Back-to-Back Podiums for Schumacher

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