Event preview Planica (SLO)
Dec 19, 2019·Cross-Country
The FIS Cross-Country family is traveling to Slovenia for some final Sprint racing before Christmas and the final competition of the 1st period of the World Cup calendar 2019/20. The venue in Planica is a well-known organizer of Nordic world-class events and proud to be hosting the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 2023.
The infrastructure of the Nordic Center has been renewed in 2015 and has since welcomed the FIS Cross-Country family twice in 2016 and 2018. Previous Sprint World Cups in Slovenia took place in Rogla in 2009 and 2011. In all four ind. Sprint World Cups that were held in Slovenia, there have been 12 different athletes on the podium of the mens competitions! For more facts of the upcoming competitions, please see below.
For the latest informations regarding the World Cup event in Planica, please visit www.planica.si
Saturday, 21st December - Ind. Sprint
Women
Stina Nilsson has won 14 World Cup sprint events in freestyle, second most behind Marit Bjørgen (24).
Nilsson has won both Planica sprint events in the World Cup, in freestyle in January 2016 and in classic style in January 2018 in classic style.
Maiken Caspersen Falla has won 20 World Cup individual sprint events,equal to Petra Majdic (20) in second place on the all-time women's list. Only Marit Bjørgen (40) won more.
Falla has finished on the podium in six of her last seven World Cup sprint appearances, with the only exception a fourth place in the sprint freestyle in Quebec at the World Cup Final on 22 March 2019.
Falla (49) could become the second athlete to claim 50 podium finishes in women's individual World Cup sprint events, after Bjørgen (60).
Sophie Caldwell finished third in the Davos sprint last week. Caldwell (9) could become the second woman from USA to reach 10 World Cup individual sprint event podiums, after Kikkan Randall (24).
Jonna Sundling finished second in the Ruka sprint three weeks ago. She has won one World Cup event, a sprint freestyle during the 3-Days Tour last season (Lillehammer).
Sadie Maubet Bjornsen finished third in the sprint in Ruka. She hasreached the podium of a World Cup event (incl. Tour stages and overall Tour wins) on 12 occasions, but has yet to win.
Men
Lucas Chanavat finished second in Davos last week. He has yet to win his first World Cup event in any discipline. He has reached the podium in the individual sprint seven times and in the team sprint once.
Jouve and Chanavat (8 each) are the two male athletes to have reached most podium finishes in World Cup events without ever winning (incl. Tour stages and overall Tour wins).
Federico Pellegrino has won 13 career sprint World Cup events, joint-third most among men alongside Ola Vigen Hattestad. Only Emil Jönsson (16) and Klæbo (18) have won more.
Twelve of Pellegrino's 13 sprint World Cup victories came in the freestyle, most of all men.
Pellegrino has won the only previous sprint freestyle event held in Planica, on 16 January 2016.
Eirik Brandsdal will compete in the World Cup for the first time this season. He can win his 10th World Cup individual sprint event, becoming the seventh man to reach this milestone.
Sunday, 22nd December - Team Sprint
Women
Sweden have won six of the last seven women's team sprint World Cup events, including each of the last four. Maja Dahlqvist was part of Sweden's last three winning teams - she won alongside Ida Ingemarsdotter in Dresden on 14 January 2018 (F) and Lahti on 10 February 2019 (C) and alongside Stina Nilsson in Dresden on 13 January 2019 (F).
Norway have won the most women's team sprint events in the World Cup (15), but have failed to win the last seven team sprint events. The last victory for a Norwegian team was in Nové Mesto na Morave on 12 January 2014, when Maiken Caspersen Falla and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg won the classic event.
Katja Višnar and Anamarija Lampic claimed silver in the women's team sprint classic event in the 2019 Nordic World Ski Championships. The only podium finish for a Slovenian duo in a women's team sprint World Cup event was on 24 January 2010, when Višnar and Vesna Fabjan finished second in Rybinsk (freestyle).
Men
Norway has won the last two men's team sprint World Cup events: Erik Valnes and Sindre Bjørnestad Skar in Dresden on 13 January 2019 (F) and Emil Iversen and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo in Lahti on 10 February 2019 (C).
Norway has won most men's team sprint World Cup events (12) and claimed most podium finishes in team sprint events (34).
Since the start of 2015/16, only Norway (2) and Italy (2) have won multiple men's team sprint events in the World Cup. Russia and Canada won once each. The two victories for Italy since 2015/16 were claimed by Federico Pellegrino and Dietmar Nöckler: in Planica on 17 January 2016 and in Dresden on 14 January 2018 (both F).
