Saturday February 4 Recap

FIS Nordic Junior/U23 World Ski Championships – Saturday February 4 Recap

Day 8 of the 2023 FIS Nordic Junior/U23 World Ski Championships was the first day to include all 3 disciplines: Cross-Country, Ski Jumping, and Nordic Combined. 

RECAP:

The Cross-Country Junior Mixed Relay was the first event of the day. In this race, the athletes do 5km each; the first two legs of the race are classic and the final two free technique. Norway had a strong lead for most of the race and the last racer Holbaek wore a Norway hat and carried a Norwegian flag as he crossed the finish line. The powerhouse Norwegian team consisted of classic skiers Andreassen and Heggen, followed by free technique skiers Brusveen-Jensen and Holbaek. Sweden also had an impressive relay, the first two classic segments done by Eriksson and Danielsson and the free technique segments done by Ericsson and Bergstroem. The Italians, including De Martin Pinter, Ghio, Laurent, and Artusi, raced hard and claimed the bronze medal. Switzerland finished 4th, Finland 5th, and Canada 6th. 

The U23 race was full of emotion and excitement. The majority of the race was extremely close with many teams battling for the top spots. After an incredible effort, France won the gold medal (Allez Les Bleus!) with Duchaufour and Arnaud skiing the classic segments and Pierrel and Rousset skiing the free technique segments. Close behind (0.5 seconds) were Sweden’s Lindstroem, Kvarnbrink, Hansson, and Gisselman, winning the silver medal after an impressive race. Switzerland’s Kaelin, Wigger, Weber, and Savary claimed the bronze medal, with the Swiss team cheering loudly at the finish line and tossing their teammates up in the air. Norway finished 4th, Germany 5th, and Canada 6th. 

The Junior Nordic Combined started out with the Ski Jumping portion of the event followed by the Mixed Team 2.5km and 5km ski. Austria topped the podium with a time of 37:02.9, while Germany was only 1.1 seconds behind, taking the silver medal. Italy won the bronze medal with a time of 1:00.8. 

 For the Junior Men’s Team Ski Jumping, Austria won the gold medal with a total of 972.5 points. Poland followed closely with 966.7 points, taking home the silver while Slovenia won the bronze with a score of 925.8. The Junior Women’s Team Ski Jumping event was an exciting way to close out the day. With a total score of 805.3, Japan came out on top with the gold medal, earning their first of the Championships! Slovenia claimed the silver medal with a total of 785.5 and Germany won the bronze with 725.6 points. 

RESULTS:

 Cross-Country Junior Mixed Relay 4x5km:

  1. NOR (Andreassen, Heggen, Brusveen-Jensen, Holbaek) 51:32.7
  2. SWE (Eriksson, Danielsson, Ericsson, Bergstroem) +33.5
  3. ITA (De Martin Pinter, Ghio, Laurent, Artusi) +40.2

 

Cross-Country U23 Mixed Relay 4x5km:

  1. FRA (Duchaufour, Arnaud, Pierrel, Rousset) 51:05.0
  2. SWE (Lindstroem, Kvarnbrink, Hansson, Gisselman) +0.5
  3. SUI (Kaelin, Wigger, Weber, Savary) +3.3

 

Junior Men’s Team Ski Jumping:

  1. AUT (Smid, Obersteiner, Embacher, Schuster) 972.5
  2. POL (Wrobel, Joniak, Tomasiak, Habdas) 966.7
  3. SLO (Ekart, Masle, Zavrsnik, Bartolj) 925.8

 

Junior Women’s Team Ski Jumping: 

  1. JPN (Nakayama, Sato, Ichinohe, Miyajima) 805.3
  2. SLO (Kosnjek, Vetrih, Bodlaj, Prevc) 785.5
  3. GER (Haeckel, Boehme, Scharfenberg, Goebel) 725.6

 

Junior Nordic Combined Mixed Team:

  1. AUT (Guetl, Hirner, Slamik, Walcher) 37:02.9
  2. GER (Graebert, Haasch, Armbruster, Sommerfeldt) +1.1
  3. ITA (Senoner, Pinzani, Sieff, Bortolas) +1:00.8

 

REWATCH the full Livestream of today’s events at the link below: 

www.wjc2023.ca/livestream/

HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS of the day:

www.youtube.com/@BTNES_SkiTV/videos 

Thank you to Haywood Securities, Slovenia Tourism, and CIBC for sponsoring today’s races! 

Tomorrow on Sunday February 5th, the final event of the Championships is the Junior Mixed Team Ski Jumping at 11:00am (PST). The Closing Ceremony begins at 12:30pm (PST). 

Come be part of the action in-person at Whistler Olympic Park or tune in to the Livestream from home using the link below:

WATCH LIVE: https://www.wjc2023.ca/livestream/

TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE – SATURDAY FEBRUARY 5

11:00am (PST) → Junior Mixed Team Ski Jumping (Livestream)

12:30pm (PST) → Medal and Closing Ceremony (Livestream) 

Check out the professional PHOTOGRAPHS by Official Event Photographers Joern Rohde and Doug Stephen of the races and opening ceremony here: drive.google.com/file/d/1rhZpQSjCP1Bc7Lww7DuuGlduHN5TsD9N/view?usp=sharing

FOLLOW & TAG us on Instagram at @black_tusk_nordic_events for live updates from the events!

For more information on the event, please visit www.wjc2023.ca