Markus Cramer, Man Who Coached Cologna And Now Coaches Ustiugov

Markus Cramer, Man Who Coached Cologna And Now Coaches Ustiugov

Leaders, Newsfeed
Markus Cramer made his name by coaching then little known Dario Cologna to overall World Cup victory in 2008/2009 and , later, to the golden medal of the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. Before that he brought a virtually unknown Swiss female squad to bronze medals in the 4 × 5 km relay at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2012 [caption id="attachment_6512" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Cramer with old friends & colleagues from the German ski team[/caption] But now, just a few weeks ahead of the Pyeonchang Olympics, a 54 year old German specialist finds himself in a limbo. Several skiers that Cramer coached in the recent years – namely Alexander Legkov and Evgeny Belov are stripped of their Sochi medals and banned from the Games ( the Court of Arbitration for…
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“I Wil Be Back” Writes Johaug, Gets Golden Commemorative Coin “To Give Her Further Motivation”

“I Wil Be Back” Writes Johaug, Gets Golden Commemorative Coin “To Give Her Further Motivation”

Leaders, Newsfeed
Therese Johaug is out of the PyeongChang Olympics – but not out of newspaper headlines with media sharply divided over a 29 year old Norwegian's role in modern cross country skiing. The latest episode was sparked by the visit of Ms. Johaug to Samlehuset, a local company ( but a branch of international powerhouse in its field). Samlerhuset Norge is a distributor of various collectibles best known for its succesful promotion & direct marketing of official Olympic coins. While there, an Olympic champion of Vancouver, who is missing the upcoming Games through doping suspension, was asked to write a greeting – which she promptly did on a booklet advertizing 2000 Korean Won, an Olympic edition special. " I will be back" reads the skier's message (in English), accompanied by a…
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Faces Of Skiers Tell Stories

Faces Of Skiers Tell Stories

Leaders, Newsfeed
We don't often get to see their faces - television cameras only stop at them for a fraction of time and the spectators' stands are too far away, as a rule. Let's take a look at what relatively close access the press is entitled to brings - hopefully, the camera lens had managed to capture emotions written on their faces. [caption id="attachment_6476" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Federico Pellegrino of Italy[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6479" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Kasper Stadaas of Norway [/caption] [caption id="attachment_6485" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Andrey Krasnov of Russia listens to assistant coach Egor Sorin[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6484" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Andy Newell of Team U.S.A. & coach [/caption] [caption id="attachment_6483" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Andrej Segec of Slovakia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6482" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Teodor Peterson of Sweden[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6492" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Caitlin Patterson and Kikkan Randall of the…
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Laurien van der Graaff: Star Who Breaks With Conventions

Laurien van der Graaff: Star Who Breaks With Conventions

Leaders, Newsfeed
"...no, I don't like it all" confirms Laurien - and laughs heartily. You know what makes Laurien van der Graaff different from the rest (most – not all) top level ski sprinters? She's mellow. Now soft, not slow – mellow, relaxed, polite, smiley. And very pleasant to talk to. Not enough has been said or written so far about differences between traditional, distance skiing – and that of ski sprints. Distance skiers spend long hours doing well, distance skiing, Or rollerskiing. Or running. More time for self-reflection, for finding one's own zen. Sprint is one tough business. You give it all out going uphill - then accelerate, often risking, downhill and cutting tight turns. Plus pushing and shoving, sometimes very literally, against your competitors. And, of course, unpredictability – one…
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Klaebo vs Chanavat. Who’s Got More Fans?

Klaebo vs Chanavat. Who’s Got More Fans?

Leaders, Newsfeed
We do need rock-stars of cross country skiing - without them adoring crowds shall move elsewhere, in search for other objects to follow and to love. Luckily, this season we have not just one - but two who have emerged. Just ask these fans who passionately waited for Johannes Klaebo and Lucas Chanavat to finish shaking hands with officials and doing media interviews  in order to have "a minute of selfie & autograph"  with their heroes.  
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