Ogden Ninth in Trondheim Classic Sprint; Diggins 14th
The world’s best cross country skiers returned to Norway this weekend for the Trondheim World Cup—one of the most competitive stops on the circuit, made even more intense with many Norwegian athletes fighting for Olympic Winter Games qualification. Ben Ogden led the Stifel U.S. Ski Team in ninth, with Diggins leading the women in 14th.
On the same course athletes skied a year prior for the 2025 World Championships, the classic sprint was back once again to test the field. For the U.S., and the entire men's field, Ogden came out firing. Known for his sharp race instincts and perfectly timed surges, Ogden once again showed why he’s one of the most dynamic sprinters on the tour. As Kikkan Randall put it, “Ben really races with his heart on his sleeve.” He backed that up in the qualification round, winning the round by .22 seconds ahead of Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo.
With the top 30 advancing, it was Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern representing the stars and stripes into the sprint rounds. In the quarterfinal, Ogden opened with confidence—quick tempo, short strides and full control. For many close to the sport, the "Benny Shuffle" was in full display.
"The qualifier definitely felt good. I think that the hills here in Trondheim really suit my strengths. Not so steep where you have to run, but steep enough where you have to have really fast turnover and power stride," said Ogden. "It felt good today. Definitely a bit intense with all the Norwegians out there." (Since this is a home World Cup, the Norwegian team has "Nation's Spots," giving them more starts relative to other Nations.)
Ogden handily won his quarterfinal by .32 seconds. But in the semifinals, disaster struck for Ogden when he tangled with Norway’s Harald Østberg Amundsen, causing both skiers to fall. Ogden was back on his feet quickly and still finished fifth in the heat, but it wasn’t enough to move on to the finals. Schoonmaker had a similar fall to Ogden and did not advance to the semifinals. Both athletes are okay.
On the women’s side, World Cup overall leader Jessie Diggins and teammate Julia Kern—silver medalists at this venue during last season’s World Championships—raced hard but similarly did not progress to the semifinals. Diggins was caught up in a fall with Sweden's Joanna Hagstroem, who eventually won the race. Diggins is okay.
"I was really psyched to be feeling good today," said Diggins. "The conditions were really great for classic skiing. I was super proud of the process—testing with the techs. Overall, I am super proud of how I skied, and I'm hoping to take that positive energy into tomorrow's race."
The day ultimately belonged to Norway’s Klæbo, who not only took the victory but cemented his place in skiing history. With today’s win, Klæbo earned his 100th career individual World Cup victory, joining an elite club that includes Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin and cross country legend Marit Bjørgen, who retired with 114 wins. Klæbo becomes the first male cross country skier ever to reach the 100-win milestone, and only the second cross country skier to surpass the 100 mark.
The men's podium was led by Klaebo, in second was Norway's Oskar Opstad Vike and Sweden's Alvar Myhlback. Hagstroem won for the women, with Swedish teammates completing the sweep, with Emma Ribom in second and Linn Svahn in third. For the U.S., Diggins was 14th, Kern 20th, Alayna Sonnesyn 45th, Erin Bianco 52nd and Kate Oldham 54th. Ogden led the men in ninth, with Schoonmaker 28th, Gus Schumacher 33rd, Zak Ketterson 37th, Jack Young 42nd and Kevin Bolger 46th
Next up, the team will race the skiathlon, with 10k of classic and 10k of skate.
RESULTS
Men
Women