Planica 10/15 km Classic Preview

PREVIEW Women 10KM CLASSIC STYLE – Sunday 21 Jan 2018

·  Heidi Weng (NOR) won the last two distance races in the World Cup, the 10km classic and the 9km pursuit at the Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme.

·  Weng can win three distance World Cup races in a row for the first time in her career. Before her two victories, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (NOR) won three consecutive distances races.

·  Weng has reached the podium in eight of the 11 distance events this World Cup season, most of all women. Østberg has recorded six top-three finishes.

·  Weng has won seven distance World Cup races, which ranks her in 21st place all-time, while her 54 podium finishes in distance races is seventh best among women.

·  Weng can win three distance races within a single World Cup season for the second time, following the 2015/16 season.

·  Weng (12) needs one more World Cup podium finish in the 10km classic, to equal Bente Skari (NOR, 13) in fifth place all-time in this ladies' event (excluding pursuits).

·  Østberg has won the most distance races this World Cup season, claiming four victories. Last season, Marit Bjørgen (NOR) had the most World Cup race wins in distance events (7).

·  Charlotte Kalla (SWE) is looking for her 10th distance victory in the World Cup and her third this season, after winning the skiathlon in Lillehammer and the 10km free in Toblach in December 2017.

·  Athletes from Norway have won 13 of the last 15 distance World Cup events, with Kalla's wins in Lillehammer (skiathlon) and Toblach (10km free) as the only exceptions.

·  Kalla has finished on the podium of a 10km classic World Cup event on nine occasions, but has yet to win one (excluding pursuits).

·  Her nine World Cup podium finishes in this event are the most by any woman without claiming a victory. Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN) follows with six podiums without a win in the 10km classic.

·  Stina Nilsson (SWE) is the only woman not from Norway to have won a 10km classic World Cup race in the last four years. Nilsson won this event on 7 January 2017 (Tour de Ski).

·  The first three 10km classic events of this World Cup season have been won by three different women (Bjørgen, Østberg, Weng). The only season in World Cup history in which four different women won the first four 10km classic races was the first World Cup season in 1981/82.

PREVIEW Men 15KM CLASSIC

·  Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) has won three distance races this World Cup season, most of all men. Klæbo won the 15km classic in Ruka (3-Days Tour), the skiathlon in Lillehammer and the 15km pursuit in Toblach.

·  Klæbo also won the 15km classic in the World Cup Final in Quebec last March.

·  Since the start of 2014/15, only Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR, 4) has won more 15km classic races in the World Cup (excluding pursuits) than Klæbo (2).

·  Last season, Sergey Ustiugov (RUS) and Sundby won the most distances races in the world Cup, each four.

·  Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) won the last 15km classic World Cup race, as he won in Val di Fiemme (Tour de Ski) on 6 January.

·  Poltoranin has won six 15km classic races in total in the World Cup (excluding pursuits), one shy of the all-time record held by Gunde Svan (SWE).

·  Poltoranin's 14 podium finishes in the 15km classic are already a record most in the World Cup. Dario Cologna (SUI) and Pål-Gunnar Mikkelsplass (NOR) both have 13 top-three finishes in this event.