith. "I was not thrilled with my qualifier. I knew I made some mistakes that cost me some time, but I was really happy with how the heats went. It was a competitive field and congrats to all the other racers on an awesome day! Hopefully, I’ll be able to carry some of this momentum into 20k and 10k classic!" 

Smith, skied a tactical and smart race. Typically excelling on courses with challenging hills, Smith adapted to the flatter Planica course well. Qualifying in fifth, she was in good company with all of her U.S. teammates making it through to the heats, all landing within the top 30. Stifel U.S. Ski Team's Ava Thurston led the U.S., qualifying in second, alongside Smith in fifth, Evelyn Walton of the Dartmouth Ski Team in 27th and Middlebury Ski Team's Sofia Scirica in 29th.

In the heats, Smith was the only American to advance, winning her quarterfinal heat. In the semis, Smith crossed the line in second, punching her ticket to her first Junior World Championships final. She fought for a podium position alongside Gina Del Rio of Andorra and Milla Grosberghaugen Andreassen of Norway. On the final hill, Smith turned on the gas and jump-skated into podium position. With the finish line in sight, Smith ultimately crossed the line in second, making history in the process. 

At the end of the race day, Smith led the team in second, while Thurston was 21st, Walton in 25th and Scirica in 30th. For the men, Zachary Jayne (University of Utah Ski Team) was just out of the top 30 in 32nd, Trey Jones (University of Colorado Boulder Ski Team) was 39th, Lucas Wilmot (Jackson Hole Ski Team) 48th and Matt Seline (University of Alaska Anchorage Ski Team) in 67th. 

"We're launching the week on a high note," said Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Development Coach, Greta Anderson. "Our athletes arrive with significant ambitions, and it's incredibly rewarding for all of us to see them achieve their objectives collectively. Sammy's second-place finish in the sprint is a testament to the hard work and determination that defines our team. It's an ideal beginning to our week. Every one of our female athletes made it through the qualification rounds today. Meanwhile, our male competitors gave their all in their first international starts and fought hard to the finish line." 

With Smith's silver medal, she is etching her name in the Junior World Championship history books. 

Next up, the U.S. Junior World Championships team will race the 20k on Feb. 7. Tomorrow, Feb. 6, the U23 team will race the skate sprint on the same course. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Stifel Loppet Cup is a go! On Friday, Feb. 2, the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) officially gave the green light to the local organizing committee during the scheduled snow control meetings, giving the go-ahead for Minneapolis' Wirth Park to host the first World Cup in the United States in more than 23 years.  

Due to low snow conditions and unseasonably warm temperatures, the snow at the Wirth Park trailhead is low, however, due to the efforts of the Loppet Foundation community and the local organizers, enough snow was maintained and harvested and systems are in place to successfully host the race.

Over Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 17-19, Minneapolis, Minnesota will welcome the best cross country skiers in the world, including the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, to Wirth Park for two races: a sprint and a distance 10k.

More information can be found on the official Stifel Loppet Cup website.

Tabor Greenberg of Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) took home the first cross country medal at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games, with a bronze medal in yesterday's skate sprint. 

Greenberg, who is representing the United States of America in Gangwon, South Korea, is making quite the impression in the first cross country competition of the Youth Olympic Games.

Vermont native, Greenberg is a three-time Junior National Champion and is ranked among the top U18 and U20 skiers in the country.

During the 2022-23 season, Greenberg qualified to represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships, Nordic Nations Cup (U18) and Youth Olympic Games, ultimately taking the Youth Olympic Games route. 

In the Youth Olympic Games skate sprint, Greenberg skied the qualification round, posting the 13th fastest time of the day, easily qualifying within the top-30 to advance through to the heats. Into the heats, where an athlete has to be within the top two of their heat to advance, or one of two lucky losers, Greenberg handidly won his quarterfinal heat alongside Maans Ravald of Sweden. 

On the semifinal start line, he again needed to be within the top two, or third fastest time, to advance to the sprint finals. Onto the course, Greenberg skied a strong race on the Gangwon course. Into the finish, he crossed the line third, putting up a fast enough time to advance through as lucky loser. 

As the young American stood on the final start line of the day, he was joined by Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Italy. Greenberg ultimately finished the day in third, right behind Jakob Elias Moch of Germany and Federico Pozzi of Italy. This is Greenberg's first Youth Olympic Games medal and the first cross country medal won by Team USA in the cross country discipline. 

USA's Landon Wyatt and Ben Barbier also qualified through to the heats, both ending their day within the top 30, with Wyatt in 25th and Barbier in 26th. For the women, there were three in the world's top 30, including Neve Gerard in 17th, Rose Horning 18th and Sydney Drevlow in 26th. 

Next, the cross country team will race the 7.5k classic individual start on Jan. 30th. 

RESULTS
Men

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team showcased an impressive performance in Goms, Switzerland, during the final race of the series. Jessie Diggins secured an incredible victory in the 20k skate, with Sophia Laukli and Rosie Brennan rounding out the top 10, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively.

As the picturesque scene unfolded on yet another sunny day in Switzerland, 58 women and 76 men set out on the crunchy cold snow and embarked on a fast-paced four-lap, 5k course from the mass start line.

Eli Brown, a wax technician for the U.S. team, captured the essence of the pre-race conditions, "we had a delightful ski in as the moon set and the sun rose. The mountains are simply beautiful; it's shaping up to be a fantastic day!"

In the women's race, Diggins dominated from the outset. Navigating the challenging course with steep uphills and winding downhills, she led the pack for the majority of the race, jumping from first to third with Germany's Victoria Carl and Sweden's Frida Karlsson; Brennan and Laukli were closely in tow.

Laukli, who was at the back of the pack at the start then faced more adversity after going down in an early crash, but quickly recovered and made her way to the front in seamless fashion, showcasing her ability to navigate a pack of skiers going top speed and to never give up. For Brennan, she maintained her position in the lead pack the entire race. 

"Today's race was hectic and stressful - this course is just so fast," said Brennan. "But, it was awesome to have three of us in the top 10, it really shows that we're coming back into form, and we just have a really strong skate squad, and it's exciting to carry this momentum as we go into the North American World Cups!"

As the athletes approached the final kilometer of the race, with the crowd's cheers echoing through Goms, Diggins put the hammer down in a thrilling neck-and-neck battle with Sweden's Karlsson. Looking back to her team sprint victory at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Diggins once again was in the finishing stretch with a Swedish athlete, in a sprint finish that would decide who was first and second. In the last several hundred meters, "Here Comes Diggins" was ringing true, as Diggins outsprinted Karlsson and crossed the line, hands in the air, for her 19th World Cup victory.

Today, Diggins celebrated her 57th World Cup podium, alongside her teammates and support staff, who had a strong weekend of results across the board. 

"To be honest, I didn't have that much faith in my very top speed, so it was a cool surprise to be able to make my body work the way I wanted it to into the finish," said Diggins post race. "I was really happy to have been able to come out of that final corner, knowing that the last couple kilometers of that race, I had to go as hard as I could. I definitely had flooded legs, it was quite painful. But really, I am just really happy. This weekend was the first series of races since my crash in the Tour that my ribs haven't hurt. My energy was back and it was a relief! It's nice to not be in pain and I was just trying to enjoy it, ski smart and ski hard."

"This result really means a lot," said Laukli. "It’s hard to compare with the Tour de Ski stage win, but I would say this top five in a so-called “regular” World Cup race means more in my overall progression as a skier. It’s hugely motivating to know I can be so close to the top, especially in a mass start race like this. I’m certainly specializing more in skate, but today's race makes me very psyched to see what I can do in the rest of the distance races this year, so basically a huge confidence booster type of day!

In the men's race, it was a similar story, the course was fast, there was little room for movement and the pack stayed intact until the final lap. Leading for the Americans was Alaska's Gus Schumacher. Schumacher skied a tactical race, maintaining a good position within the lead pack and drafting behind the leaders. Notably, Schumacher was on the fourth lap, approaching the second bonus points, he made a move and found himself at the front of the pack, right behind the two leading Norwegians, sitting third. Into the final stretch of the course, Schumacher jumped around, comfortably navigating the technical course, and ultimately crossed the line in 14th, a solid result for the young American.

"My strategy was to try to relax in the pack as long as possible so I could have the energy to move up when it got hard," said Schumacher in post-race comments. "Also, I wanted to ski the downhills well to take places where it was a bit easier. Honestly, I struggled to maintain a good position in the first couple of laps, so that part didn’t go super well, but I had energy when it started to string out and made those said “money moves” into some bonus points on lap three. Right after that, the pace got real and I had to dig to keep skiing. Happy with it! Skis were good and my body was responsive for almost all the race and I’m stoked to be back in distance top 15."

Right alongside Schumacher was another Alaskan, Scott Patterson, who ended the day in 18th, after skiing a very similar race by sticking with the lead pack, making tactical and smart moves at the right times and never getting jostled up around the tight corners.

Now, the team will pack not only their bags, but their ski bags, and head straight to the airport to head back to North America for the North American World Cup tour, including a stop in Canmore and the highly-anticipated Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

RESULTS 
Women
Men

In one of the more demanding sprints on the 2023-24 World Cup circuit, three Americans landed in the top 15, led by JC Schoonmaker in seventh, achieving his career-best skate sprint in the process.

The rain stayed away and the sun was out for the late afternoon sprint in Goms, Switzerland. With hundreds of athletes on the start list, and thousands of fans corraled around the course, the sprint ahead was anything but easy.

Steep uphills, tight corners and fast downhills – this course featured all the challenging aspects of a tough sprint. Paired with fast conditions and high altitude, there was carnage in nearly every heat: broken poles, crashes and one broken ski.

Moving into qualifications, where only the top 30 for both men and women advance, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team sent eight athletes through, led by Jessie Diggins qualifying in ninth and Ben Ogden qualifying in third.

Women's Sprint Heats

Entering the heats, in the second quarterfinal heat, Rosie Brennan did not advance but was still proud of her effort, ultimately ending the day in 17th.

"I'm really happy that I used what I had and skied the way I wanted to," said Brennan post-race. "This course was challenging, it was a big long climb and then a fast and sketchy downhill, followed by that all again. There was full contact out there today because there was not much room to spread out, but I am happy with the way I skied and am looking forward to the challenge tomorrow!”

For Sammy Smith, one of the youngest competitors on the World Cup circuit, it was another day to gain valuable World Cup experience. Easily advancing into the heats, Smith lined up on the quarterfinal start line alongside some of the sport's leading sprinters. Off the start, she skied a smart race, choosing the inside line on the long uphill, setting herself up nicely for the long downhill. An unfortunate crash ended her day early, yet she still finished the day in 21st.

For Diggins, she easily advanced through to the semifinals, winning her quarterfinal heat. In the semis, taking an similar inside line to the long hills as her teammates, Diggins was battling for position, ultimately getting bumped from advancing to the finals due to an unfortunate fall in the last turn. Diggins, however, ended the day with another top 15, in 11th, and continues her lead in the overall World Cup standings.

In the end, the Swedish women swept the podium led by Linn Svahn in first, Maja Dahlqvist in second and Jonna Sundling in third. 

Men's Sprint Heats

For the men, Ogden, Schoonmaker and Gus Schumacher represented the red, white and blue in the heats; Zak Ketterson was right out of the top 30 bubble, finishing his qualifier race in 31st. 

In Schoonmaker's quarterfinal heat, he skied a clean race but had to turn on the gas in the final stretch alongside Sweden's Johan Haeggstroem to advance. Crossing the line in a photo finish - ultimately called in Schoonmaker's favor - Schoonmaker clocked in one one-hundredth of a second faster than Haeggstroem and secured his spot in the semifinal round.

In the last quarterfinal of the day, Ogden and Schumacher had to finish in the top two to advance or have the third-fastest time in the heat. With both Americans taking the inside line on the first big climb, they were jockeying for position into the tight downhills. Into the last horseshoe turn going into the stadium, Ogden shot into first, crossing the line in first, with Schumacher finishing fourth - only Ogden advanced to the semis. 

"I was really happy with my qualifier today," said Ogden. "I am happy with the heats played out, I crashed but that happens - I step on people, people step on me, it happens!"

In the semis, Ogden and Schoonmaker represented the U.S. men.

For Schoonmaker and Ogden, lining up on the semifinal start line was familiar, as they did together earlier this season in Östersund, Sweden, when Schoonmaker clinched his career-first sprint podium. With things getting a bit messy with the choppier snow and the tactical challenges of getting pushed around, Ogden had an untimely crash, leaving him out of contention, but teammate Schoonmaker gave it everything in the final stretch and made moves to finish the day in seventh, just outside making finals.

The day ended with Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo back on top in first, France's Lucas Chanavat in second and Haavard Solaas Taugboel of Norway in third. 

"My strategy for this course was trying to make all of my moves on the second half," said Schoonmaker. "It was a really tough first hill, so I tried to save my legs there so I could ski the downhills and corners with some energy.”

With Schoonmaker's seventh-place result, he now bests his previous eighth-place skate sprint career best and continues to make an impression. 

"Today's result feels solid," he said. "I’m happy with it but am always going to want more. To be close to the final is bittersweet, but I also think it’s cool to realize that I’m at a point where getting knocked out in the semis comes with a little disappointment. Overall I’m just happy to feel like I’m skiing well again after a challenging last few weeks.”

Now, the team resets for tomorrow's 20k skate mass start. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live at 3:30 a.m. ET for the women and 7:30 a.m. ET for the men. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

On the second day of racing in Oberhof, Germany, the historic venue of the 1931 FIS World Ski Championships, Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan secured another round of top-10 results in sixth and 10th, respectively, in the challenging 20k classic mass start event.

In contrast to the gloomy conditions witnessed during Friday's sprint, the sun illuminated the Oberhof venue, providing a crisp and fast course for the athletes. The men started the day's races, with 66 competitors taking off onto a six-lap technical and demanding course.

The 20k race presented steep descents leading into technical corners, resulting in minor chaos in the men's race—American Scott Patterson broke a pole but managed to ski back into contention quickly after. Navigating the right track and executing a tactical race became crucial for athletes to keep in the race. Among the U.S. male competitors—Zak Ketterson, JC Schoonmaker, Gus Schumacher, Peter Wolter and Patterson—Ketterson led the team, finishing 40th, closely followed by Schumacher in 44th.

It was Schumacher's first race back since the Tour de Ski was cut short due to sickness. "I felt surprisingly good after sickness," he said. "My muscles feel sharp and my breathing is feeling strong, which I’m super encouraged by. Maybe not quite where I was before it, but that doesn’t feel far off."

In the women's race, the 20k classic differed significantly in terms of weather compared to the previous 20k classic in Davos, Switzerland, where Brennan and Diggins clinched second and third positions on the podium.

Today's race was characterized by pivotal moments, with different leaders emerging nearly every lap. Whether it was a trio of Swedish skiers, Kerttu Nikkanen of Finland, local skier Victoria Carl, or Diggins and Brennan themselves, predicting the leader through the laps was unpredictable. The race was marked by strategic approaches, made evident in the reluctance to lead at various course sections, where the lead pack would often come to a standstill, waiting for someone to take charge.

"Today was really interesting," said Diggins when asked about what her race strategy. "It just seemed like the kind of course that was pretty tricky for people to ski away. My strategy ended up going for the bonus points. But what I'm most proud of today was playing to my strengths, skiing calm, finding my way through when I needed to and hanging tough all the way through to the finish."

As the laps progressed and lap six approached, Diggins and Brennan were in contention for the podium, competing alongside the eventual winner, Frida Karlsson of Sweden, and second place finisher Germany's Katharina Hennig. Despite their efforts falling short of a podium finish, both American skiers secured positions in the top 10, adding critical points to their overall standings. Sophia Laukli continued her strong season with a 28th place finish, while Julia Kern closely followed in 33rd.

Looking ahead to tomorrow's 4x7.5k relay, Diggins maintains her lead in the overall World Cup standings, boasting a 279-point advantage over the second-placed Linn Svahn of Sweden. Rosie Brennan sits the third position, trailing Diggins by 388 points.

Don't miss the excitement of the 4.7x5k team relay tomorrow on skiandsnowboard.live, with the women's race starting at 4:50 a.m. ET and the men's race at 7:10 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
Women
Men

HOW TO WATCH
4:50 a.m. ET - women's 4x7.5k relay, Oberhof, Germany - skiandsnowboard.live
7:10 a.m. ET - men's 4x7.5k relay, Oberhof, Germany - skiandsnowboard.live

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is back in Oberhof, Germany, for the first time since 2013 and the team is starting off on the right foot, with all but one athlete advancing through to the classic sprint heats. Ben Ogden led the day in sixth place, followed by Jessie Diggins in ninth and Kevin Bolger in 12th.

Coming off a hot Tour de Ski, where Diggins took home the overall crown, Sophia Laukli secured her first World Cup victory, Ben Ogden achieved his career-first podium and several athletes set personal bests, the momentum was strong going into the next trio of races. Before today's race, the entire team took a couple of days to recover and put in some hours of rest, but you could tell all the athletes from around the world were ready to click into their race skis once again.

On soft snow, under overcast skies and on a technical sprint course featuring tight turns and fast uphill kickers, all Americans named to the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team made it through to the sprint heats—a feat not easily accomplished and not seen in recent history. The start list included five women and four men, including World Cup overall leader Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern, Sammy Smith, and Erin Blanco from Bridger Ski Foundation, who recorded her first-ever World Cup start. For the men, the sickness had been beaten, and Ben Ogden was back on the start line alongside JC Schoonmaker, Zak Ketterson and Kevin Bolger.

In the first round of sprint racing, the top 30 times would be the cutoff for who makes it to the sprint rounds. This time, eight of the nine athletes advanced, with Blanco just a few seconds from making the cut. Ogden secured the third spot in the qualifiers, giving him confidence going into the next lap around the sprint course, while Diggins and Brennan secured the fourth and fifth positions, just four seconds behind the fastest qualifying time set by Sweden's Jonna Sundling.

Moving into the heats, with six athletes per heat and only the top two securing a place in the semis, along with two lucky losers (the fastest third-place time from two athletes), only Diggins, Ogden and Bolger advanced through the next round of racing.

"It's really nice to be racing again," said Diggins post-race. "It was so cool to have eight of us into the heats, and it is some fun momentum to carry into the rest of this racing period."

Going into the quarterfinal heat, it was all about positioning and skiing a smart race to punch your ticket to the semis. Brennan, Diggins, Kern and Smith represented the U.S. women, with Diggins being the sole athlete to advance based on finishing within the top two in her round. Even without advancing, all the women secured an overall top-30 result on the day—a step in the right direction in adding crucial World Cup points to their overall standing.

In the end, the Swedish team swept the podium, with Linn Svahn taking home her 13th World Cup victory. Svahn is currently sitting second in the overall standings, with Diggins securely in first. Alongside Diggins' ninth place, Brennan finished 21st, Kern 27th, and Smith 28th.

For the men, as the moved into the men's finals, there was already a clear upset - Norway's Johannes Hoseflot Klaebo did not advance through to the finals. Klaebo had been on the podium in every single sprint race since 2018 and with today's result, it clearly shows the depth of the men's field and emphasizes that in cross country ski racing, anything can happen.

For the U.S., Ogden punched his ticket to the final and lined up on the line with four Norwegians and one Swedish athlete. Regardless of the place Ogden skied to in the end, he was splitting up the Scandinavian sweep in the process.

In the final, Ogden quickly got off the line, sitting comfortably behind the sea of red (Norway). Into the technical, nearly 180-degree turn, Ogden made a push to secure himself a safer position going into the uphill. With the classic 'Benny Shuffle,' he pushed the pace alongside Norway and Sweden into the finishing straight. Ogden crossed the line in sixth and was all smiles in the finish pen. Norway swept the podium, with Erik Valnes taking home the victory. Bolger just missed the top 10 in 12th, Ketterson 16th and Schoonmaker 24th.

"It feels good to put down a good race today and I'm glad how my body responded post-sickness and I'm psyched for the races to come," said Ogden. 

Tomorrow, the team is back to racing, with a 20k mass start looming. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live, with men kicking off the line at 4:25 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
Men
Women