Last Updated: 11.Feb.2019

After a short break from World Cup racing, Ida Sargent was back in action for a double sprint weekend in Lahti, Finland. Lahti recently played host to World Junior and U23 World Championships, and the course is known for the long downhill stretch into the stadium, which tends to bring the field together for close sprint finishes.

On Saturday, racers took on an individual freestyle sprint. Sargent qualified in 26th, one of three American skiers to make the heats. She was in the first quarterfinal heat along with teammate Sophie Caldwell. After a mass sprint to the line, the entire heat finished within 0.6 seconds. Sargent took 6th, and 30th overall on the day. Sargent's USA teammate Caldwell was able to advance to the A Final, where she finished 2nd.

The following day, Sargent teamed up with Caldwell for a classic team sprint. They raced in the first semifinal of the day, finishing 6th, +10.78 seconds. However, only the top two from each semifinal qualify automatically for the final, along with the next six fastest times. Sargent and Caldwell missed out on a lucky loser spot as the second semifinal had faster times, and finished the day in 12th overall.

World Cup action continues next weekend in Cogne, Italy with a freestyle sprint and 10/15k classic. GRP teammates Adam Martin and Caitlin Patterson will join Sargent for the Cogne World Cup weekend, the final one before World Championships. Results from Lahti are available on FIS-ski.com.