XC-Predictions: Ready for new season!

Posted by Jan Kocbach, 22 Nov 2012@23:10

The World Cup season 2012/2013 starts in Gällivare in Sweden on Saturday November 24th with 10 km Free for women and 15 km Free for the men. The World Cup opening is always special for the skiers – as they are unsure about how their shape is compared to their competitors.

The course in Gällivare is a technical course with a lot of curves and short up- and downhills (see course map at the bottom of this preview).

First for Johaug on 10 km free?

The big three on a 10 km Free the last seasons have been Marit Bjørgen (Norway), Justyna Kowalczyk (Poland) and Charlotte Kalla (Sweden). Bjørgen won the last two international season openings ahead of Kalla, while Kowalczyk on the other hand is usually not in top shape in the first races. The Polish superstar often uses the first races of the season to get in shape ahead of Tour de Ski, and finished only 10th and 7th in the World Cup openings in Sjusjøen and Gällivare the two last seasons.

However, for the first time in a long, long time, the main favourite in a World Cup race for women is not one of the big three. Instead Therese Johaug (Norway) is the big name. In the national season opener in Beitostølen last weekend Therese Johaug showed that she is capable of climbing all the way to the top after beating Marit Bjørgen twice. Even if 10 km Free has not been Johaug’s favourite discipline in the World Cup (7th and 9th from the last two international season openers), she is now counted as the big favourite.

In the 10 km free season opener in Bruksvallarna Kalla took the victory ahead of new Swedish surprise Emma Wiken and Ida Ingemarsdotter. The corresponding race in Muoni (Finland) saw Kowalczyk on top ahead of Elizabeth Stephen and Yulia Tchekaleva – Riita-Liisa Roponen was best Finn in fourth. In Beitostølen Johaug won with nearly a minute ahead of Bjørgen and Heidi Weng.

Open among the men

In the mens class it is more open, but Petter Northug, Marcus Hellner and Dario Cologna are surely three of the biggest favourites along with Johan Olsson and Maurice Manificat. Johan Olsson – the winner in the World Cup opening in Sjusjøen last year – showed great shape by winning the Swedish season opening in Bruksvallerna. Northug was second in Sjusjøen last year – and looked very confident in the Norwegian season opener in Beitostølen last weekend. The Russians will be strong again – and also look out for Daniel Richardsson and Dario Cologna.

In the 15 km free season opener in Bruksvallarna last weekend Johan Olsson took the victory ahead of Daniel Richardsson and Ivan Babikov. Matti Heikkinen took the Muoni 15 km free opener ahead of Lukas Bauer and Jens Filbrich. Beitostølen saw Petter Northug on top with Maurice Manificat in second and Finn Haagen Krogh in third. There was also an international FIS race in Gällivare with a small, strong startfield which Dario Cologna won ahead of Alexander Legkov and Curdin Perl.

Name 2011
Sjusjoen
2011-11-19
15 km F
2010
Gällivare
2010-11-20
15 km F
2010
Whistler Olympic Park
2010-02-15
15 km F
2010
Canmore
2010-02-05
15 km F
COLOGNA Dario 7th 2nd 1st 3rd
HELLNER Marcus 9th 1st 4th 6th
OLSSON Johan 1st 32nd 11st 7th
DI CENTA Giorgio 27th 10th 1st
PILLER COTTRER Pietro 34th 39th 2nd 2nd
BAUER Lukas 8th 3rd
NORTHUG Petter jr. 2nd 41st
CLARA Roland 3rd 20th 27th
RICKARDSSON Daniel 30th 3rd 22nd 23rd
JESPERSEN Chris Andre 23rd 4th
LIVERS Toni 28th 12nd 12nd 4th
VITTOZ Vincent 28th 5th
HALFVARSSON Calle 4th 50th
LEGKOV Alexander 11st 6th 15th 15th
SEDOV Petr 59th 5th 26th 8th
FISCHER Remo 6th 18th 15th 16th
BERGER Lars 8th
MANIFICAT Maurice 17th 17th 6th
TEICHMANN Axel 47th 37th 44th 5th
ANGERER Tobias 14th 44th 7th 14th
ROETHE Sjur 36th 7th
HARVEY Alex 5th 34th 21st 62nd
POLTORANIN Alexey 10th 22nd
BABIKOV Ivan 42nd 54th 8th 10th
MORIGGL Thomas 43rd 24th 9th
JOHNSRUD SUNDBY Martin 13rd 10th 33rd
VYLEGZHANIN Maxim 16th 15th 9th 49th
FREEMAN Kris 55th 9th 59th 20th
Name 2011
Sjusjoen
2011-11-19
10 km F
2010
Gällivare
2010-11-20
10 km F
2010
Whistler Olympic Park
2010-02-15
10 km F
2010
Canmore
2010-02-05
10 km F
BJOERGEN Marit 1st 1st 3rd
SMIGUN-VAEHI Kristina 2nd
KALLA Charlotte 2nd 2nd 1st 1st
KOWALCZYK Justyna 10th 7th 5th 2nd
FOLLIS Arianna 3rd 11st 10th
SKOFTERUD Vibeke W 3rd 6th 22nd
BERGER Tora 4th
STEIRA Kristin Stoermer 5th 4th 8th
HAAG Anna 15th 8th 4th 5th
KHAZOVA Irina 44th 20th 3rd
SHEVCHENKO Valentina 17th 32nd 9th 4th
MEDVEDEVA Evgenia 7th 17th
GOESSNER Miriam 21st 7th
KRISTOFFERSEN Marthe 6th 5th 48th
NYSTAD Claudia 16th 8th
RUPIL Silvia 19th 24th 14th 6th
ROPONEN Riitta-Liisa 21st 23rd 6th
JOHAUG Therese 7th 9th
VALBUSA Sabina 17th 9th
MALAHOVA-SHISHKINA Svetlana 10th 12nd
RANDALL Kikkan 8th 19th 44th
OESTBERG Ingvild Flugstad 9th 35th
FESSEL Nicole 47th 9th 28th

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