Dresden hosts FIS World Cup events for the second time

Dresden will host the FIS Cross-Country World Cup for the second time. Last year, the city made its debut on the World Cup calendar.

Pre-competition facts Saturday, 12th January 2019

Ladies SPRINT FREESTYLE

• Last season, the ladies' individual sprint event in Dresden was won by Hanna Falk. Maja Dahlqvist finished in second place, while Sophie Caldwell came in third.

• Stina Nilsson could win four successive World Cup individual sprint events for the second time in her career. She previously did so from February to November 2017.

• Nilsson's current streak of three victories comprise the individual sprint events in Davos and the two Tour de Ski events in Toblach and Val Müstair.

• Across all cross-country events, Nilsson has won 20 World Cup races. The only Swedish athlete with more World Cup victories in the sport is Gunde Svan: 30.

• Swedish ladies have won five of the last six World Cup individual sprint races (Stina Nilsson 3, Jonna Sundling 1 and Hanna Falk 1), including each of the last four. The only exception in this run is Yulia Belorukova's victory in the classic style in Ruka on 24 November 2018.

• Maiken Caspersen Falla (16) could join Bente Skari (17) in third place on the list of women with most World Cup individual sprint victories, behind Marit Bjørgen (40) and Petra Majdic (20).

• The last time Falla failed to finish on the podium in six successive WC sprint races she competed in was from February to December 2013.

• Yulia Belorukova won the World Cup individual sprint race in Ruka on 24 November (classic). Only one woman representing Russia has won two individual sprint events in the World Cup: Natalia Matveeva won freestyle races in 2007 (Düsseldorf) and 2017 (Toblach).

• Jonna Sundling won the individual sprint freestyle event in the 3-Days Tour on 30 November.

Men SPRINT FREESTYLE

• Last season, Federico Pellegrino won the individual sprint freestyle event in Dresden, ahead of Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (2nd) and Lucas Chanavat (3rd).

• Federico Pellegrino has won 12 men's individual sprint World Cup events (classic and free). Only Emil Jönsson (16) and Ola Vigen Hattestad (13) have won more.

• Ustiugov (5) is level with Nikita Kriukov on most individual sprint World Cup event victories among Russian men.

• Alexander Bolshunov won the first sprint World Cup event of the season, in Ruka (classic style) on 24 November. Bolshunov can become the fifth athlete from Russia to win multiple individual sprint World Cup races, after Ustiugov (5), Kriukov (5), Alexey Petukhov (3) and Nikolay Morilov (3).