Tour de Ski - Lenzenheide Day 2 preview

Ladies' 10KM CLASSIC STYLE – Sunday 31 Dec 2017

• Norway has won 12 of the last 13 World Cup races in the 10km classic. In this run (2014-2017), only Stina Nilsson (SWE) avoided Norwegian success as she triumphed in Val di Fiemme (Tour de Ski) on 7 January 2017.
• Heidi Weng (NOR) has reached the podium in six of the last eight 10km World Cup events (including pursuits).
• No woman has claimed more World Cup podium spots in the 10km classic since the start of 2015/16 than Weng (5). Bjørgen and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (NOR) both follow with four top-three finishes.
• Østberg's sole victory in a distance classic style World Cup race came on 1 January 2017, when she won the 5km classic in Val Müstair (Tour de Ski, excluding pursuits).
• Østberg, Weng and Jessica Diggins (USA) are the only athletes to have won a Tour de Ski stage in both of the last two seasons (excl. 2017/18).
• The last woman from Switzerland to claim a podium spot in a distance World Cup event on home snow was Evi Kratzer (SUI) who finished in third place in this event in Davos on 18 December 1984.

PREVIEW Men's 15KM CLASSIC STYLE

• Sundby is still looking for his first World Cup victory of the season (opening sprint event not included). His last win came on 11 March, when he won the 50km classic in Oslo.
• Sundby is the only man to have won a World Cup event in each of the previous six seasons (incl. relay/team events).
• Sundby is on 29 individual World Cup wins (incl. Tour stages and overall Tour wins) and needs one more victory to join Gunde Svan (SWE, 30) and Vladimir Smirnov (KAZ, 30) in third place on the all-time list. Only Petter Northug (NOR, 38) and Bjørn Dæhlie (NOR, 46) have won more.
• Sundby has claimed 42 World Cup victories (individual, relay/team, Tour stages, overall Tour), only trailing Dæhlie (46) and Northug (47).
• Ustiugov won the opening four distance events in last season's Tour de Ski, before finishing in second place behind winner Sundby in the 15km classic in Val di Fiemme.
• Ustiugov's tally of four distance wins in the 2016/17 Tour de Ski is a joint-high for an athlete in a single edition. Sundby also recorded four distance wins in 2015/16.
• Only Northug in 2011/12 (3.7km free) and 2012/13 (4km free) ever managed to win the opening distance stage in back-to-back editions of the Tour de Ski.
• Maurice Manificat (FRA) won the 9km pursuit in last season's Tour de Ski and could become the first athlete from France to claim multiple distance wins in the competition.
• Manificat's tally of nine distance World Cup victories is a joint-high for athletes from France along with Vincent Vittoz (FRA).
• Only Klæbo (4) and Ustiugov (4) have won more distance World Cup events in 2017 than Manificat (3).
• Iivo Niskanen (FIN) is hoping to become the second athlete from Finland to claim a distance victory in the Tour de Ski after Matti Heikkinen (FIN), who triumphed in the skiathlon in Oberstdorf on 3 January 2011.