Koivuranta leads after ski jumping portion of sprint Nordic Combined  

OBERSTDORF, ( 27/02/2005 15:06 ) Germany (AP) _ Finland's Anssi Koivuranta posted the longest jump in the opening portion of the Nordic combined sprint event Sunday, while Germany's Ronny Ackermann was on target to take a second individual gold medal. Koivuranta set the longest mark in the morning's single-jump contest on the large hill, soaring 134 meters. However the Finn is expected to lose his 24-second advantage over Ackermann in the afternoon's 7.2-kilometer cross country sprint session. Ackermann, second in the ski jumping session after leaping 129 meters, is the highest-ranked ski specialist entering the cross country leg. His toughest challenge will likely come from Norway's Magnus Moan, fifth in the jumping with an effort of 128 meters. Moan enters the cross country leg with a 29-second deficit. Ackermann won gold in the small hill/15k Nordic combined event. He also lifted silver in the team event. Finland's Hannu Manninen, considered a favorite arriving in Oberstdorf after winning six straight World Cup events this season, saw his medal chances disappear with an uncharacteristically small jump of 116 meters, leaving him with 1 minute, 36 seconds to make up in the sprint. On a perfect day, Manninen could make up 45 seconds over 7.5k, leaving him well short of a medal. American was Todd Lodwick, third in the overall World Cup standings, was ninth after a jump of 124 meters and enters the cross country run 52 seconds behind. 

Dominant Manninen philosophical about never winning a major medal 
 
OBERSTDORF, ( 23/02/2005 19:29 ) Germany (AP) _ At the 1994 Olympics, Hannu Manninen was touted as a prodigy. The 15-year-old Nordic combined skier was the youngest Finn ever to compete at the Winter Games. Eleven years later, he has won a record 29 World Cups, relying on his unparalleled cross country skills. Manninen's ability to charge from behind as his skis churn powerfully through the snow are near legendary. But in Finland, they're wondering if Manninen is a winner or a loser. Manninen still hasn't earned a single individual medal at the Olympics or worlds _ and he's on the way to coming up empty handed again at his ninth major championships, the Nordic ski worlds underway at Oberstdorf, Germany. "I want to win the medal myself. The questions don't hurt me, But I don't ask myself them," Manninen said. "I've already proven it to myself. In my mind, there's no question about the answer." Manninen considers himself a winner because he is coasting to a second straight overall World Cup title. He's won eight of 13 competitions this year, along with a record six in a row. In the team events, he's been world and Olympic champion, part of his haul of six medals from major events. But the questions about why he can't pin down an individual medal probably won't go away, not after his latest bitter disappointment. The World Cup leader stumbled to a ninth-place finish in the 15-kilometer race on Friday at the championships. That was shocking even to Germany's Ronny Ackermann, his only real rival, who has won most of the races this season that the Finn has failed to claim. "He's been so dominant in the World Cup," Ackermann said. "At the moment, he has no weakness." Manninen trailed the German by 72 seconds after the jumping. That's a huge deficit for anyone else on the circuit, but not for the big Finn. Manninen, with his powerful 6-ft-2 (1.83-meter) 188-pound (86-kilogram) frame, has often wiped out two-minute leads by Ackermann. But he never made a charge Friday, finishing 52.8 seconds back as Ackermann won with an electrifying final sprint. Sunday's 7.5k sprint is Manninen's last chance for an individual medal at these titles. At the age of 26 and after years of frustration, he's grown philosophical about ending his career without a major medal _ not to mention the gold he's often favored to win. "I've thought about it _ this could happen. I'll just have to be satisfied with that and think that it wasn't meant to be for me," Manninen said. "I have accepted the thought. I've had many chances, but there won't be a limitless amount of them anymore in my career." 

Norway takes lead after ski jumping in team Nordic combined 
 
OBERSTDORF, ( 23/02/2005 16:29 ) Germany (AP) _ With outstanding jumps by Petter Tande, Magnus Moan and Havard Klemetsen, Norway took the lead after the ski jumping portion of the team Nordic combined event Wednesday at the Nordic ski World Championships. The Norwegians produced several of the day's best jumps on the large hill, including a stunning 136.5-meter leap by Tande and a 131-meter effort from Klemetsen. Norway led with 999.5 points after the morning session. Led by Michael Gruber, who delivered jumps of 130.5 and 133.0 meters, defending champion Austria was second with 981 points. That converts to a 19-second deficit heading into the afternoon's 4x5-kilometer cross country relay segment. The United States was third after a strong team performance, highlighted by a 129-meter jump by Bill Demong. The Americans had a total of 963.5 points and a 36-second deficit. Finland was fourth with 938.5 points _ 1 minute, .01 seconds back _ after strong jumps by Jaakko Tallus and World Cup leader Hannu Manninen, who made up slightly for his disappointing ninth-place finish in the individual event. Finland's chances took a hit when Anssi Koivuranta was forced to pull out with a fever. He was replaced by Antti Kuisma, who jumped only 108.0 on his first attempt and 121.5 on his second. Germany, the pre-race favorite, was only fifth despite a team including Ronny Ackermann and Bjoern Kircheisen, who won gold and silver, respectively, in Friday's individual event. Like the Swiss, the Germans entered the relay with a 1:26.00 deficit. The Germans were carried by Georg Hettich and Kircheisen, but their efforts were damaged by disappointing jumps of 122.0 and 121.5 from Ackermann. Cross-country specialist Sebastian Haseney also struggled with jumps of 110.5 and 107.5. "I'm not feeling so fresh," Ackermann said. Japan was eighth, 1:41.00 behind. The team's best jumper, Daito Takahashi, withdrew with back problems. The day's longest jump belonged to Russia's Sergej Maslennikov, who soared 137 meters, after a strong initial effort of 128. The rest of the team was unable to match his performance, and the Russians languished in last place out of 10 countries with 2:08.00 to make up. 

Norway keeps stranglehold on Nordic worlds, Estil leads sweep of 50k  
 
OBERSTDORF, ( 27/02/2005 19:26 ) Germany (AP) _ Olympic champion Frode Estil led a Norwegian sweep of the men's 50-kilometer race Sunday as the nation showed why it has a stranglehold on the cross country events and the whole Nordic ski world championships.
With heavy snow blowing across the challenging Oberstdorf course, the Norwegians pulled away from a huge pack of 35 skiers on a steep final climb as Estil won the race in 2 hours, 30 minutes, 10.1 seconds. "It's important to cross the finish line first _ this is very special to me," Estil said. "I've almost won gold several times at the worlds." The Norwegians came close to a perfect final day of the two week event, but that was spoiled by Germany's Ronny Ackermann.
The German captured the Nordic Combined 7.5k sprint in 20 minutes 15.6 seconds, with Norwegians taking silver and bronze. Magnus Moan finished 11.1 seconds back and Kristian Hammer 37.7 behind.
Estil, who won gold and silver at the Salt Lake City Olympics, showed off his sprinting skills on the downhill stretch run against Anders Auckland in the classic mass start event, edging his countryman by 0.7 seconds.
Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset was third, 1.4 back, capping Norway's domination of the most punishing and prestigious cross country race. Afterwards, the three formed a circle and celebrated Norway recording a seventh gold medal at the world championships, equaling the number the country won at home in Oslo 23 years ago.
"This was a great day for Norway _ this was the first time we won the 50k since 1966," Estil said.
Norway claimed gold in six of 12 cross country events, topping the table with 19 medals. The haul exceeded the nation's performance at the 2003 worlds of five titles and 15 medals.
In the 50k, the snowfall was so thick at times that many skiers threw away their goggles because the snow melted on them.
The weather and tough terrain kept the Norwegians _ racing as a block _ in check. They waited to attack on the towering final hill of 911 meters, finally leaving a huge pack in their wake.
At the bottom of the hill, Estil and Hjelmeset bolted in front and were never caught, except by Auckland, who surfaced in the stretch run. "It was a very slow race because of the snow, so I tried to rest up and avoid the accidents," Estil said. "I knew it was coming down to a sprint." The worlds in Oberstdorf ended Sunday with many rating the event among the best in championships history. The venues were full, with a total of 362,000 spectators.
Not a single doping case surfaced, a welcome change for a sport dogged by scandals in recent years.
"This was a great world championships. It will be difficult for other organizers to match this level in the future," praised Gian Franco Kasper, president of the world skiing body, FIS.  
 

No doping, plenty of spectators, close finishes  
 
OBERSTDORF,  ( 26/02/2005 19:09 ) Germany (AP) _ The Nordic ski World Championships were called a rousing success Saturday because the feared doping cases never materialized, but big crowds and nail-biting finishes did. At least that was the summary from almost everyone responsible for the two-week showcase for Nordic sports, which wraps up Sunday. "This was an excellent world championships _ it will be hard to beat this level in the future. The atmosphere was great, the weather too _ this was advertising for the sport of skiing," said Gian Franco Kasper, president of the world skiing body, FIS.
Heavy snowfall that dropped more than 80 centimeters (3 feet) of snow turned the town of Oberstdorf into a gleaming winter landscape framed by the Alps, a perfect backdrop for the broadcast into 30 countries.
The falling snow, which didn't stop for days, may have kept some spectators home at first.
But in recent days, sunshine broke through and the hilly cross-country course was lined with more than 20,000 spectators, waving their national flags and cheering like a soccer crowd. The big hill ski jumping venue drew crowds of up to 24,000.
The event will exceed the 300,000 spectators for 11 days of competition predicted by the organizers. They added that Oberstdorf would at least break even on the cost of hosting the worlds and the resort town expected a recognition boost for years to come.
"The mood was incredible, this was close to Lillehammer in 1994," organization committee head Thomas Mueller said of one of the most successful Winter Olympics.
FIS had high hopes for these worlds from the start, since Oberstdorf staged a highly praised championships in 1987.
But from the first days, officials feared a repeat of Salt Lake City, where doping scandals snatched the limelight away from the achievement of the athletes.
"It's the biggest danger that this could be a theme that would depress the mood, Kasper said at the opening press conference. "If we don't have a big case, the world championships are saved." By Saturday, not one doping case had materialized. That could change next week, however, when 642 samples are analyzed.
"I hope this is the result of stronger controls. Certain athletes have become more careful," Kasper said.
For the first time at the worlds, tests were taken for both HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and "own blood transfusions," athletes re-injecting their own blood into their bodies to increase their oxygen supply. The sport has tinkered heavily with many events in recent years to make the Nordic disciplines more pleasing to television and spectators. One major change was moving away from staggered starts in the cross country and Nordic Combined to more mass starts in which the top skiers can match strides for kilometers (miles) as the excitement grows and is rewarded with close finishes.
The most memorable of these were the duels between Norway's Marit Bjorgen and two-time Olympic champion Julija Tchepalova, the two best in women's cross country.
The Russian upset Bjorgen in the 15-kilometer pursuit, coming from behind with a final burst. The Norwegian turned the tables a few days later in the 4x5-kilometer relay, attacking on the final hill to pick up one of her three golds at the worlds. 

Bjorgen wins first individual gold medal at worlds  
 
OBERSTDORF,  ( 26/02/2005 15:09 ) Germany (AP) _ Marit Bjorgen of Norway will finally be considered a true cross country world champion at home in Norway. The sprint specialist turned long distance champion Saturday, winning the draining 30-kilometer classic mass start title at the Nordic World Championships. "Today's gold medal is the biggest I have done," said the 24-year-old, who was nicknamed the Iron Lady by Norwegian media after winning her fifth medal of the championships. "I hope at home I will be considered a real champion and they will think good of me." Traditionally a sprint specialist, Bjorgen has turned herself into a distance racer over the last two years. She said that skiers in Norway are only considered real cross country champions if they win in the longer distance events. Though was her fifth medal of the championship and her third gold, it was Bjorgen's first title in an individual event at the two-week championships. The Norwegian had arrived at the worlds as the star of the women's cross country field after winning 14 World Cup titles in the past two years, including seven of 14 this season. But though she collected gold in the team sprint and 4x5-kilometer relay, she'd failed to meet expectations in the individual events, settling for bronze in the 10-kilometer freestyle race, silver in the 15-kilometer pursuit and shocking rivals and fans when she failed to even qualify in the 0.9-kilometer sprint. "I was very disappointed after I didn't qualify for the sprint," said Bjorgen, one of the few to enter all six women's events in Oberstdorf. "Today I wasn't even hoping for a medal. I was so tired after the team sprint yesterday. I just thought I'd give this a try." Bjorgen stayed discreet throughout most of the race, then pulled away in the final stretch, leaving her nearest challengers behind to win in 1 hour, 27 minutes, 5.8 seconds, then fell to her knees, crushing snow to her face to wipe away her tears. In a sprint for second, Virpi Kuitunen of Finland outdashed heavy favorite and early leader Natalia Baranova-Masolkina of Russia to snatch the silver, 8.9 seconds back. "I gave everything I had and I am very happy with silver," said Kuitunen, who struggled with a fever in the first week of the championships. "I was in my best form arriving at the worlds, then found myself with a 38 fever. Finishing fifth in the sprint, even though you are ill, is little comfort when you are looking to win." Baranova-Masolkina, the defending champion who was in the lead pack the entire race and surged ahead of Olga Savialova, Kuitunen and Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland at the 28.7-kilometer mark, settled for bronze with a 10.3-second gap. "I was sleeping at this moment when Marit made her decisive move at the end," Baranova-Masolkina said. Double world champion Julija Tchepalova of Russia, a favorite heading into the race, finished a disappointing 11th, trailing by 1:44.5. Kristina Smigun of Estonia, another top contender and an early leader, began fading along with Beckie Scott of Canada at the 15-kilometer stage, and ended up 15th. Scott finished 16th. Later in the day, Finland's men continued their attempt to salve the nation's poor performance at the championships in the team ski jumping event on the large hill against rival Norway.  

 

First indoor Nordic ski sprints for worlds planned in 2007  
 
OBERSTDORF, ( 25/02/2005 14:36 ) Germany (AP) _ Events will be held inside a domed stadium for the first time at the 2007 Nordic ski World Championships in Sapporo. The 2007 worlds organization committee said Friday that parts of the sprint events for both cross country and Nordic combined will take place at the Sapporo Dome, a 40,000-seat multipurpose stadium built for the 2002 World Cup soccer finals. About 300 meters of the 1.2-kilometer event will take place under the dome. The organization committee also plans to add a fourth Nordic combined event, with a mass start. Until now at the worlds and Olympics, there has been a sprint, an individual and a team event. That would add a 20th event to the world championships. Cross country, the only discipline with women, has 12 and ski jumping has four. "The mass start is a very good competition. I hope it's on the schedule at a world championships _ we have a lot less races than cross country anyhow," Nordic combined World Cup leader Ronny Ackermann of Germany said. The Nordic ski disciplines have made numerous changes to their sport in recent years to increase its popularity and television presence. The ongoing world championships at Oberstdorf have proved popular. Organizers report 251,000 spectators for the first eight days of competition. The event is being broadcast to 30 countries. 

Norway gets medal the nation covets; Berger becomes first biathlete to win in cross country  
 
OBERSTDORF, ( 25/02/2005 00:46 ) Germany (AP) _ Norway won the medal it really wanted Thursday at the Nordic ski Worlds, leaving a young Russian team in its wake on the final leg to defend its title in the men's cross country relay race. Tore Ruud Hofstad pulled away from Nikolaj Bolchakov in the 4x10 kilometer race to finish the tough Oberstdorf course in 1 minute, 39.04 seconds as sun finally broke through at the two-week event following heavy snowfall. Afterward, Hofstad grabbed the country's flag and waved it in triumph as Norway kept its recent stranglehold on the relays, having also taken gold at the Salt Lake City Olympics. "I think it's the main thing to win in the worlds, it means so much because we're a team and it means a lot to the people back home," teammate Frode Estil said. "That's why you get a little more nervous beforehand." Host Germany took the silver when World Cup leader Axel Teichmann charged from far behind to catch two rivals on the final kilometers. That sent more than 20,000 spectators into a frenzy. The Germans finished 17.7 seconds back, 1 second ahead of bronze medalist Russia. "That was the most important medal I've won in my career," said Teichmann, who cried afterward. "I thank the public, that forgot our unacceptable performances, and pushed us forward." The German cross country men and women had failed to gain a single medal entering the race despite predictions of winning several in front of big home crowds. Teichmann, fighting a flu, finished seventh last Thursday in the 15k. Until the final leg, two young Russians appeared to give their country hopes of upsetting the dominant Norwegians and winning the country's first relay gold since the 1980 Olympics, which also served as the worlds. Vassili Rotchev, the 24-year-old who captured sprint gold on Tuesday, mounted a stirring duel with Estil in the second leg, leaving all challengers in their wake. "The pace was incredible. Rotchev and Estil just put so much pressure on," said Germany's Andreas Schluetter, one of the skiers who lost nearly a minute to the pair. Evgenji Dementiev, 22, then matched strides with Lars Berger, until the Norwegian picked up 2.7 seconds at the finish line. But the Russian threat faded when Hofstad, who has captured gold, bronze and silver at two worlds, spurted far ahead of the veteran Bolchakov. "I just tried to keep up a steady pace without looking back," Hofstad said. "When I looked, he was gone." Berger became the first biathlete to win a major medal in cross country after claiming silver at the 2004 biathlon worlds. He just missed the feat last week, finishing fourth in the 15k race. "I haven't really though about it _ maybe I'll think about it tonight," Berger said. Norway feared the country would be disqualified after Estil appeared to leave the path briefly, cutting through the wrong side of a marker. Race officials, however, ruled that the marker was misplaced. Norway's nine medals and three golds both top the medal table with five of 18 events left. Russia and Germany share second with five. After the original 20,000 tickets planned for the relay sold out ahead of time, organizers began issuing more tickets before race time. During seven days of competition, the worlds have drawn 215,000 spectators, organizers say. 

Rotchev upsets Olympic and world champions to win men's cross country sprint

OBERSTDORF, ( 22/02/2005 18:29 ) Germany (AP) _ Vassili Rotchev upset the reigning Olympic and world champions in the final of the cross country sprint to collect an unexpected gold for Russia at the Nordic ski World Championships. Rotchev, regarded by the Russians as their biggest talent, clocked 2 minutes, 32.1 seconds for the 1.2-kilometer event, edging out Olympic champion Tor Arne Hetland by 1.2 seconds in a furious duel to the finish line. Sweden's Thobias Fredriksson, the defending world champion, finished third, 6.9 back. "Fredriksson could not keep us with us. That's why I say this is the fastest, best quality sprint final ever at the Olympics or worlds," said Hetland, who was also the 2001 world champion. "So, for that reason, it was fair I was beaten." The women's sprint also produced a surprise _ not one of the three skiers who shared the medals had ever before reached a podium at a major championship or World Cup event. Emelie Oehrstig claimed gold five days before her 27th birthday, covering the difficult 0.9-kilometer course in 2:15.5. Fellow Swede Lina Andersson earned silver in 2:16.8, beating Canada's Sara Renner by one tenth of a second. Oehrstig, whose best World Cup finish was a fourth place in December, swept first in qualification, then won all her heats leading up to the final. "Everything was as I hoped for in my dreams," Oehrstig said. "The sprint was my goal _ I thought I had a chance at the medal." Heavy favorite Margit Bjorgen shocked the field when she failed to reach the final, finishing 17th with only the top 16 advancing. In the men's event, Hetland, known for his powerful style, attempted a breakaway on the final climb but failed to shake off the Russian. "I still can't believe I'm world champion," said Rotchev, 24. "These are very strong guys _ one Olympic champion, one world champion, but I think this is the first Russian in a sprint final, so why not go for it?" Renner's medal was the first ever for Canada at the Nordic worlds. "It's great for me personally. We've been a struggling nation _ the success is important for us to get young people into the sports and money into the program," Renner said. When Bjorgen was knocked out in qualifying, her exit left the field with no favorites because of her recent domination. The Norwegian had won 14 World Cups in the past two seasons, was beaten just once in a sprint during the past 17 months and was the event's defending champion. She blamed her unexpected loss, in part, on choosing the wrong skis. "I'm very, very disappointed _ I was sure I would win gold," Bjorgen said. "Now I have to put this behind me as quickly as possible and concentrate on my next race." Her poor performance means the Norwegian, 24, could fail to win an individual gold after being tipped to be the big star of the two-week worlds. She has collected one team gold, along with individual silver and bronze. Her rivals said Bjorgen may just be tired. She is one of a handful to attempt all six cross country events. "It's hard to be the favorite all the time," Renner said.