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2024 Stifel Loppet Cup

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2024 Stifel Loppet Cup
2023–24 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
Jessie Diggins skis uphill before a crowd of onlookers.
Jessie Diggins of the United States in the women's 10 km final on February 18, 2024.
Tournament information
SportCross-country skiing
LocationMinneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DatesFebruary 17–18, 2024
AdministratorFIS
Host(s)Loppet Foundation
VenueTheodore Wirth Park
ParticipantsMore than 150 athletes from 21 nations
BroadcastEurosport
NBC Sports
WebsiteLoppet Cup
Tournament statistics
Attendance40,000
Freestyle 1.5 km sprint
DatesFebruary 17, 2028
ChampionM - Johannes Høsflot Klæbo
F - Jonna Sundling
Freestyle 10 km
DatesFebruary 18, 2024
ChampionM - Gus Schumacher
F - Jonna Sundling

The 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup was an international cross-country skiing competition held February 17–18 at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. As one of the fifteen events in the 2023–24 FIS Cross-Country World Cup season, it featured top-ranked skiers from the global racing circuit. The event was the first World Cup cross-country ski competition held in the United States since 2001.[1] More than 150 athletes from 21 countries competed in the races.[2] About 40,000 spectators attended the two-day, festival-like event that was headlined by the women’s races.[3][4]

Development

The United States had last hosted a World Cup cross-country ski event in 2001 at Soldier Hollow, Utah, as a test run for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.[5] Jessie Diggins, a native of Afton, Minnesota, after winning a cross-country skiing gold medal alongside teammate Kikkan Randall at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, lobbied for the United States to host a World Cup cross-country skiing event.[6] Due to the efforts of Diggins and others, the Loppet Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was given the opportunity to host an event at Theodore Wirth Park on March 17, 2020, but it was canceled five days prior to its start as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8]

The Loppet Foundation was given another host opportunity in the 2023–24 FIS Cross-Country World Cup season as part of a North American swing, with an event on the tour taking place the week prior in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.[9] Race organizers in Minneapolis, however, had to contend with one of the warmest and driest winters on local record, which threatened to cancel the event.[2][10][11] To mitigate the weather conditions, organizers created a 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) ski trail with a 0.6-metre (2.0 ft) base using snowmaking machines.[2] About 17.78 centimetres (7.00 in) of natural snow fell two days before the races.[12]

The event was broadcast by Eurosport in European countries and by NBC Sports in the United States.[13]

Results

Erin Bianco in the women's sprint qualification.

Over two days, men and women athletes competed in separate sprint and 10 kilometer races using skate skiing (or freestyle) technique. In the 1.5 kilometer sprint finals on February 17, 2024, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway was the top male finisher and Jonna Sundling of Sweden was the top female finisher.[14] In the 10 kilometer finals on February 18, 2024, Gus Schumacker of the United States was the top male finisher and Jonna Sundling of Sweden the top female finisher.[15][16] Harald Østberg Amundsen of Norway and Jessie Diggins of the United States earned points from their race finishes to help maintain their leads in the overall 2023–2024 season standings for male and female skiers, respectively.[17][16][18]

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[19]

Men

1.5 km sprint final freestyle (mass start)

Rank Bib Athlete Country Finish time
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1 Johannes Høsflot Klæbo  Norway 2:54.24
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2 Federico Pellegrino  Italy 2:54.51
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 Håvard Solås Taugbøl  Norway 2:55.45
4 15 Janik Riebli  Switzerland 2:57.55
5 21 Even Northug  Norway 3:03.28
6 11 Simone Daprà  Italy 3:03.45

10 km final freestyle (interval start)

Rank Bib Athlete Country Finish time
1st place, gold medalist(s) 35 Gus Schumacher  United States 20:52.7
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 56 Yellow bib Harald Østberg Amundsen  Norway 20:57.1
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 70 Pål Golberg  Norway 20:58.5
4 64 Johannes Høsflot Klæbo  Norway 20:59.2
5 42 William Poromaa  Sweden 21:00.8
6 30 Thomas Maloney Westgård  Ireland 21:01.3

Overall World Cup standings after Minneapolis

Rank Points Athlete Country
1 2073 Yellow bib Harald Østberg Amundsen  Norway
2 1743 Johannes Høsflot Klæbo  Norway
3 1663 Erik Valnes  Norway
4 1564 Pål Golberg  Norway
5 1078 Friedrich Moch  Germany

Women

1.5 km sprint final freestyle (mass start)

Rank Bib Athlete Country Finish time
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1 Jonna Sundling  Sweden 3:06.40
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3 Linn Svahn  Sweden 3:07.35
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 Kristine Stavås Skistad  Norway 3:09.08
4 2 Yellow bib Jessie Diggins  United States 3:11.29
5 6 Victoria Carl  Germany 3:21.20
6 15 Emma Ribom  Sweden 3:53.87

10 km final freestyle (interval start)

Rank Bib Athlete Country Finish time
1st place, gold medalist(s) 38 Jonna Sundling  Sweden 22:38.9
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 32 Frida Karlsson  Sweden 22:54.3
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 58 Yellow bib Jessie Diggins  United States 23:10.7
4 50 Linn Svahn  Sweden 23:13.9
5 34 Victoria Carl  Germany 23:22.5
6 52 Kerttu Niskanen  Finland 23:26.1

Overall World Cup standings after Minneapolis

Rank Points Athlete Country
1 2290 Yellow bib Jessie Diggins  United States
2 2033 Linn Svahn  Sweden
3 1831 Frida Karlsson  Sweden
4 1657 Victoria Carl  Germany
5 1602 Rosie Brennan  United States

Achievements

Jonna Sundling of Sweden dominated the final rounds of the women’s competition by winning both the sprint and 10 kilometer finals.[20][16]

Gus Schumacher, a 23-year old from Anchorage, Alaska, had a surprise victory in the men’s 10 kilometer final. He became the youngest American to win a World Cup cross-country skiing race, the first American man to win any World Cup race since Simi Hamilton in 2013,[21][15] and the first American man to win a World Cup distance race since Bill Koch in 1983.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Grove, Casey (February 16, 2024). "Alaskan skiers among contenders at first World Cup event on U.S. trails in more than two decades". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Karwowski, Alex (February 9, 2024). "Minneapolis to host cross-country skiing World Cup despite record high temps". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Blount, Rachel (February 19, 2024). "Jessie Diggins wraps up hometown World Cup weekend with third place in 10k race". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Marsh, Steve (February 19, 2024). "Jessie Diggins Brings Stifel Loppet Cup Back to the USA". Mpls St.Paul (magazine). Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Graham, Pat (February 15, 2023). "Minnesota to host 1st World Cup XC ski event in US since '01". Associated Press. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Campbell, Dave (February 7, 2024). "The US cross country ski team keeps climbing. Up next: Hosting a World Cup race". Associated Press. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (February 14, 2024). "Jessie Diggins comes home to Minnesota to realize a dream World Cup". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Svrluga, Barry (January 16, 2024). "Perspective | Jessie Diggins and U.S. cross-country skiers are reaching new heights". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Shinn, Peggy (February 9, 2024). "World Cup Races Come to North America in 2024". Cross Country Skier. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Blount, Rachel (February 10, 2024). "Dirty, rocky, dangerous snow: When world-class cross-country skiing meets climate change". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  11. ^ McKibben, Bill (2024-02-22). "A Skiing World Cup Comes to the United States". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  12. ^ Wurzer, Cathy; Sundgaard, Sven; Younger, CJ (February 15, 2024). "'There were tears': Fresh snow is welcome news for Cross Country World Cup organizers". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  13. ^ Watta, Evelyn (February 15, 2024). "How to watch Jessie Diggins in action in Minneapolis: Full schedule for 2024 cross-country ski World Cup races in the U.S." Olympics.com. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Bergin, Ron (February 18, 2024). "Sundling and Klaebo Win Loppet Cup Sprints in Minneapolis". Cross Country Skier. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Gus Schumacher makes U.S. cross-country skiing history in Minneapolis". NBC Sports. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "Knusende Sundling-seier – dobbelt svensk i Minneapolis". Aftenposten. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  17. ^ Lutz, Leandro (February 20, 2024). "World Cup standings after Minneapolis". ProXCskiing. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Teaford, John (February 17, 2024). "Stifel Loppet Cup Sprints—Norway and Sweden Win, but It's Definitely Jessie's Victory – FasterSkier.com". Faster Skier. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "FIS Cross-Country - Minneapolis (USA) - Event Details". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  20. ^ "Jonna Sundling tog karriärens första distansseger". Expressen (in Swedish). February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  21. ^ Harkins, Courtney (February 18, 2024). "Magic in Minneapolis: Schumacher Wins, Diggins Third". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  22. ^ Meyers, Naila-Jean (February 19, 2024). "Alaskan claims surprise win in World Cup cross-country race". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  23. ^ Dreier, Frederick (February 28, 2024). "This Cross-Country Skier Just Ended America's 41-Year Losing Streak". Outside. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
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