Lillehammer calling!
Dec 05, 2019·Cross-Country
The seconds stop of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup awaits in Lillehammer (NOR) with Skiathlon and Relay events. Early snow has not only secured great conditions on the competition courses but also on the public tracks around the Birkebeineren Stadium on the World famous tracks of the Winter Olympic Games 1994.
Check out the local snow and weather report by clicking here. Below, fina all pre-competition facts as well as the published national selections for Lillehammer.
Pre-competition facts Skiathlon
Women
Johaug has reached the podium in 13 of all her 14 appearances in a skiathlon World cup event, including in each of the last nine. The only time the 31-year-old failed claim a top-three finish was in Oberstdorf on 3 January 2011 (Tour de Ski), when she finished in seventh place.
Johaug can become the first ever athlete to claim 14 podium finishes in skiathlon World Cup events. She currently shares the record of 13 with Bjørgen.
Johaug has won 15 of the last 16 individual distance World Cup (13) and world championships (3) races in which she participated. The only individual distance race she failed to win in that run was the 10km classic in the World Cup Final in Quebec on 23 March. Johaug finished in second place behind winner Stina Nilsson.
Therese Johaug, Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen and Heidi Weng are all hoping to hand Norway its first women's skiathlon World Cup win since 9 March 2016, when Weng won the 2x7.5km in Canmore (Ski Tour Canada).
Norway failed to win the last three skiathlon World Cup events and can remain winless in four in a row for the first time since 2003-2004.
Weng (1) can become the fifth woman from Norway to claim multiple skiathlon World Cup victories after Bente Skari (2), Kristin Størmer Steira (3), Johaug (6) and Marit Bjørgen (8).
Charlotte Kalla won the last skiathlon event in the World Cup, the 2x7.5km in Lillehammer on 3 December 2017.
Two of the last three skiathlon World Cup events have been won by athletes from Sweden - Kalla in 2017 and Stina Nilsson in Oberstdorf on 3 January 2017 (Tour de Ski).
Since the start of 2016/17, Nilsson has won 21 World Cup events (incl. Tour stages and overall Tour wins), at least five more than any other woman in this period (Johaug 16).
Krista Pärmäkoski can become the third woman from Finland to win a skiathlon World Cup race, after Riitta-Liisa Roponen in Falun on 21 March 2009 (World Cup Final) and Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi in Oslo on 4 March 1989.
Pärmäkoski's best result in a skiathlon World Cup event was a fourth-place finish in the 2x7.5km in Canmore on 9 March 2016 (Ski Tour Canada).
Sadie Maubet Bjornsen and Jessica Diggins are both hoping to become the second non-European winner of a women's skiathlon World Cup event after Beckie Scott. The Canadian won twice in 2005/06, in Oberstdorf and Sapporo.
Diggins can become the first non-European woman to win a World Cup event (incl. Tour stages and overall Tour wins) in five consecutive campaigns. She currently shares the record of four in a row with fellow American Kikkan Randall (2010/11-2013/14).
Pre-competition facts Skiathlon
Men
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the last skiathlon event in the World Cup, the 2x15km in Lillehammer on 3 December 2017. Norway swept the podium as compatriots Martin Johnsrud Sundby finished second ahead of Hans Christer Holund in third.
Klæbo can become the first athlete to win back-to-back men's skiathlon World Cup events since Sundby in 2015-2016 (3 wins in a row).
Martin Johnsrud Sundby has won three career men's skiathlons in the World Cup and can now join Tobias Angerer, Dario Cologna and Petter Northug on a record four victories in this event.
Sundby has reached the podium in each of his last six appearances in a skiathlon World Cup event.
Sundby can become the first man to win a World Cup event (incl. Tour stages and overall Tour wins) in 12 different seasons. He currently shares the record of 11 with Northug, Tor Arne Hetland and Vladimir Smirnov.
Iivo Niskanen won the 15km classic race in last week's 3-Days Tour in Ruka, claiming his fourth win in a World Cup event. The only men from Finland on more victories in the competition are Mika Myllylä (10) and Harri Kirvesniemi (6).
Niskanen can become the first man from Finland to claim multiple World Cup wins in a single season since Jari Isometsä (3) in 1999/2000.
Hans Christer Holund won the final pursuit in the 3-Days Tour in Ruka last week (winner of the day). It was his second World Cup triumph after winning the 4x7.5km relay in Lillehammer on 6 December 2015.
Emil Iversen, second in the overall World Cup standings, is hoping to claim his first podium spot in a skiathlon World Cup event. His best result is a seventh-place finish in Lillehammer on 5 December 2015.
Pre-competition facts Relay
Women
Norway has won 14 of the last 15 relay events in the women's World Cup (excluding team sprints), including each of the last 11.
Norway has won seven of the eight relay World Cup races on home snow (excl. team sprints), with the only exception a second-place finish in Beitostølen in November 2009.
Johaug has won five relay World Cup events in Norway, joint-most along with Marit Bjørgen. Johaug was part of both of Norway's two winning relay teams in Lillehammer.
Heidi Weng has won each of the last eight relay World Cup events in which she participated, since a fourth-place finish in Gällivare on 25 November 2012.
Weng (8) can claim her ninth relay World Cup victory (excl. team sprints) to join Hilde Pedersen in fifth-place all-time among women.
Men
Norway has won nine of the last 11 relay races in the World Cup (excluding team sprints). In that run only Russia avoided Norwegian success, in Lillehammer on 8 December 2013 and in the most recent relay event in Ulricehamn on 27 January.
Russia can now win back-to-back relay World Cup races (excl. team sprints) for the first time since 2006/07 (in La Clusaz and Davos).
Russia has finished on the podium in four of the last five relay World Cup events (excl. team sprints). The only exception in that run was a seventh place in Ulricehamn on 22 January 2017.
Norway has not missed out on a podium spot in each of their last 18 relay appearances in the World Cup (excl. team sprints), since that fourth-place finish in Davos in 2007.
Norway has won five of the last six relay World Cup races on home snow, with the only exception in that run Russia's victory in Lillehammer on 8 December 2013.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby was part of Norway's last eight relay World Cup winning teams. The last time Norway won without Sundby in its line-up was in Sjusjøen on 20 November 2011.
Sundby has won 13 career relay World Cup events (excl. team sprints), at least four more than any other man.
Sweden's only podium finish in a relay World Cup event in the last seven years was its second place behind winners Norway in Ulricehamn in January 2017.
The Norwegian team has it's eyes set on the podium. Find the official team selection here.
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