Last Updated: 28.Nov.2013

GRP/USST athlete Ida Sargent had a successful weekend at the FIS Opener in Beitostølen, Norway. The race weekend was a chance for the US skiers to shake out the cobwebs and go hard before the first World Cups of the season this weekend in Kuusamo, Finland. The field was mostly Norwegian skiers, with a few Slovenian women in attendance. Sargent placed 29th in Friday’s 10k classic individual start in an impressive showing which had all 7 US Women in the top 30. The highlight of the day for the US was Sadie Bjornsen’s 5th place finish, coming the day after her 24th birthday. Sargent was happy with her result, stating the importance of dialing in her race routine and getting back the sensations of racing before the World Cup next weekend.

Most of the US athletes, Sargent included, sat out the skate distance races on Saturday in order to stay fresh for the mini-tour in Kuusamo. Sunday was a skate sprint, and Sargent improved on her result from the previous race to finish 3rd in her quarterfinal and 13th overall. She was the second US woman behind race winner Kikkan Randall. It was a short, fast sprint, and Sargent said that in retrospect she chose the wrong technique for the finishing stretch. However, overall she said it was a fun sprint and she aims to keep improving every race. Look out for some fast finishes in the Kuusamo mini-tour next weekend, with a classic sprint Friday, 5k individual classic Saturday, and 10k pursuit start freestyle Sunday!

Classic 10k
Skate Sprint Brackets