Pre-competition facts Skiathlon and Team Sprint

Saturday, 23rd February 2019
Skiathlon 15km ladies

• The last ladies' skiathlon in a major competition (World Cup, world championships, Olympic Winter Games) was held at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, when Charlotte Kalla claimed the gold medal.

• No Swedish woman has ever won the world title in the skiathlon event. Kalla already is the only Swedish woman to claim world championships medals in this event: bronze in 2015 and 2017.

• Only Marit Bjørgen (4, G3-S1-B0), Therese Johaug (3, G1-S1-B1) and Kristin Stømer Steira (3, G0-S1-B2) have claimed at least three medals in the women's skiathlon at world championships.

• Kalla can become the third female athlete to win this event at both the world championships and the Olympic Winter Games, after Marit Bjørgen (5 titles in total) and Kristina Smigun-Vähi (2 titles).

• The last four world titles in the women's skiathlon were all won by Norway as Bjørgen won in 2011, 2013 and 2017 and Therese Johaug in 2015.

• The last non-Norwegian world champion in the ladies' skiathlon was Justyna Kowalczyk for Poland in 2009.

• Johaug could become the second athlete to claim multiple world titles in the ladies' skiathlon, after Bjørgen (3).

• Johaug (G1-S1-B1) could win her fourth medal in this event, equalling Bjørgen (G3-S1-B0) as the athlete with most world championships medals all-time in the ladies' skiathlon.

• Maiken Caspersen Falla won the sprint freestyle on Thursday. She could become the second woman to win the individual sprint event and the skiathlon event at a single world championships, after Bjørgen (2011, 2013).

• Norway is the only country to record a clean sweep in this event at the world championships. In 2013, Bjørgen finished ahead of Johaug and Heidi Weng.

• Norwegians athletes failed to reach the podium in this event twice, in 2001 and 2003 (first two times skiathlon event was held). They raced 2x5km instead of 2x7.5km in these years.

• Behind Norway (12), Russia (5) has claimed most medals in the ladies' skiathlon at world championships. The last medal for a Russian woman in this event came in 2007, when Olga Savialova won the world title in Sapporo.

• Teresa Stadlober finished sixth in the skiathlon in Lahti two years ago, the best Austrian result in this event at the world championships.

Skiathlon 30km men

• Sergey Ustiugov can become the third athlete to successfully defend his world title in the men's skiathlon, after Petter Northug (2009-2011) and Per Elofsson (2001-2003).

• Ustiugov, Dario Cologna (winner in 2013) and Maxim Vylegzhanin (2015) could all join Northug and Elofsson on a record two world championships gold medals in the men's skiathlon.

• Vylegzhanin will be 36 years and 128 days old on the day of this event and could become the third oldest world champion in an individual men's event (2019 world title in the men's sprint not included), after Maurilio De Zolt (36-149) in the 50km free in 1987 and Andrus Veerpalu (38-012) in the 15km classic in 2009.

• Vylegzhanin (G1-S1-B0), Cologna (G1-S1-B0) and Martin Johnsrud Sundby (G0-S2-B0) could all add a record third world championships medal in the men's skiathlon to their trophy cabinet.

• Aged 34, Sundby is hoping to claim his first world title in an individual men's event. His previous two world titles both came in the men's 4x10km relay (2011 and 2017).

• Sundby has claimed a podium finish in each of his last 10 appearances in a skiathlon event in the World Cup, Olympic Games and world championships. The last time Sundby missed out on a podium spot was on 16 December 2012, when he finished in 17th place in the skiathlon World Cup event in Canmore.

• Sundby and reigning Olympic champion Simen Hegstad Krüger can both hand Norway its first world title in the men's skiathlon since 2011, when Northug won in Oslo.

• Krüger can become the first reigning Olympic champion in the men's skiathlon to win the following world title in this event.

• Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the sprint freestyle on Thursday. He could become the first man to win the individual sprint event and the skiathlon event at a single world championships.

• Norway has claimed at least one podium spot in all eight skiathlon events (World Cup, Olympic Games and world championships) since the 2015 World Championships, where Vylegzhanin won the world title ahead of Cologna (2nd) and Alex Harvey (3rd).

• Harvey can become the first non-European world champion in the men's skiathlon.

• The only athlete to have claimed a world championships medal in the men's skiathlon on home snow is Northug, who won the world title in this event in Oslo in 2011.

Saturday, 24th February 2019
Team sprint C ladies

• Norway has won the ladies' team sprint a record three times at the world championships. Finland (2) is the only other country with multiple world titles in this event.

• Norway and Finland have both won a record five world championships medals in the ladies' team sprint. Sweden follows on four medals.

• Maiken Caspersen Falla won this event at the last two world championships. In 2015 she won with Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and in 2017 with Heidi Weng.

• Falla can become the first woman to win this event three times. She is currently level with Virpi Kuitunen (2).

• Falla has claimed three podium finishes in this event at the world championships, joint-most among women together with Ida Ingemarsdotter (3).

• Falla won the individual sprint event on Thursday. She is already the only woman to have won the individual and the team sprint event at a single world championships (2017).

• In 2013, Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall won this event to record the first world title for USA in the sport.

• Since the USA world title in 2013, Norway has won all five ladies' team or relay events at the world championships.

• In the World Cup, Norway has not won a team sprint since Falla and Østberg won in Nové Mesto na Morave on 12 January 2014.

Team sprint C men

• Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, winner of the men's individual sprint event on Thursday, can become the fourth male athlete to claim both the individual and the team sprint world title at a single world championships. Petter Northug (2015), Nikita Kriukov (2013) and Ola Vigen Hattestad (2009) are the only athletes to do so.

• Kriukov and Sergey Ustiugov won the men's team sprint at the 2017 world championships in Lahti (classic style) to hand Russia its second world title in this event (classic and freestyle). Russia can now equal Norway on a record three world titles in the men's team sprint.

• Russia can become the first nation to claim back-to-back world titles in the men's team sprint.

• Russia has reached the podium in the men's team sprint at five of the last six world championships, including in each of the last four. The last time Russia missed out on a world championships medal in this event was in 2009, when Kriukov and Andrey Parfenov finished in fourth place in Liberec.

• Russia (G2-S2-B1) has claimed five world championships medals in the men's team sprint, more than any other country. Norway (G3-S1-B0) follows on four medals.

• Kriukov (2013, 2017) is the only athlete with multiple world titles in the men's team sprint event. Ustiugov can become the first to successfully defend his men's team sprint world title.

• Kriukov claimed a medal in this event in each of the last four world championships (G2-S1-B1). No other athlete has won more than two world championships medals in the men's team sprint.

• Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Klæbo can become the first reigning Olympic champions in the men's team sprint to win the next world title in this event.

• Sundby will be 34 years and 151 days old on the day of this event and can become the second oldest world champion in the men's team sprint, after Cristian Zorzi who was 34 years and 193 days old when he won this event in 2007.

• Klæbo will be 22 years and 125 days old on the day of this event and could become the youngest world champion in the men's team sprint, surpassing Alex Harvey (22 years, 176 days in 2011).

• Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw won the team sprint world title in Oslo in 2011 (classic style). Harvey can become the first non-European athlete, male or female, to claim multiple world titles in a single event.