Gus Schumacher delivered to the already standout weekend for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team with a second-place finish in the World Cup classic sprint in Goms, Switzerland, marking his second World Cup podium in just 48 hours. The result follows the team sprint a day earlier, when Schumacher and Ben Ogden teamed up to take third place, underscoring the momentum building within the U.S. squad just 14 days out from the Olympic Winter Games.

Sunday’s podium was another milestone result for Schumacher, earning his first-ever World Cup podium in the classic technique, his first individual sprint podium and his second podium of the weekend. From the get-go, Schumacher had one thing on his mind: the final. Through the rounds, Schumacher advanced confidently on the extremely long and tiring Goms course and put himself in a perfect position for his fifth career World Cup podium. Schumacher finished 2.64 seconds behind Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who claimed victory, while Sweden’s Edvin Anger rounded out the podium in third.

The depth of the U.S. team was on full display in Goms, and the result was promising, with seven athletes in the top 30 and four in the top 10. And the classic sprint will be contested at the Olympic Winter Games. 

"I am psyched, I'm really proud of adapting to a bit of a different sprint course and recognizing where my strengths were, which I think a lot of it was just not getting as tired as some other people on the hill," said Schumacher. "I had really good kick, and that helped me just stride well. Historically, my sprint finishes haven't been amazing, but today I had enough speed on the backstretch... plus the full finish lane was a good like 30 seconds, so I relied on that a little bit and then just stayed up near the front and made good tactical moves."

For the men, through the qualifications, it was Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, Zak Ketterson, Zach Jayne and Schumacher advancing through to the classic sprint heats. Into the heats, Ogden, Schumacher and Schoonmaker punched their tickets to the semifinals. Into the semis, Ogden and Schoonmaker were off the line first, with Ogden advancing through to the final by being the first lucky loser. Schoonmaker was fifth and did not advance. Into the final, it was Schumacher and Ogden back together, but this time, for individual results. Off the start line, they both held their ground behind Klaebo. On the longest climb, Klaebo kicked it into another gear, putting seconds on the rest of the field, yet Schumacher and Sweden's Anger battled it out for second and third. Across the line, Schumacher was on top. Schoonmaker finished 10th, marking his best result of the season and Jayne recorded a career milestone, finishing 27th to earn his first-ever top-30 World Cup result. Schumacher's result now places him seventh in the overall World Cup standings. 

"It was a really big day for the team, and fun to be a part of days like this. On the whole, all of us are feeling pretty good about how today went," said Ogden. "It's pretty thrilling to be a part of this group. We all can learn so much from each other, and every day could be a huge opportunity for anyone on the team. It's fun!"

For the women, Jessie Diggins continued her consistent form with a seventh-place result. Julia Kern placed 15th and Sammy Smith crossed the line in 23rd. Sweden’s Linn Svahn completed a strong resurgence on the World Cup circuit, taking home the win. Germany’s Laura Gimmler continued her World-Cup-podium-weekend by securing her second podium, while Switzerland’s Nadine Faehndrich was third in front of a home-country crowd. Diggins continues her lead in the overall World Cup standings after the sprint race. 

Sunday, the athletes are back at it for the 20k classic. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

"Doing it with Gus, my boy from day one, was pretty fun," Ben Ogden. 

In the first of three races in Goms, Switzerland, Stifel U.S. Ski Team's Gus Schumacher and Ben Ogden teamed up in the team sprint and ultimately brought home the first U.S. men’s team sprint World Cup podium, with a third-place result. Julia Kern and Sammy Smith were fifth, JC Schoonmaker and Zanden McMullen 11th and Lauren Jortberg and Kendall Kramer 15th. 

A day after the U.S. Cross Country Olympic Team was named, it was all hands on deck for the athletes as they entered their final weekend of racing before the Olympic Winter Games kick off Feb. 7. In the team sprint format, athletes were paired into teams of two. To qualify for the heats, both team members had to be in the top 30. All American athletes achieved that. The teams, which consisted of two men’s teams and two women’s teams, were led by Team USA 1: Schumacher/Ogden and Kern/Smith and then Team USA 2: McMullen/Schoonmaker and Kramer/Jortberg. 

In the heats, leg one races the sprint course, then physically tags their teammate for their turn to take a lap. The team skis six laps total of the hilly, high-elevation course. Whoever crossed the finish line first was crowned the winner. 

In the qualifications, Ogden and Schumacher qualified third, setting them up nicely for the heats. Ogden was the “scramble” leg, going off the line first. Throughout the race, Ogden and Schumacher were safe in the top five, holding their strong position each time around the course. Norway was at the front the entirety, with Einar Hedegart and Harald Oestberg Amundsen setting a blistering pace. However, Italy and the USA held their own, trading back and forth for the podium spot. On the final lap, it was all gas. Ogden tagged off to Schumacher for the final leg, and Schumacher battled with Italy’s Federico Pellegrino for second. Ultimately crossing the line in third, it was still a celebration, as the U.S. brought home its first-ever World Cup men’s team sprint podium. Norway was crowned the victor, with Italy in second place. 

"It was really fun. This has been a long time coming," said Schumacher. "We felt like we were strong in this event for a long time, and I think that's true. It was great to have a result that backs that up. Nothing went wrong, we skied well, and it felt good to be a strong part of that, especially securing the position in the last lap. Doing it with Ben was sweet. To come to the finish line... Second slipped through my fingers and I kind of knew that was coming, but he was psyched and it was really fun to share that with him, and always fun to share a big result with a teammate." 

"Crazy that today is the first team sprint podium for the men," said Ogden. "(Sport Director Chris) Grover thought it might be at the finish line and I couldn't believe it at first. But it's honestly a really thrilling statistic and I am super proud to be a part of the first ever. Doing it with Gus, my boy from day one, was pretty fun... A dream come true, really. Super fired up."

For the women, Kern and Smith put together a strong race and finished fifth, gaining valuable team sprint experience going into the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, as this race will be featured on the Olympic schedule. Germany took home the win, with Norway in second and third. 

Sunday, the athletes will be back on the start line for the classic sprint. Qualifications kick off at 4:00 a.m. ET and heats at 6:30 a.m. ET. Watch live on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Men 
Women

Jessie Diggins delivered a strong late-race charge to finish fourth in Sunday’s 10k classic at the World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, closing to within 10 seconds of the podium, finishing the day in fourth place. Five Americans rounded out the 10k classic points. 

On a course with steep descents, tricky climbs and little rest, and with variable snow conditions that deteriorated throughout the day, it was Diggins who led the Americans. Through the course's checkpoints, Diggins' result hovered in the low to mid-teens, before significantly increasing her pace over the final kilometers, climbing the leaderboard and narrowly missing a top-three result. With her fourth place, Diggins continues to lead the overall World Cup standings following the weekend of racing.

Moa Ilar of Sweden claimed the victory, with Austria’s Teresa Stadlober finishing second and Sweden’s Jonna Sundling rounding out the podium.

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team placed five athletes inside the top 30 across the men’s and women’s fields. Rosie Brennan was the next-best American woman, finishing 30th. On the men’s side, Zanden McMullen led the way in 18th, following a strong showing at last week’s U.S. National Championships in Lake Placid, where he won both the 20k skate and the classic sprint national titles. Hunter Wonders finished 24th, while Luke Jager placed 29th.

Hailey Swirbul continued her return to World Cup competition after retiring in 2023, racing in her first World Cup weekend back. The 2022 Olympian made an immediate impact on Saturday by reaching the skate sprint finals and followed up with a 33rd-place finish in Sunday’s 10k classic. The week prior in Lake Placid, Swirbul won the U.S. national title in the 10k classic.

Novie McCabe also made her World Cup comeback in Oberhof after missing much of last season, finishing 35th in the 10k classic. The 2022 Olympian captured the 20k national championship at U.S. Nationals.

Saturday’s standout American performance came from Sammy Smith, who finished 12th in the skate sprint. Smith, a full-time student-athlete at Stanford University and who recently played in the NCAA Division I Soccer National Championships, made her World Cup debut for the season with a career-best individual result, advancing to the semifinals of a World Cup sprint for the first time and finishing as the top-scoring American of the day.

In the men’s 10k classic, Norway’s Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget took the win, followed by Finland’s Iivo Niskanen in second and Norway’s Erik Valnes in third.

Following the end of racing in Oberhof, the U.S. team will rest before heading into the final World Cup competition ahead of the Olympic Winter Games, with three races in Goms, Switzerland. Before Goms, the athletes who have qualified for Team USA will be formally announced. 

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

Women's skate sprint 
Men's skate sprint