Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova simple bashed her way to victory over Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) in Tuesday’s FIS Ski World Cup city event in Oslo, Norway.

In the big finals of the parallel slalom race, Vlhova used the two-handed cross-blocking technique to come away with her second victory in five days, defeating Shiffrin in both runs to deny the defending overall World Cup champion her third-straight city event victory. Shiffrin won the past two city events she participated in - Stockholm, Sweden, in 2017 and Oslo in 2018.

“Finally, I did it,” Vlhova said. “I beat Mikaela.”

Shiffrin, who entered the event as the top-ranked skier, advanced to the finals by defeating Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel in the opening round, then Canada’s Erin Mielzynski in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she defeated Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener to advance into the big final against Vlhova.

The second-ranked Vlhova defeated Switzerland’s Aline Danioth in the opening round, Italy’s Irene Curtoni in the second round, and Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson in the semifinals to advance to the finals against Shiffrin.

"I have pretty mixed thoughts about today...I felt pretty off when the race started and in warm-up run we took," reflected Shiffrin after her race. "I barged in the start, and then preceded to barge about 50% of my runs in the race. My feeling in the first few runs was really strange...it wasn't quite 'on'. On one hand, I'm a little bit relieved, surprised, and pretty psyched to be on the podium, but by the time I got to the big final, I was feeling a lot more myself. I was still not timing my starts very well, but I was pushing on my skis the way I know that I can, so that was better. Petra skied disciplined, fast, and she skied smart. She took the risk in the first run when she needed to, and she was smart in the second run when she needed to be."

Vlhova, using her height to her advantage, and therefore the more aggressive double-blocking technique, opened a quarter-second advantage over Shiffrin in the first run. The technique allowed Vlhova to find valuable hundredths on the top and bottom of the course when it was straight and not turny. She applied the same technique in the second run to ski away with her sixth career World Cup win, and first city event victory. Holdener defeated Swenn Larsson in the small final for third.

Shiffrin also weighed in with thoughts about the cross-blocking technique Vlhova used, "I don't think that's why she won. I think it can be an advantage, and especially because she's tall, but that's not why she won. She won because she skied more disciplined and smarter on the two turns in the course where it counted the most. Sometimes you nail it and sometimes you don't. It's a learning experience either way." 

In the men’s event, Austria’s Marco Schwarz defeated Great Britain’s Dave Ryding for the victory. In the small final, Switzerland’s Ramon Zenhaeusern defeated Sweden’s Andre Myhrer for third.

With the victory, Vlhova took back 20 points from Shiffrin’s overall World Cup lead. However, Shiffrin still holds a commanding lead with 1,114 points to Vlhova’s 668 points in second.

Up next, the World Cup continues in Zagreb, Croatia, as the men and women will compete in a pair of night slaloms Saturday and Sunday for the coveted “Snow Queen Trophy“ 2019.

RESULTS
Men’s city event slalom
Women’s city event slalom

STANDINGS
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup overall

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Jan. 5
7:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1 - Zagreb, CRO - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 2 - Zagreb, CRO - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com& NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Jan. 6
6:15 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Zagreb, CRO - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Zagreb, CRO - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
 

Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) both landed on the podium Tuesday at the FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski freestyle sprint in Val Mustair, Switzerland. Diggins finished third and took the overall lead in the Tour de Ski through three stages. Caldwell skied a smart race and edged out Diggins at the line for second.

Diggins becomes only the second U.S. women to lead the Tour de Ski in its 13-year history. Kikkan Randall led after the 3k prologue in 2012.

The race was won by Sweden’s Stina Nilsson, her second sprint victory of the Tour. Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) qualified sixth and narrowly missed advancing to the quarterfinals by .05 seconds.

“It’s so exciting to be putting on that blue leader's bib after today,” said Diggins. “We had great skis thanks to our team and it was so cool skiing with Sophie in the final! The course was tough as it’s at altitude and a longer course, with a really steep hill in the middle, so positioning was pretty important today. I was happy with how I skied the corners and rollers today and happy to be feeling good at this stage of the tour!”

“Today was an amazing day for our team,” said Caldwell. “It was a long, hard course at altitude, so it was pretty different from some of the shorter sprints we’ve been doing. My strategy in the final was to conserve as much energy as possible while maintaining good position and then give it everything I had up and over the top of the second hill while still saving a bit of legs for the downhills and sprint finish. It was so much fun to share the podium with Jessie and crazy how close of a photo finish it was. I think it must have come down to my Salomon boots being one size bigger than hers! We both had great skis and this course had some new downhill features like a jump and rollers that were fun to work through. I’m finished with the tour now, but I’m psyched to cheer my teammates on for the rest of it and its pretty awesome Jessie is the leader after today!”

Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) was the lone U.S. qualifier and ended up 13th for the day.  The men’s sprint was won by Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, second was Italian Federico Pellegrino and Sergey Ustiugov of Russia complete the podium in third.

Stage 4 of the Tour de Ski takes place Wednesday in Oberstdorf, Germany with a women’s 10k mass start and a men’s 15k mass start.

RESULTS 
Women’s sprint 
Men’s sprint 

STANDINGS
Women’s overall 
Men’s overall

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Wednesday, Jan. 2
6:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 4 women’s 10k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV,OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 4 men’s 15k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV,OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Thursday, Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 5 men’s 15k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV,OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:45 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships classic individual start - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
9:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 5 women’s 10k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV,OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Jan. 4
9:15 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships classic sprint - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming

Saturday, Jan. 5
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 women’s 10k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV,OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:10 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com &NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, Jan. 6
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 women’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV,OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:15 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships freestyle sprint - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
8:45 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV

Tuesday, Jan. 8
8:45 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships freestyle mass start - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming

U.S. Ski & Snowboard prides itself in having some of the most elite winter sport athletes in the world. Without the help of top-tier training centers and development clubs, however, the goal of being the best in the world would be nearly impossible for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes.

The High Performance Center program, which was initiated in 2017, is the main way for the organization to connect with the growing training facilities across the country, as well as identify aspiring athletes that have the potential for the national team. This program encourages certified gold and silver clubs, who have excellence in athletic development, sports science, and sports medicine, to become a designated High Performance Center (otherwise known as HPC) with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, in hopes to improve the national system and developmental pathway for athletes.

“The whole process is to help elevate everyone,” says High Performance Coordinator for U.S. Ski and Snowboard Calin Butterfield. “We try to approach areas where we feel we can add value to bring everyone up to the same level, as well as learn from these centers to internally improve.” Butterfield, along with his team, has the goal of implementing consistent communication and collaboration with these clubs to elevate the nation as a whole in preparing athletes for snow sports competition.

The process for becoming an HPC for U.S. Ski & Snowboard starts with registering as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard club. Any U.S. Ski & Snowboard club has the opportunity to become certified as a bronze, silver, or gold status training facility by proving organizational, administrative, sports programming, and financial stability. Once a club is considered silver or gold status, they have the option to apply for HPC status and be reviewed for the program. According to Butterfield, the club must have “a fully functioning performance team,” which includes sports medicine staff, performance training or athletic development coaches on site, medical directors or strong relationships with a medical clinic, a facility to train, and some access to nutrition for athletes.  

Once a club becomes a High Performance Center, U.S. Ski & Snowboard provides consistent structured programming throughout the year. “We do multiple education workshops, where we go to them, try to bring them together as regions, or bring them all here to the Center of Excellence. Both HPC staff and our own staff benefit by learning in a collective, unified way,” says Butterfield. In addition to workshops, the staff of each HPC is encouraged to visit the Center of Excellence (COE) in Park City, Utah to spend time with national team coaches/sports development staff and create a proper communication network. “I also make visits to each HPC at least twice a year to observe, talk shop, and form that deeper connection,” says Butterfield.

Although it is only in its second year, the HPC program is rapidly growing to include some of the best training facilities and clubs in the country. In the first year, eight Gold-level clubs opted in to become an HPC: Burke Mountain Academy, Killington Mountain School, Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS), Stratton Mountain, Carrabassett Valley Academy, Squaw Valley Mountain, Sugarbowl Mountain, and Sun Valley Ski Academy. Almost 13 national alpine team athletes came from these clubs prior to their HPC designation, proving how worthy and valuable they are to U.S. Ski & Snowboard.  

Starting in the summer of 2018, two new developmental clubs, Proctor Academy ski area in New Hampshire and Mammoth Mountain in California, received the HPC title. These two clubs were reviewed and quickly accepted after it was decided that a partnership would be mutually beneficial. With many athletes training at both these facilities, as well as having long-standing relationships with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, there is much excitement for these partnerships.

"The impact from Proctor's HPC status has been immediate for our athletes and for our coaching staff. Collaboration with peer HPC clubs and talented U.S. Ski and Snowboard staff has provided real-time access to information, training, and collaboration to keep our program at the forefront of new developments in the sport of alpine skiing. From the weight room to on hill training environment, the partnership validates our commitment to keep our program advancing, and never allowing us to get complacent."

- David Salathe, Proctor Academy’s Alpine Program Director

“Our longstanding commitment to athletic excellence has been a Mammoth Mountain value since its inception. Becoming an official High Performance Center with US Ski and Snowboard was an integral step in our ongoing tradition of supporting the Olympic movement. We look forward to our continued partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Their Sport Science program, staff, and resources are truly world class. The Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Team is excited to see the development of our athletes and staff. Additionally, we are honored to play a part in the large-scale strategy of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s quest to further build upon the strength of the country’s winter sports programs.”     

-  Pete Korfiatis, Mammoth Mountain’s Director of Athletics

The potential impact of these HPCs is crucial for further success in winter sports. Not only will HPCs provide athletes to U.S. Ski & Snowboard Teams, but they will assist in creating a more cohesive, consolidated system for teaching and training.

“We are going to need to lean on the HPC clubs to further drive education at local and regional clubs,” says Butterfield. With the natural sharing of personnel, methods, techniques, and even athletes, the HPC program has a goal of unifying the snowsport community. “We are trying to systemize so that a) everyone is speaking the same language and b) we as a national governing body (NGB) are doing what we need to be doing to support the growth of the system outside of just the central location here at the Center of Excellence,” says Butterfield.

Troy Taylor, High Performance Director for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, agrees with this goal. “This is a 2 to 3-way education process. Yes, it’s about our systems and processes being implemented into these clubs, but it’s also about us learning techniques from them and about clubs collaborating between themselves and sharing the best practices,” he remarks. “From our perspective, we really value these partnerships and the motivation towards driving these programs towards success.”

With consistent collaboration, a clear vision for improvement, and the dedication to creating a more unified system, the HPC program has the potential to have a lot of impact on the success of the United States in snowsport competition. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is nothing short of proud to able to partner with these powerful centers and continue the work to become the best in the world.
 

The men’s U.S. Alpine Ski Team has established a long-term partnership with Alpe Cimbra, Trentino as a European home base for training through the Olympic cycle, leading up to Beijing 2022.  

In a recent press conference hosted by Alpe Cimbra, Trentino, John McBride - head coach of the men’s speed team - spoke fondly of the partnership, and the first meeting in 2006 when Marco Dallapiccola, owner of IconWise LLC, worked on the first partnership between the U.S. Ski Team and Trentino Paganella Ski. Conversations between the two entities about the return of the U.S. Ski Team to Trentino, Italy, began again in summer of 2018.

"Marco Dallapiccola has been helping the team since 2006 and we are happy for this new partnership,” said McBride. Alpine Director Jesse Hunt echoed McBride’s sentiments about the partnership and its significance for the men’s alpine team.

“The men’s alpine team has forged a long-term relationship with Alpe Cimbra, Trentino, featuring world-class training and hospitality,” said Hunt. “This partnership will be an integral part of equipping our men’s alpine team with necessary resources and training as we head through the Olympic cycle en route to Beijing. For our athletes, who spend a majority of the winter in Europe away from home, the partnership with Alpe Cimbra, Trentino is a huge benefit.”

Prior to the Alta Badia, Italy, FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races in December, Alpe Cimbra hosted the men’s tech team, including Olympic Champion Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) and two-time Olympian Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.), who followed that up with a career-best fifth place at Alta Badia. Following the Val Gardena, Italy, World Cup, where Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) had a career-best fourth place, leading three into the top six - Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) and Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.) respectively - the men’s speed team enjoyed a week of training on the slopes of Alpe Cimbra. From there, they went to Bormio, Italy, and Bennett matched his career-best with another fourth place - just 15 hundredths of a second from the podium.

Michael Rech, President of the Tourism Board of Alpe Cimbra, said that the partnership has been successful since day one. “The team’s feeling with the destination has been positive since the beginning, with great training since the first day,” Rech said. “The U.S. Ski Team has admired the enormous efforts of the Folgaria Ski in preparing in few days the perfect slopes. Moreover, they have appreciated also the Ski Team Alpe Cimbra, in particular the trainers and volunteers who were working in creating the optimal conditions. They have been amazed by the sun that kisses our slopes, and for this reason it could be said that Alpe Cimbra looks like California!”

“We are honored,” Maurizio Rossini, CEO of Trentino Marketing, reflected, “to have the U.S. Ski Team back on the snow of Trentino after the great experience we had with Paganella ski area, a partnership that has never stopped. The agreement with Alpe Cimbra is particularly important as it will last for the next four agonistic seasons until 2022. For the Trentino region, it represents a unique opportunity of international visibility and promotion. I would like to recall that during these weeks in Trentino, not only the Norwegian and American teams, but also other important national teams are training for the forthcoming appointments of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. It represents an outstanding award for the quality of our slopes, infrastructures and the ability of our colleagues.”

Nyman speaks for the entire group when he says: “They’ve opened their doors to us like it was home. They treat us like Kings. We eat incredibly well at many of their great restaurants and they are preparing the slopes how we specify, allowing us to prepare for the World Cups as best we can. It’s a great partnership that I’m really excited about...the Trentino region has treated us well in the past and I am excited to reignite this relationship once again!”

The men look forward to their next stop in Alpe Cimbra, Trentino - their new home away from home.

WATCH: Alpe Cimbra, Trentino Press Conference - Men's Alpine Speed Team
 

The networks of NBC Sports will broadcast more than 30 hours of FIS Ski World Cup slalom action, cross country’s Tour de Ski stage race, the 4-Hills Tournament for ski jumping, and nordic combined action to kick off the first week of the New Year.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) opens 2019 with a city event in Oslo, Norway on New Year’s Day. Shiffrin, who has won the past two city events in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2017 and Oslo in 2018, goes for the hat trick in Tuesday’s event, which will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel, and streamed live on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold at 10:30 a.m. EST.

From there, the White Circus rolls into Zagreb, Croatia, for a pair of men and women’s night slaloms Saturday and Sunday, both of which will stream live on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold for the first run, and stream live on both platforms for the second run, along with TV broadcast on the Olympic Channel.

The Tour de Ski wraps up with five stages this week, including the grand finale hill climb up the slopes of Val di Fiemme ski resort in Italy on Sunday. Every stage will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel and streamed live on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold.

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup continues this week with the 67th running of the 4-Hills Tournament in Germany, and Austria. NBC Sports Gold will stream all the events, and select events will also be featured on the Olympic Channel.

The FIS Nordic Combined World Cup season returns to action following the holiday break with a pair of HS97/10k events in Otepaa, Estonia, Saturday and Sunday. Both events will stream live on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast

ALPINE
Tuesday, Jan. 1
10:30 a.m. - Men and women’s city event - Oslo, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Jan. 5
7:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1 - Zagreb, CRO - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 2 - Zagreb, CRO - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Jan. 6
6:15 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Zagreb, CRO - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Zagreb, CRO - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

CROSS COUNTRY
Tuesday, Jan. 1
6:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 3 men and women’s sprint - Val Muestair, SUI - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Wednesday, Jan. 2
6:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 4 women’s 10k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 4 men’s 15k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Thursday, Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 5 men’s 15k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:45 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships classic individual start - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
9:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 5 women’s 10k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Jan. 4
9:15 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships classic sprint - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming

Saturday, Jan. 5
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 women’s 10k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:10 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, Jan. 6.
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 women’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:15 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships freestyle mass start - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
8:45 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV

Tuesday, Jan. 8
8:45 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships freestyle sprint - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming

NORDIC COMBINED
Saturday, Jan. 5
4:00 a.m. - Men’s HS97 - Otepaa, EST - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Men’s 10k - Otepaa, EST - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Jan. 6
5:00 a.m. - Men’s HS97 - Otepaa, EST - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:45 a.m. - Men’s 10k - Otepaa, EST - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

SKI JUMPING
Monday, Dec. 31
8:00 a.m. - Four Hills Tournament men’s HS142 qualifying - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Tuesday, Jan. 1
8:00 a.m. - Four Hill Tournament men’s HS142 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Four Hills Tournament men’s HS142 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV

Thursday, Jan. 3
8:00 a.m. - Four Hills Tournament men’s HS130 qualifying - Innsbruck, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Jan. 4
8:00 a.m. - Four Hills Tournament men’s HS130 - Innsbruck, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Jan. 5
11:00 a.m. - Four Hills Tournament men’s HS142 qualifying - Bischofshofen, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Jan. 6
11:00 a.m. - Four Hills Tournament men’s HS142 - Bischofshofen, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) skied a strong race to finish sixth in stage 2 of the FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski, a 10k individual start freestyle in Toblach, Italy, Sunday. Diggins’ performance moved her into second overall, 23 seconds behind leader Natalia Nepryaeva of Russia.

“Today was a good race for me,” said Diggins, who finished third overall in the Tour de Ski last season. “My body was still a bit tired from skiing all the sprint rounds but I was satisfied with the race I put together. To have a good overall tour it’s important to ski consistently, so I feel good about where I’m at.”

Nepryaeva, who was 30th in the opening stage sprint, won her first career World Cup victory Sunday with a time of 23 minutes, 19 seconds to move into the overall lead. Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg of Norway was second at 23:20, with Anastasia Sedova of Russia in third at 23:30. Diggins, who started the day third overall following her third-place in the stage 1 freestyle sprint, finished with a time of 23:47. Stage 1 winner Stina Nilsson of Sweden, dropped to 10th overall after finishing 39th in the second stage.

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wa.) was 16th in the second stage and fell from sixth to eighth in the overall standings. Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) finished stage two in 36th, falling from ninth to 22nd in the overall standings.

In the men’s 15k individual freestyle race, Russia took two podiums spots with Sergey Ustiugov in first and Alexander Bolshunov in third. In second place was Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krueger. Bolshunov moved into the overall lead, followed by Ustiugov in second and stage 1 winner Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway sitting third. Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) is the top-placed American in 50th overall.

The Tour de Ski heads into a rest day on Monday with stage 3, another freestyle sprint, taking place in Val Muestair, Switzerland, Tuesday.

RESULTS
Men’s 15k freestyle
Women’s 10k freestyle

OVERALL STANDINGS
Men through stage 2
Women through stage 2

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
*Same-day delayed broadcast

Tuesday, Jan. 1
6:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 3 men and women’s sprint - Val Muestair, SUI - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Wednesday, Jan. 2
6:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 4 women’s 10k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 4 men’s 15k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Thursday, Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 5 men’s 15k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:45 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships classic individual start - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
9:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage 5 women’s 10k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Jan. 4
9:15 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships classic sprint - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming

Saturday, Jan. 5
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 women’s 10k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:10 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, Jan. 6
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 women’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:15 a.m. - U.S. Cross Country Championships freestyle sprint - Craftsbury, Vt. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
8:45 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) skied to her first podium of the season, finishing third in the freestyle sprint in stage 1 of the FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy, Saturday. Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wa.) finished sixth, and Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) was ninth.

“While a podium is always awesome and exciting, I was really happy with my race today because I was racing with joy and having fun again,” Diggins said. “I had a really good Christmas break and taking a step back from World Cup racing and getting relaxed and happy, remembering to ignore all the external pressure, was key for me.”

The U.S, qualified all three women who started the Tour, with Bjornsen winning the qualifiers, Diggins qualifying sixth and Caldwell 13th. All three women were matched up in the semifinal heat one with Diggins and Bjornsen advancing to the finals. In the finals, Diggins sat fourth coming into the final corner and made her move up the inside but got nipped at the line in a photo finish with Ida Ingemarsdotter of Sweden, who finished second. Sweden’s Stina Nilsson skied away from the field in the final kilometer to win by three seconds.

In the men’s race, Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) qualified eighth, and Kevin Bolger (Burlington, Vt.) qualified 13th, but neither advanced from the quarterfinals. Norway’s Sindre Bjoernestad Skar took the victory as countryman Emil Iversen was second. Richard Jouve of France rounded out the podium in third.  

The Tour de Ski continues Sunday with the women’s 10k individual start and the men’s 15k individual start.

RESULTS
Women’s Sprint Finals
Men’s Sprint Finals

TOUR DE SKI STANDINGS
Men's overall through stage 1
Women's overall through stage 1

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
*Same-day delayed broadcast

Sunday, Dec. 30
6:30 a.m. - Tour de Ski stage 2 women’s 10k interval - Toblach, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:30 a.m. - Tour de Ski stage 2 men’s 15k interval - Toblach, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold\

Tuesday, Jan. 1
6:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski stage 3 men and women’s sprint - Val Muestair, SUI - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Wednesday, Jan. 2
6:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski stage 4 women’s 10k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER- Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski stage 4 men’s 15k mass start - Oberstdorf, GER- Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Thursday, Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski stage 5 men’s 15k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER- Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski stage 5 women’s 10k pursuit - Oberstdorf, GER- Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Jan. 5
8:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 women’s 10k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:10 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 6 men’s 15k mass start - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, Jan. 6.
7:00 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 women’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:45 a.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Tour de Ski Stage Stage 7 men’s hill climb - Val di Fiemme, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV
 

If it wasn’t for bad luck this weekend in Bormio, Italy, Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) would have any luck at all.

In Friday’s FIS Ski World Cup downhill, Cochran-Siegle walked out of his ski just three gates into his run. In Saturday’s super-G he was iced at the start for more than 30 minutes as the racer in front of him, Norway’s Stian Saugestad, took a nasty fall into the nets and was eventually extracted from the course by helicopter.

“It’s was tough with the course hold, I think that whatever happens, especially with the helicopter, you really don’t know what is going on, so it’s kind of tough to adjust to and figure out when to get ready to go,” said Cochran-Siegle, who despite the lengthy course hold was the top American finisher in 22nd. “I was just trying to focus on what I wanted to do. I skied well all the way, except for the last split I just got a little behind it. But I think not trying to let (the course hold) affect my mindset, it’s tough, but you have to overcome it.”

Italy’s Dominik Paris won for the second-straight day after taking Friday’s downhill. Austria’s Matthias Meyer was second, as Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was third. Steven Nyman (Park City, Utah) took another huge step toward top form, coming out of the 60th start position to finish right behind Cochran-Siegle in 23rd place.

Cochran-Siegle, who has scored points in all four World Cup super-G’s this season, now heads home to Vermont for a short New Year’s break. “I’m going to go back home, I get a few days off, then come back over here for Adelboden (Switzerland, Jan. 12-13),” he said. “I think I’m probably going to skip Kitzbuehel this year, just to get another break before the long haul.”

Up next, the tech skiers move on the Oslo, Norway for a New Year’s Day city event, then off to a night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, on Jan. 6.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast

Saturday, Dec. 29
2:30 p.m. - Men’s super-G - Bormio, ITA - NBCSN*
5:00 p.m. - Women’s slalom - Semmering, AUT - NBC*

Tuesday, Jan. 1
10:30 a.m. - Men and women’s city event - Oslo, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) will be the first to admit that just because she won, it doesn’t necessarily make her the best. With her 36th career FIS Ski World Cup slalom victory in Semmering, Austria, Saturday, Shiffrin became the women’s all-time World Cup slalom win leader, surpassing her childhood hero Marlies Schild.

“Marlies for me is always going to be the best,” said Shiffrin, who also became the first ski racer in history to win 15 World Cup races in a single calendar year. “I wouldn’t be where I am without being able to watch her...yeah (the record) is incredible, but she deserves that spot in my mind. If I can inspire any young athlete as much as [Marlies Schild] inspired me, then I did my job in this sport."

Shiffrin’s 51st World Cup win didn’t come easy. Starting fifth in the first run, she took a .48-second lead over a fired-up Petra Vlhova, who won Slovakia’s first World Cup giant slalom on Friday, but has finished second to Shiffrin in every slalom so far this season. Vlhova skied a strong second run to take the lead, which forced Shiffrin to take some risks as the final starter on the softening track. But thanks to her East Coast skiing roots at Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy, those were familiar risks.

“First run felt quite good, second run was more of a battle,” Shiffrin said. “I was trying to not risk everything, but making speed on every turn. I had a couple mistakes, a couple moments where I was fighting for my life, but it was a good fight.”

Vlhova settled for her fifth second-place result in slalom this season at .29-seconds back, while Wendy Holdener of Switzerland was third at .38. With her victory, Shiffrin extended her World Cup lead to 466 points over Vlhova. She also leads the World Cup slalom and super-G standings and is ranked third in the giant slalom, and ninth in the downhill standings.

Victory number 51 also moved Shiffrin to seventh on the all-time World Cup win list, surpassing Italy’s Alberto Tomba with 50 wins. Sweden’s Ingemar Steinmark is the all-time World Cup slalom win leader with 40 victories.

For the next two weeks, Shiffrin will have the opportunity to focus on slalom with a city event in Oslo, Norway, on New Year’s Day, followed by a night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, on Friday, before returning back to Austria for another slalom in Flachau on Jan. 8.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast

Saturday, Dec. 29
2:30 p.m. - Men’s super-G - Bormio, ITA - NBCSN*
5:00 p.m. - Women’s slalom - Semmering, AUT - NBC*

Tuesday, Jan. 1
10:30 a.m. - Men and women’s city event - Oslo, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) finished fifth on a balmy day featuring soft and sugary snow in Semmering, Austria, gaining more valuable points in the overall chase, while Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova earned her first World Cup giant slalom win.

Prior to today’s commanding victory, Vlhova had never finished better than seventh in a World Cup giant slalom. She came down almost a half a second ahead of Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, and no one could catch her. Just three-hundredths separated the top three after the first run, and 18 hundredths the top six. Vlhova put her foot on the gas pedal and went “full gas” second run to take the victory.

Shiffrin now sits even prettier in first in the overall battle, with 934 points - almost double that of Vlhova in second, with 488 points. Vlhova and Shiffrin have been battling on the mountain all season, but it normally happens in slalom. When asked if she would look for revenge in tomorrow’s slalom, Shiffrin replied thoughtfully, “I try not to ski for revenge, because it’s a tricky balance for me. It’s better to ski for inspiration.”

Today was just not Shiffrin's day, though it wasn't a noticeable mistake that got her. “I think sometimes the biggest mistake you can make is pushing the wrong way,” Shiffrin reflected on her skiing. “It’s not a mistake that’s obvious to the eye, but you can kind of feel it - with every turn you’re just losing a little bit of speed because your skis aren’t coming around quite as fast so you can’t carry the speed.”

Despite her disappointment, Shiffrin - the sportswoman she is - gave props to Vlhova for her impressive skiing. “The way that she’s been skiing, and the way she skied at Killington, I could see it already,” she said. “She’s was having some really, really good turns. I was more surprised by Courchevel, but even then she was right there. That’s super cool. Congratulations.”

AJ Hurt (Squaw Valley, Calif.) and Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) both DNFd in the first run. Action continues in Semmering with a slalom on Saturday, where Shiffrin will go for her 15th win in the calendar year, as well as her 36th slalom victory - both World Cup records. 

RESULTS
Women's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

ALPINE
Friday, Dec. 28
12:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill - Bormio, ITA - NBCSN*

Saturday, Dec. 29
4:30 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1 - Semmering, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
5:15 a.m. - Men’s super-G - Bormio, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 2 - Semmering, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s super-G - Bormio, ITA - NBCSN*
5:00 p.m. - Women’s slalom - Semmering, AUT - NBC*