The Winter Olympics, which are awesome, open a week from tomorrow. Most of the time, NBC focuses on sports that have tricks and judges, like figure skating. This is unfortunate, because figure skating is some repetitive and boring nonsense. Snowboarding’s even worse, in that it’s repetitive and boring, but also trying really hard to be cool.
Snowboarding.
Don’t watch that garbage! Watch some cross country skiing, and watch the US women win some medals!
The US hasn’t won a cross country skiing medal since 1976, but the PyeongChang Olympics should change that. In this post, we’ve brought our three months of spectating the World Cup tour to bear to help you choose a favorite racer and know who you’re watching.
The Men:
The men aren’t where the women are yet, so we’ll keep it brief. Erik Bjornsen is young and good, but is not ready to podium; a top 15 finish in the distance events would be a good day for him. Simi Hamilton and Andy Newell will try to make the final heat in the sprints. None of them will win medals.
Who else to know, non-American division: Johannes Klæbo, a Norwegian from Trondheim. Like Usain Bolt, he’ll cockily celebrate early and coast across the line, but he’s demonstrably the best in the world, so how modest do you really expect him to be? Watch for his gelled hair coasting in the front group, and make sure you’re paying attention when he explodes into the lead late in the race.
We also like Pita Taufatofua, a summer Olympian from Tonga who became the best story of the games when he taught himself to ski and qualified. Watch for him in the opening ceremonies; in Rio he carried the Tongan flag shirtless and slathered in coconut oil.
The Women:
This is the good stuff. The women’s team is stacked, deep, and experienced, and should come home with some medals. This depth means the best of many shots is probably the women’s 4x5km, which you should not miss.
Kikkan Randall is the team’s experience and trailblazer, going to her fifth Olympics at the age of 35. Kikkan was the first American woman to even place in the top ten of a World Cup race, and has since won world championships and overall World Cup sprint championships. Hobbled by an injured foot, she won’t win anything individually but will be a big part of the team sprint events. She’s your favorite if you’re a mom, as she’s competing a full World Cup schedule with her young child, or if you like her trademark pink hair tips or arms of Thor.
Sophie Caldwell is 27 and is going to her second Olympics. In Sochi, she was positioned for a medal in the sprints when she was accidentally tripped by another racer, and ended up finishing sixth; this was still the best finish ever by an American female skiier in the Olympics. She just won the last World Cup sprint before the Olympics on Sunday, and is currently third in the World Cup sprint standings, and so is in good form. She’s your favorite if your attention span is too short for a long race or if you like dynasties; she’s the third generation of Caldwells to ski in the Olympics.
Sadie Bjornsen, 28, is currently 7th in the World Cup standings and does well in every distance. With three World Cup podiums this year, two in sprints, and one at 10km, she should do well individually and also lay down a great leg in the 4x5km. This is her second Olympics. She’s your favorite if you’re a sister; her younger brother Erik is also a fulltime pro, and is on the men’s Olympic team.
Jessie Diggins, 26, is the team’s best shot at an individual medal and an international star; get on the bandwagon, because she’s only getting better. The stats: third in the World Cup standings, third in this year’s Tour de Ski (skiing’s answer to the Tour de France), and three podiums in this year’s World Cup. A few Norwegians have told us she’s their daughter’s favorite skiier; aside from being fast, she’s also an exuberant personality who races with glitter on her cheeks and her hair did in ways that I’m only qualified to describe as “complicated.”
As I write this, Jessie won the last World Cup event before the Olympics; enjoy this montage of her and overall World Cup leader Heidi Weng that I’ve shameless ripped off Eurosport. I love her emotion at the finish line at the end of this.
Who else to know, non-American division: though we primarily will be rooting for the Americans and Norwegians, it’s hard not to like the Swedish Destroyer-of-Worlds Charlotte Kalla. The video below is queued up to the end of her incredible anchor leg of the 4x5km race in Sochi; do yourself a favor, click play, and watch to the end, because this race just keeps getting better (Kalla’s in white).
In conclusion, turn off the ice prancing and watch some Olympic cross-country skiing! Go USA!
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GO SWEDEN! YEA!
Hey Gavin, your very old college roommate here. Our old neighbor — Taylor Ingraham, sent me this link this am because, coincidentally enough, I know Jessie Diggins well — was emailing with her this week. And beyond being a top-notch athlete, she’s just a really amazing person. (I do business with the US ski team — designed their race suits for the 2018-19 season.) Anyways, want to pop in and say hi — Hope all is well in Norway!
Hey Garen, great to hear from you. I would think designing national uniforms would be a pretty cool gig. I’m glad to see you doing well – I’m not surprised, I remember you as being pretty talented.
We’ve become skiing fans only recently (it’s more or less required here), but we really do love it, and will be rooting hard for Jessie and the others. Norwegians are always amused by an outgoing American, and she certainly comes across as that, so she’s pretty popular up here.
If you talk with her again, pass along our best wishes for a great games and rest of the cup season. Either way, wonderful to hear from you, and we’ll keep an eye out for next year’s uniforms!