Szlarska Poreba, Poland – Cross country skiing World Cup sprint leader Kikkan Randall, of Anchorage, Alaska, powered her way back into the race to finish third on Friday after an early crash in the finals. Sweden’s Ida Ingemarsdotter took the win – her second of the season – as Randall extended her World Cup lead in the final skating sprint of the season. Canadian Devon Kershaw won for the men.

Huge crowds packed the stadium in Szklarska Poreba to watch Polish hero Justyna Kowalczyk, who was knocked out in the quarterfinals. Randall, who won both her quarterfinals and semifinals heats, tangled with Russia’s Natalia Matveeva shortly into the finals with both going down. Randall, who had a 10-meter deficit following the crash, never gave up and actually skied back up to the pack and into the lead before succumbing in the final straight.

“In the final I got off to a good start and was hoping to tuck in behind the Norwegians,” Randall explained. “After about 200 meters I somehow crossed skis with Matveeva and we both went down. For a split second I couldn’t believe this was happening again! But then I  jumped back up determined to try to catch back up. Luckily all of my equipment was intact.

“I had to work pretty hard,” Randall acknowledged, “but I was able to catch the pack right as we headed up the climb. I managed to glide up towards the front off the final turn and came into the homestretch with a chance to win. But when I went to switch into my finishing gear, I didn’t have my full power left and I couldn’t fight off Ingemarsdotter and Falla, who were closing hard.  That early surge to catch back up drained my finish power.”

Randall finished on Friday with a 129 point lead over Matveeva in the battle for the World Cup sprint red leader’s jersey with three classic sprints remaining. Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla, finishing second, moved into third in the sprint standings.

In the men’s sprints, Shaftsbury, Vt.’s Andy Newell was 22nd and Simi Hamilton, of Aspen, Colo. 29th as the USA put four racers into the points.

“We fared well in what was a very tight qualification, placing two men and two women in the heats,” said Matt Whitcomb, the U.S. Ski Team’s head women’s cross country coach. “While Andy (Newell), Simi (Hamilton), and Jessie (Diggins) lost tight battles in the quarter finals, Kikkan (Randall) returned to form and demonstrated what was looking to be unbeatable. She controlled both quarter and semifinal heats, but in the finals got tangled in the opening straights with Matveeva. She was able to cover a huge deficit and caught the pack by the top of the course. In the final 100 meters when Ingemarsdotter and Falla were surging, she just didn’t have the power she needed. It had been burned recovering from the crash.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Cross Country World Cup
Szlarska Poreba, Poland – Feb. 17, 2012
Sprints

Women:

Men: