Due to the outbreak and situation with the Novel Coronavirus in Northern Italy where there is a concentration of cases in the Veneto province that have led to travel restrictions imposed by an increasing number of nations, on the recommendation of the FIS Council, the Italian Winter Sports Federation and its Cortina 2020 Organising Committee are regrettably forced to withdraw from the organization of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals scheduled for 16th-22nd March 2020.

The health and welfare of the athletes and all other participants, as well as the general public are in the forefront and the priority of FIS and all stakeholders. The recommendation of the FIS Council was made during an emergency conference call where the latest information and recommendations from the Italian, International and National Health Authorities of participating nations were presented. The main issue that steered the recommendation of the Council affecting the organization of the Finals in Cortina was the travel restrictions imposed by an increasing number of National Authorities, which would have likely limited the participation of several athletes.

“This was an extremely difficult decision for us to make, but ultimately welfare and health of the athletes, teams, and everyone associated with the World Cup as well as the general public must be our top priority,” said FIS President Gian Franco Kasper. “This is certainly not the way we wanted the season to end without World Cup Finals, but we must respect this very serious situation. We look forward to recognizing the winning athletes at a later date when we can properly celebrate their accomplishments.”

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals 2020 in Cortina were also scheduled as the main test event for next season’s FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

Kasper added, “It is also disappointing that the Finals in Cortina cannot take place to showcase the outstanding upgraded venue and both the women’s and men’s courses in action. Despite this setback the preparations of the Italian Winter Sports Federation and the Local Organising Committee together with our broadcast and marketing partner Infront, are fully on-track for what we are convinced will be exceptional FIS World Championships next year.”

Due to the short notice, alternative locations to stage such a large event and which do not have travel restrictions to enable all athletes to be able to participate or travel onwards after the event, the Finals will not be replaced and the discipline and overall globes will be confirmed after the last scheduled races on 15th March for the women in Are (SWE) and Kranjska Gora (SLO) for the men. An occasion to formally award the winning athletes with their globes will be announced at a later date.

FIS Ski Flying World Championships 2020, Planica (SLO)

The Council also discussed the FIS Ski Flying World Championships 2020 taking place in Planica (SLO) from 17th to 22nd March. In view of the fact there are no travel restrictions for Slovenia, the Council unanimously agreed to continue the preparations.

The Planica 2020 Organisers have already implemented a series of measures to minimise the risk of incidents that could compromise the welfare and health of all participants.

For all other FIS World Cup competitions, FIS will maintain the existing principles that are being applied, which are to fully comply with the instructions and decisions of the National and Regional Governments and their Health Authorities.

Additionally, FIS remains in constant contact with the hosting National Ski Associations and Organising Committees to provide support including information about measures undertaken by other Organisers.

Should any changes to the current competition calendars be necessary as a result of measures imposed by National and Regional Governments, they will be announced as any decisions are made.

***

About FIS
FIS is the governing body for international skiing and snowboarding, founded in 1924 during the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIS manages the Olympic disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, and Snowboarding, including setting the international competition rules. Through its 131 member nations, more than 7’000 FIS ski and snowboard competitions are staged annually. Specific initiatives are undertaken by FIS to promote snow activities as a healthy leisure recreation, notably for the young. For more information, please visit www.fis-ski.com

Release courtesy of FIS.

The FIS Freestyle tour continues in Siberia this week with both aerials and dual moguls World Cup competition under the lights March 7-8 at the Sopka Cluster, Krasnoyarsk - a new venue for both teams. This weekend serves as Aerials’ World Cup Finals and is the penultimate event weekend for Moguls. Over 140 athletes and staff arrived via charter flight arranged by FIS (International Ski Federation) to ease travel logistics in getting from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Krasnoyarsk, Russia. 

While both aerials and moguls competed in Almaty last weekend, the teams were at different venues. In Krasnoyarsk, the U.S. Freestyle Team truly comes together. “On this long trip, being all together gives everyone a sense of home, and maybe more of a sense of comfort - it’s been nice,” said Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “It’s really nice to see Vlad and Bergy and say hello in the morning. I even heard Justin [Schoenefeld] playing guitar outside of my room the other night.”

Krasnoyarsk is no stranger to elite-level ski competition after successfully hosting the 29th Winter World University Games in 2019. The city sits on the edge of Siberia, but its over one million residents have welcomed the freestyle community with open arms. “Everywhere you look in town, from flags in the park, all the way into the venue, it’s all decorated with banners and posters and fanfare,” relayed Matt. With added fanfare comes added security and the local organizers have not scrimped on that one bit. “Security is tight,” said World Cup Aerials Coach Eric Bergoust. “They screen everyone through metal detectors at the hotel before boarding a bus [to the venue]. The bus stays closed until entering a secure zone at the site. This method is called ‘bubble to bubble,’ requiring no added screening at the site.” 

The local organizing has been thorough planning for these World Cups in their attention to detail. Each team has their own wax and locker rooms, access to a gym and trampoline and lunch (surprisingly not always included on World Cup tour!). Athletes and staff were treated to opening ceremonies and a welcome reception, and will enjoy a farewell banquet. Each nation is also assigned an attaché to help navigate the language barrier. Nathalia is assigned to the U.S. and took the women of the moguls team thrift shopping, as well as coordinated a new haircut for Kalman Heims. 

The U.S. Moguls Team kicks things off on Saturday with dual moguls on what Matt describes as a dream course. “It feels like we are playing on a major league baseball field,” he said. “There are hundred-foot towers, all perfectly lined up to shine on every mogul on the course.” Coming into a perfectly prepped course means skiers got after it right from the get-go, skiing top to bottom runs during the first day of training. 

The #PowHERhouse of Jaelin Kauf, Hannah Soar, Tess Johnson and Kai Owens is looking good. The women of the moguls team are always strong contenders for a duals event. They have the speed, the technical prowess and the hunger to dominate the field come Saturday. Jaelin’s win last week has these athletes revved up for more results.

“Training [Thursday] was really great,” said Tess. “It was one of my best training days this year, and the course is a dream. It reminds me of the Olympic venue in Korea which brings up great memories. Krasnoyarsk has been full of amazing surprises. We really didn’t know what to expect coming here, but the city is unique and the people have been extremely kind!"

With more room to put distance between yourself and your competitor on this course compared to Kazakhstan, athletes may favor speed over DD to give themselves the edge. The 240 meter course suits Brad Wilson, who always puts on a show for duals. Kalman, who’s proven to be quite the dueler, knocking both Brad and France’s Ben Cavet this season, will look to reign in his top air to make it into a top-eight result. Nick Page is looking good too, working on his corks and throwing a loop jump on the bottom, providing a little more “fun and flare” as Matt says.

The U.S. Aerials Team caps off their World Cup competition season on Sunday. Three men and three women sit in the top 15: Chris Lillis in sixth, Justin Schoenefeld in 11th, Jon Lillis in 15th, Megan Nick in fourth, Winter Vinecki in 10th and Kaila Kuhn in 11th. This weekend will be the team’s last chance to make moves up the FIS standings list.

Twelve athletes will represent the U.S. in Sunday’s competition and the team is ready to stomp following the back-to-back U.S. wins on the men’s side. The venue is world-class and with mother nature providing lots of snow, the jump site has a nice, steep landing. 

“Training [Thursday] went well, the air site is big and the landings soft,” said Eric Loughran. “The last few stops the warmer weather hasn’t allowed us to get three full days of training. It’s cool to have some jumping time here before the contest.” 

“My favorite part about Krasnoyarsk has to be the jump site venue. It has all of the freestyle disciplines courses right next to each other. Also, a sweet gymnastics warmup area and ski prep and storage right at the site. I think everyone feels pretty comfortable with things here.”

The Krasnoyarsk stop is expected to be a mainstay on the Freestyle World Cup tour in the years to come and it’s clear the event is prepped for success. 

U.S. Starters

Aerials
Women
Ashley Caldwell
Megan Nick
Winter Vinecki
Madison Varmette
Megan Smallhouse
Kaila Kuhn

Men
Eric Loughran
Chris Lillis
Jon Lillis
Justin Schoenefeld
Quinn Dehlinger
Alex Bowen 

Moguls
Women
Tess Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Hannah Soar
Kai Owens

Men
Kalman Heims
Nick Page
Dylan Walczyk
Brad Wilson 

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, March 7
6:50 a.m. - Men and women’s dual moguls, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
1:30 p.m. - Men and women’s dual moguls, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - Olympic Channel

Sunday, March 8
7:50 a.m. - Men’s and women’s aerials, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:30 a.m. - Men’s and women’s aerials, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - Olympic Channel

It was a historic day for Team USA at the 2020 FIS Junior Cross Country World Championships, as the junior men defended their team relay gold and the junior women’s relay team took the silver medal in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.

In the men's 4x5k relay, Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, Johnny Hagenbuch, and Luke Jager absolutely crushed the competition, finishing 35 seconds ahead of Canada—the surprise silver medal-winning team. Italy took the bronze 55 seconds behind the Americans.

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and (winning) was the only thing we really would have been satisfied with today,” Gus said. 

In the junior women's 4x3.3k relay, Kendall Kramer, Novie McCabe, Sydney Palmer-Leger and Sophia Laukli finished just 4.9 seconds behind the gold medal team from Switzerland to score the best-ever finish for U.S. women in this event. Sweden took the bronze.

 

 

 

 

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I’ve got hundreds of photos from our amazing day here in Oberwiesenthal, but let’s start with the WJC silver medal relay winners, the WJC gold medal relay winners and the amazing coaches, techs and staff that helped them get there!!! #gonnf #skilikeanamerican #jwsc2020

A post shared by flyingpoint (@flyingpoint) on Mar 6, 2020 at 5:39am PST

In the men’s race, Luke skied the opening 5k classic leg, and after leading the pack on the first of two 2.5k laps, he attacked the second lap and opened up a 24-second advantage before tagging off to Ben for the second classic leg. Ben opened the lead to 30 seconds when he tagged off to Johnny, who added an additional 13 seconds, tagging off to Gus with the anchor leg and a 43-second advantage over a group of chasers that included Canada, Italy, and Switzerland. 

As the trio of chasing teams played a game of cat and mouse for the final two medals, Gus continued to hold a 45-second advantage and had enough time to grab an American flag and enjoy an extended victory celebration in the final 100 meters.

When asked when they knew had the victory wrapped up, Gus replied: “after the first leg.” However, his teammate quickly chimed in, “at the finish,” as Gus was skiing into the finish arena waving an American flag. “Once I got the flag, it slowed me down so much, I was like ‘I hope we can still do it!’ But I wasn’t about to drop the flag.”

While the men’s team dominated from the start, the women’s team had to fight for a spot on the podium. In the first classic leg, Sydney kept the Americas in the mix, tagging off to Kendall for the second classic leg in third place, just 9.9 seconds back the leading team from Russia, with Italy in second just three seconds ahead. Kendall moved up to second as Sweden took the lead, tagging off to Sophia, who skied the first freestyle leg and held her position. She tagged off to Novie for the final leg, who closed the gap but was unable to catch the gold medal-winning Swiss team.

This is the second World Championship medal for the U.S. in the junior women’s relay. In 2017, the junior women’s team of Julia Kern, Hannah Halvorsen, Hailey Swirbul and Katherine Ogden won the bronze medal at Soldier Hollow. 

The 2020 FIS U23 and Junior World Cross Country Championships wrap up Saturday with the U23 mixed team relay. All races are streaming live on the official 2020 FIS Junior and U23 Cross Country World Championships Facebook page.

RESULTS
Women’s 4x3.3k team relay
Men’s 4x5k team relay

Junior Men's Team Relay Highlights

Junior Women's Team Relay Highlights

Olympic and World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin announced her return to Europe, following more than a month of absence from FIS Ski World Cup competition due to the unexpected passing of her father Jeff in early February.

In a heartfelt message entitled "A Note to the World" delivered by Mikaela on Instagram Thursday morning, she announced her return to Europe. Since early February, Mikaela has been at home in Edwards, Colo. During her time in Colo., Mikaela has found solace in the mountains, training in both Vail and Aspen.

 

 

 

 

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Over the last few weeks, my family and I have received an overwhelming amount of support and love. The most kind and heartwarming messages you could imagine, checking in on us, sharing quotes and poems, song-lyrics, and telling wonderful stories about my Dad. Sometimes it feels like we are drowning in these messages, like we can’t keep up with the support and love that everyone has shown, yet in so many ways it has also been our lifeline. We have not been able to respond to everything, but we want you all to know that we feel your love, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing it with us. Many have asked how we are doing, and where we are in the “grieving process”? The truth is, we haven’t really even started. Accepting this new “reality” is going to take a long time, and maybe we never truly will, maybe we don’t have to. Because we can still feel him here. In our hearts, in our thoughts, in the sky and mountains and snow. He made his mark, and he is here. Many have also asked about my return to skiing and racing. I have been able to train a little bit over the last few weeks. It has been a slow process, but it has been theraputic to be on the mountain. I’ve found training to be a place where I can feel closer to my dad, yet it provides enough of a distraction so that feeling of “closeness” can be separated from the pain. I am flying to Scandinavia today. I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race when the time comes, and I don’t really even have goals. I just hope to make a few good turns. I think that would make my dad happy. If and when I do return to competition I’d ask that you continue to respect my privacy, especially as it relates to my family’s heartbreak. We are so thankful for the time we had with him—we cherish every single one of those moments—and we will keep him here in our hearts and our memories forever. 🤍

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Mar 5, 2020 at 2:06am PST

In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, Mikaela said of her father, 

“The best way to honor someone’s memory is to be so grateful that they existed in your life.”

Mikaela has not announced a return to competition, but she has said she will travel to Scandinavia and that—like always—her program is very day-to-day. The next FIS Ski World Cup competition fo the women is in Åre, Sweden on March 12-14. In her video announcement, Mikaela said she will be flying to Scandinavia on Thursday but is uncertain that she will step into the start gate when the time comes, 

“As far as racing goes, I am flying to Scandinavia today. I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race. I don’t really even have goals. Any time the topic of winning would come up in the conversation with my dad, he would always say, ‘But, did you make any good turns?’ That’s sort of the basis of our family’s entire philosophy. So, I guess, that would be my goal. I just want to make a few good turns. I think that would make him happy.”

There are many variables that make the remainder of the World Cup calendar questionable. Both questionable weather in Europe, as well as the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), may compromise the remainder of the season. The FIS is scheduled to make an announcement on FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy (or elsewhere) on March 6.

At the time of her departure from Europe on February 2, Mikaela held the lead in the World Cup overall, slalom, and super-G standings. She was in second in downhill and giant slalom. During her absence from the World Cup, Mikaela missed eight races in total (three downhills, two super-Gs, a combined, a giant slalom, and a slalom), while Italy's Federica Brignone took the lead in the standings and currently leads by 153 points over Mikaela. Federica has the lead in giant slalom, with 407 points, while Mikaela is in third with 314 points. In the slalom, Slovakia's Petra Vlhova has a slim 20-point lead over Mikaela. Switzerland's Corinne Suter leads the super-G standings with 360 points, while Mikaela is in seventh with 186 points.

The decision to return to the start gate in Åre will be very day-to-day for Mikaela. Stay tuned for more information. 

Read the full piece in the New York Times.

FIS (International Ski Federation) announced the cancellation of the final snowboard slopestyle World Cup in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic on Wednesday, originally scheduled for March 20-21, 2020. The decision to cancel the event is in response to restrictions imposed by the Czech government over concerns regarding the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.

The local organizing committee in Spindleruv Mlyn alerted FIS to the fact that the Czech government would be reviewing potential health risks associated with all upcoming sport and cultural gatherings that could see 5,000 or more individuals in attendance. With the emphasis put on the fan and spectator experience of the SnowJam competition, the local organizers decided that it would not be feasible to hold the competition in light of the decisions taken by the Czech government.

According to FIS, it is unlikely that a replacement venue will be found at this late stage in the season. If the final snowboard slopestyle World Cup is not rescheduled, the current 2019-20 FIS Cup Standings will serve as the final rankings.

U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Dusty Henricksen would finish as the top American in third-place behind Japanese rider Ruki Tobita in first and Kiwi Tiarn Collins in second. Dusty had a breakthrough season collecting his first World Cup win in his second World Cup ever at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth. Dusty also finished in a respectable ninth place at the 2020 Laax Open. Teammates and pro team members Judd Henkes and Sean FitzSimons would finish fourth and ninth respectively.

Jamie Anderson and Julia Marino would serve as the top finishers for the women of the U.S. Snowboard Team both tied for eighth. Julia and Jamie both have collected impressive results this World Cup season. Julia won the 2020 Laax Open slopestyle, while Jamie won the Mammoth Grand Prix. Katie Omerod of Great Britain would earn the Crystal Globe in the top spot. 

Although the news of the cancellation is not the ideal way to end the snowboard slopestyle World Cup season, it does not take away from the impressive accomplishments of U.S. Snowboard Team athletes throughout the 2019-20 World Cup Season. Be sure to tune in next season for another exciting year of snowboard World Cup competition. 

FIS CUP STANDINGS
Women’s snowboard slopestyle 
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
 

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) today announced finalists for the Team USA Awards, Best of February, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Three U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are nominated: Dusty Henricksen, Justin Schoenefeld and Jamie Anderson.

Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, March 9.  

Male Athlete of the Month

Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lake, California), Snowboarding
Took gold in slopestyle at the grand prix in Mammoth Mountain, California, scoring 84.51 on the final run of the competition for his career-first world cup win and podium finish, and additionally finished second at the Burton U.S. Open, landing the first-ever backside quad cork 1800 in the slopestyle competition.

Justin Schoenefeld (Lawrenceburg, Indiana), Freestyle Skiing
Picked up a career-first world cup podium finish with a victory in aerials in Minsk, Belarus, on Feb. 22, highlighting Team USA’s first U.S. aerials win in two years and the first men’s win in three years.

Female Athlete of the Month

Jamie Anderson (South Lake Tahoe, California), Snowboarding
Won her fourth-straight major title in a row, taking the Burton U.S. Open crown in slopestyle, marking her eighth-career title, and additionally took first in slopestyle at the U.S. grand prix world cup and claimed her 11th Dew Tour title.

Selection Process
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per sport discipline. An internal nominating committee selects finalists to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50% of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.

VOTE NOW

The FIS Snowboardcross World Cup makes its return to the highly-regarded resort of Sierra Nevada March 7-8 for the fourth of five World Cup events of the season. U.S. riders are eager to take to the course in Sierra Nevada, including two-time 2019 FIS World Champion Mick Dierdorff.

“Our team has been having an awesome camp in Austria and we are fired up for the last two World Cups of the season,” said Mick. “The venue in Spain historically has a bigger and faster course than we have seen so far this season. Big and fast is what I love, so I hope to wrap up this season with another podium under my belt.”

This is the first World Cup at Sierra Nevada since the 2012-13 season. Although the southern region of Spain is mostly known for its beautiful weather and the stunning Mediterranean Sea, Sierra Nevada will host competition in one of the few areas in the country with enough snow to cater to a World Cup contest. 

U.S. snowboardcross athletes have a history of performing well in Spain. Last year at the Baqueira Beret World Cup, Lindsey Jacobellis earned third place and Mick finished just outside of the podium in fourth. U.S. athletes are also coming into the event after finding World Cup success this season. U.S. Snowboardcross Team members Alex Deibold, Senna Leith, and Faye Gulini all claimed third-place finishes at the previous stop in Big White, Canada. 

With prior success in Spain and the momentum carrying them into the contest, the U.S. will be hoping to race their way to the podium. 

U.S. ATHLETES
Women
Faye Gulini - Pro
Lindsey Jacobellis - Pro
Rosie Mancari - Pro
Meghan Tierney - Development

Men
Mick Dierdorff - Pro
Nick Baumgartner - Pro
Senna Leith - Pro
Jake Vedder - Pro
Hagen Kearney - Pro
Cole Johnson 
Jonathan Cheever 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same-day delayed broadcast
** Next-day broadcast

Saturday, March 7
5:50 a.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Sierra Nevada, SPA - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
12:30 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Sierra Nevada, SPA - Olympic Channel*

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Julia Kern just missed her second medal of the 2020 FIS U23 Cross Country World Championships, finishing fourth in the 10k classic in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, Monday. Hailey Swirbul was seventh. In the men’s 15k classic, Hunter Wonders was the top American in eighth. 

Snow, wind, and fog provided challenging conditions for the athletes and the ski techs Tuesday, but once again, the staff and athletes rose to the occasion and battled the competition and the elements.

“The conditions were definitely challenging today and our wax team absolutely crushed it!” Julia said. “They had all of the kick options covered and made ripping fast skis. I always love the gritty weather days because I feel like it gives me an advantage since I like skiing in tricky conditions.”

Sweden took the gold and bronze with Ebba Anderssen taking the win and teammate Emma Ribon in third. Norway’s Marte Johansen took the silver. Julia finished just 7.8 seconds off the podium. For the men, Russia’s Sergey Ardashev won the gold, Norway’s Harald Amundsen took the silver, and Hugo Lapalus of France took the bronze. 

The U23 and Junior Cross Country World Championships continue Wednesday with a 15k mass-start freestyle for the women, and a 30k mass-start freestyle for the men. Thursday, the U23 women race a 15k mass-start freestyle, and the men will race a 30k mass-start freestyle. 

After recovering from a mid-season leg injury and a strong showing at Ski Tour 2020, Julia is finishing season strong at the U23 World Champs, and she’s looking forward to carrying her form into the final couple day of competition, and then into the final World Cup races of the season in Quebec City, Minneapolis and Canmore, Alberta.

“My form is feeling really good after all of the racing from the Ski Tour 2020,” Julia said, “and I have been really excited about the energy the team has had here in Oberwiesenthal!”

On Friday, Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, Johnny Hagenbuch, and Luke Jager look to defend their 4x5k World Championship title in the team relay.

All races are streaming live on the official 2020 FIS Junior and U23 Cross Country World Championships Facebook page.

RESULTS
Women's 10k classic
Men's 15k classic

The X Games tour serves as a major part of the winter’s elite-level freeski and snowboard event calendar, and the 2019-20 competition season came complete with a special bonus. Alongside contests in the southern hemisphere, the season kicked off in August with X Games Norway 2019, and this year, we are going to close it out with the 2020 edition March 7-8 at Hafjell Resort.

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member and 2020 X Games Aspen slopestyle bronze medalist Maggie Voisin is especially psyched about heading to X Games Norway 2020. 

“I am so happy to be headed back to beautiful Norway for X Games this week,” said Maggie. “X Games Norway hasn’t included slopestyle since 2017, so I’m extra excited to be competing in both events (slopestyle and big air). Also, I didn’t have the chance to compete earlier this year in Norway, so this time around is a nice second chance. This will be my second to last contest of the season and I’m looking forward to finishing strong.”

U.S. athletes have already racked up numerous X Games podiums this season including six gold, two silver and four bronze medals across Norway and Aspen events. A few of these medals can be attributed to U.S. Freeski Pro Team members Alex Hall and Colby Stevenson. Alex returns to Norway as the defending X Games Norway big air gold medalist, while Colby is the reigning gold medalist in both slopestyle and knuckle huck from X Games Aspen. 
 

Alex and Colby will have to fend off the likes of 11-time X Games medalist Henrik Harlaut of Sweden and Norway’s own Olympic gold medalist Oystein Braaten. 

The U.S. Snowboard Team is also rolling into competition with a pair of heavy hitters. Coming hot off her eighth Burton U.S. Open slopestyle title and also serving as the defending X Games Aspen slopestyle gold medalist is Jamie Anderson. Jamie has had an unrivaled season winning every slopestyle event she has entered. Jamie also has her work cut out for her competing against a hungry back-to-back defending X Games Norway big air gold medalist in Austrian Anna Gasser.
 

Joining Jamie is U.S. Rookie Team member Dusty Henricksen who, for anyone that’s been paying attention, is now fully on the radar as one of the top riders in the world. Dusty stacked victories at the Youth Olympic Games, the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, and a silver medal at the 2020 Burton U.S. Open. Meanwhile, Dusty is blowing minds on Instagram and landing “never-been-dones,” like the backside quad cork 1800 that he landed last week for the first time ever in snowboard slopestyle competition.

Dusty’s competition also includes a long list of heavy hitters, such as the 2018 Olympic slopestyle gold medalist Sebastian Toutant and the 2020 Burton U.S. Open Champion Yuki Kadono. 

X Games fans in the United States can watch more than eight hours of live competition coverage from X Games Norway March 7-8, on the ESPN App and X Games YouTube, X Games Facebook and X Games Twitter pages. Tune in live to catch all the action. 

HOW TO WATCH 
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.

FREESKI
Saturday, March 7
10:30 a.m. - Women’s ski big air - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames
12:30 a.m. - Men’s ski big air - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames
2:30 p.m. - Ski knuckle huck - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames

Sunday, March 8
7:00 a.m. - Women’s ski slopestyle - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames
10:00 a.m. - Men’s ski slopestyle - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, March 7
9:30 a.m. - Women’s snowboard big air - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames
11:30 a.m. - Men’s snowboard big air - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames
1:30 p.m. - Snowboard knuckle huck - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames

Sunday, March 8
5:30 a.m. - Women’s snowboard slopestyle - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames
8:30 a.m. - Men’s snowboard slopestyle - Hafjell Resort, Norway - @XGames
 

Gus Schumacher took the gold and led the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team at the FIS Junior Cross Country World Championships in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, Monday. Ben Ogden was ninth, Luke Jager was 10th and Johnny Hagenbuch 25th.

Setting aside his disappointment from Saturday’s sprint, where he was the top qualifier, but didn’t advance to the finals and settled for seventh, Gus laid it all on the line Monday, winning the first-ever individual men's medal for the United States at the Junior World Championships.

“It went just about perfectly,” Gus said of his race. “Everything came together really well and it hurt, but just when I needed it to.”

Germany’s Friedrich Moch took the silver, and Italy’s Davide Graz the bronze.

In the women's 5k classic, Sophia Laukli was the top American in 13th, Kendall Kramer was 22nd, Sydney Palmer-KLeger was 43rd, and Mara McCollor was 60th. Norway’s Helene Marie Fossesholm won the gold, Lisa Lohmann of Germany took the silver, and Izabela Marcisz of Poland scored the bronze. 

The U23 and Junior Cross Country World Championships continue Tuesday with the U23 women racing a 10k classic, and the U23 men a 15k classic. The juniors return to action with a 15k freestyle for the women, and a 30k freestyle for the men Thursday. 

Ben, Gus, Johnny, and Luke are the defending World Champions in the 4x5k relay. They will defend their title Saturday. 

All races are streaming live on the official 2020 FIS Junior and U23 Cross Country World Championships Facebook page.

RESULTS
Women's 5k classic
Men's 10k classic