Winter OIympics Preview

by Erika Peterson
February 2, 2022

After nearly a month without World Cup nordic ski races, things are about to get interesting again. The 2022 Beijing Olympics begin on February 4th, with the first cross country races on February 5th. The cross country and biathlon events will take place at the National Cross-Country Centre in the Zhangjiakou zone, one of three competition locales. The elevation there is slightly above that of Beijing proper at about 2,300 feet, although such a small difference is relatively insignificant compared to many of the venues that the cross country athletes are used to racing at. The forecast shows a wide range of temperatures in the next few weeks, ranging from below zero to above freezing. This could make for a number of different snow conditions, from wet and slushy to icy and fast. The weather predictions are promising given past concerns about a lack of snow in the area, however—the trails should be wintery enough for plenty of high quality racing. The air quality forecast is encouraging as well, with levels predicted to stay in the good to moderate range for the foreseeable future.

Although the most recent World Cup events offer some insight into who will ski well at the Games, there’s plenty of room for surprise performances. Because all of the Period 3 events were canceled, the Tour de Ski is the last time that most of these athletes competed against each other, and even then many of the favorites were absent. From the American team, all eyes are on Jessie Diggins after her groundbreaking gold medal team sprint race in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Rosie Brennan is another to watch—although her last World Cup race was in December, she delivered good race after good race during Period 1 and is expected to continue performing well. The other two Olympic veterans are the Patterson siblings, Caitlin and Scott, who will both be racing at their second Games this year.

These four aren’t the only ones to watch, though. America’s Olympic newbies have been competitive at several World Cup events this year, skiing well in sprint and distance races alike. On the women’s side, there’s Hannah Halvorsen, Julia Kern, Sophia Laukli, Novie McCabe, and Hailey Swirbul; the men racing are Kevin Bolger, Luke Jager, Ben Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, and Gus Schumacher.

In the global scene, these Olympics will be different from any other with several favorites absent from the races. The most notable retirement is that of Norway’s Marit Bjoergen, the record holder for the most Winter Olympic medals earned. Bjoergen won five medals at her last Olympics in Pyeongchang. Diggins’ gold-medal-winning relay partner Kikkan Randall will also be missing from this year’s Olympics, having retired after Pyeongchang like Bjoergen.

Covid has also thrown a wrench into some athletes’ racing plans. The Norwegian team suffered a Covid outbreak at their recent training camp in Italy, with several team skiers and staff members testing positive. One such athlete is Heidi Weng, who may not race at the Olympics at all depending on travel logistics. Her isolation period ends on February 3rd, but she has stated that she may not travel to Beijing in an effort to avoid being quarantined in China for a lingering positive test. Norwegian teammates Simen Hegstad Krüger and Anne Kjersti Kalva also tested positive. Krüger remains hopeful that he will be able to travel and race, while Kalva has been replaced by Ragnhild Haga. To travel to the Olympics, athletes are required to produce two negative tests before leaving and are tested again upon arrival. Daily tests will also be administered throughout the Games. Because PCR tests can produce positive results following an infection that is no longer contagious, many athletes are worried they’ll be quarantined upon arrival despite negative test results at home.

The field certainly won’t be lacking in competition, however. After missing out on the 2018 Olympics due to a doping ban, Therese Johaug of Norway will compete this year at her first Games since Sochi. With three Olympic medals already and an outstanding record on the World Cup, she will surely be a favorite for the distance events. Also racing is Sweden’s Frida Karlsson; the young phenom is one of a select few able to challenge Johaug and will surely be vying for a medal in her first Olympics. Fellow Swede Maja Dahlqvist is another favorite to return from the Games with some hardware—she’s had five sprint victories this season alone, including one in the a team sprint. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva and Sweden’s Ebba Andersson may also be in contention for medals; they are currently in first and second respectively in the overall World Cup standings.

In the men’s field, the obvious favorite is Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. Although he’s known for his sprinting abilities, he’s delivered impressive performances in distance races as well and has the potential to do well in a number of events. Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov is also expected to do well. He earned four medals in Pyeongchang but never managed to secure the gold—Beijing may be his chance to do so. Iivo Niskanen of Finland is another strong contender. He won the 50km classic race in 2018, and although the event will be freestyle this year, he’ll be looking for a medal in the 15km classic race.

Luke Brown reports on the biathlon competition:

The Midwest is sending four biathletes to Beijing: Paul Schommer, Jake Brown, Leif Nordgren, and Deedra Irwin. Schommer, an Appleton, Wisconsin native and graduate of the College of St. Scholastica, will be the first to compete, starting in the mixed relay event on February 5th. Schommer placed a career best 9th in the individual in the last World Cup before the Games. Irwin will be the next to toe the line for the women’s 15k individual on February 7th. Irwin, who scored her first World Cup points this year and is showing impressive form, graduated from Pulaski High School in Wisconsin and then competed for the Michigan Tech Huskies. Brown’s Olympic debut will begin on February 8th in the men’s 20k individual, the race that qualified him for the Games earlier this year. His 12th place in last year’s World Championships sprint race will buoy his confidence. Brown graduated from Minnehaha Academy and then raced for St. Olaf (undergraduate) and Northern Michigan University (graduate). Brown, Irwin, and Schommer all were previously recruited for biathlon through USBA’s Talent ID Camp for cross-country skiers. Nordgren, who is the only returning Olympian of the bunch, having competed in both Sochi and Pyeongchang, grew up skiing for Forest Lake High School. Nordgren will also start in the men’s individual.

After that, all athletes will race the sprint with the top sixty competitors qualifying for the pursuit. The four person relays will follow on February 15th (men) and 16th (women). Seeing as there are only four biathletes of each gender on the Olympic biathlon team, each of these Midwesterners will start the relays. The women’s relay had their best World Cup result in twenty-eight years just two weekends ago. The mass start races will wrap up the Olympic biathlon competitions on the 18th and 19th. Only thirty athletes of each gender will earn a berth in the mass starts but all have the opportunity to qualify based on their results throughout the Games.

Schedule

Cross Country (broadcast details)

  • Feb 5 Women’s Skiathlon (1:45 am CST)
  • Feb 6 Men’s Skiathlon (1:00 am CST)
  • Feb 8 Men’s/Women’s Sprint Freestyle (2:00 am CST qualifying, 4:30 am CST finals)
  • Feb 10 Women’s 10km Classical (1:00 am CST)
  • Feb 11 Men’s 15km Classical (1:00 am CST)
  • Feb 12 Women’s 4x5km Relay, Mixed Technique (1:30 am CST)
  • Feb 13 Men’s 4x10km Relay, Mixed Technique (1:00 am CST)
  • Feb 16 Women’s Classical Team Sprint, Semis and Finals (finals 3:15 am CST - rescheduled to earlier time due to cold)
  • Feb 19 Men’s 50km Freestyle (12:00 am CST)
  • Feb 20 Women’s 30km Freestyle (12:30 am CST)

Biathlon (broadcast details)

  • Feb 5 Mixed 4x6km Relay (3:00 am CST)
  • Feb 7 Women’s Individual 15km (3:00 am CST)
  • Feb 8 Men’s Individual 20km (2:30 am CST)
  • Feb 11 Women’s Sprint 7.5km (3:00 am CST)
  • Feb 12 Men’s Sprint 10km (3:00 am CST)
  • Feb 13 Women’s 10km, Men’s 12.5km Pursuits (3:00 am CST)
  • Feb 15 Men’s Relay 4x7.5km (3:00 am CST)
  • Feb 16 Women’s Relay 4x6km (1:45 am CST)
  • Feb 18 Men’s Mass Start 15km (3:00 am CST)
  • Feb 19 Women’s Mass Start 12.5km (3:00 am CST)