The 2016/17 FIS Cross-Country World Cup season presented by Viessmann saw 32 World Cup competitions in 15 venues, spread across 10 countries.
Biggest winners
Heidi Weng (NOR) captured her first career overall World Cup crystal globe and Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) won his third overall globe and second in a row. The distance globes also went to Weng and Sundby.
Biggest battle
In the sprint World Cup standings it was a season-long battle between Stina Nilsson (SWE) and Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR). Nilsson and Falla were separated by only 42 points before the final race of the season. Nilsson won the race but a second place finish was enough for Falla to clinch her second consecutive sprint crystal globe.
Also the battle for the men’s sprint globe was decided in the last sprint race of the season. Federico Pellegrino (ITA) needed 38 points to overtake Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) and missed the mark by a mere six points, making Klaebo the youngest ever sprint crystal globe winner.
Highlights
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti (FIN) and the 11th edition of the Tour de Ski were naturally the highlights of the 2016/17 Cross-Country winter. The Tour de Ski, which is part of the World Cup, took place from 31st December-8th January 2017 in Val Mustair (SUI), Oberstdorf (GER), Toblach and Val di Fiemme (ITA).
Sergey Ustiugov (RUS) won the Tour, impressively winning five of seven stages – a Tour record– to finish with a big lead over Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR). But the battle for third place was much closer, featuring some of the world’s best climbers including Dario Cologna (SUI), Matti Heikkinen (FIN) and Maurice Manificat (FRA). Despite Manificat and Heikkinen recording the first and second fastest times on the final climb, Cologna held on for third place in the Tour.
On the ladies’ side, Heidi Weng dominated the Tour over Krista Parmakoski (FIN) and Stina Nilsson. Weng, who won the Tour for the first time, became the only female winner with fewer than two stage victories.
Best newcomers
Annamarija Lampic (SLO) and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the Helvetia U23 World Cup. Lampic recorded two individual top 10 World Cup results and her first career World Cup win in PyeongChang (KOR) in sprint classic.
Klaebo had an impressive season featuring third place in the opening World Cup sprint in Ruka (FIN), second place in the Lillehammer (NOR) mini-Tour, a victory in sprint free in Otepää (EST) and his first distance win in Québec City (CAN) during the FIS World Cup Finals as well as the final sprint race.
Best venue moment
At the World Cup Finals in Québec City, which took place from 17th-19th March 2017, perfect snow conditions blue skies and almost 70,000 spectators over three days saw the mini-tour victory of Marit Bjoergen (NOR) on the ladies’ side and Klaebo in the men’s competition in a photo finish over home favourite Alex Harvey. The top three men were separated by just 0.1 seconds with Niklas Dyrhaug (NOR) taking third place.
Best Inside the Fence video
It’s one thing to host a World Cup for the first time. It’s another to manage the logistics of having more than 50,000 spectators come to a town of roughly 8,000. The Organisers of the Ulricehamn (SWE) World Cup weekend deserve big congratulations for an incredible two days of competitions. The Inside the Fence video about their efforts hit the record of 101K views, 748 shares and 2.4K reactions.
