CABLE, Wis. -- The Nor/Am SuperTour rolled into its final stop at Telemark Resort in Cable, Wis. on Wednesday, January 21, 2004. David Chamberlain (Bethel, ME) and Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK) both turned in dominant performances to clinch their respective events in the Sprint competition.

On a day that started with temperatures near 20F, in the final heats competitors faced temperatures 15 degrees lower with 15 to 20 mph winds and gusts significantly higher.

Over 50 competitors tested themselves on the 800-meter course that mixed a variety of terrain including a traverse of an Alpine ski hill, flats and a final steep climb before the finish.

Randall, fresh off a National Championship in this same discipline, faced a deep competitive field in Wednesday¹s event. For most of her final race it appeared that she did not want to be in the lead, but after a long climb up a portion of the ski hill and descending to a 100-meter flat, she made her move into the wind and took complete control heading to the finish. Rebecca Dussault (Gunnison, CO), who has dominated the SuperTour including convincing sprint victories, finished second. She withstood a late charge by Aubrey Smith (Park City, UT) during which she lost almost half her advantage over the third place Smith. Sigrid Langerfelt rounded out the field in fourth.

David Chamberlain, although known to be a top sprint racer, had not won a SuperTour sprint all year. He proved himself in a convincing fashion on Wednesday, however. Like Randall, when he hit the flats in a strong head wind he took control and ran away from the pack.

Leif Zimmerman (Park City, UT), National Champion in the sprint competition, was the favorite going into the event. In each of his qualifying rounds Zimmerman appeared to employ a tactic of coming from behind. Through both his quarter- and semi-final races he remained in last place, going wide and then making a move at top of course, strategically positioning himself for the final 200 meters. Although he put himself in control in the preliminary events, the tactic didn¹t pan out in the final.

Andrew Newall (Park City, UT), who turned in the fastest qualifying time of the day, cruised in uncontested in second. It took a photo to sort out third and fourth places, however, between Chris Cook (Park City, UT) and Zimmerman. Upon review, it was clear that Cook, though his body was behind at the finish line, snagged a podium spot with a thrust of his foot.

The Telemark Nor/Am SuperTour competition is presented by Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC). Competition resumes on Saturday, January 24 at 9:30 a.m. with the Men¹s 10 kilometer and Women¹s 5 kilometer freestyle events. The competition and the SuperTour conclude on Sunday, January 25 with mass start classic technique races of 15 kilometers for the men and 10 kilometers for the women starting at 9:30 a.m.

Nor/Am SuperTour Sprints
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Telemark Resort, Cable, Wis.

MEN

1. David Chamberlain
2. Andrew Newell
3. Chris Cook
4. Leif Zimmerman
5. Ivan Babikov
6. Zack Simons
7. Adam Kates
8. James Southam

WOMEN
1. Kikkan Randall
2. Rebecca Dussault
3. Aubrey Smith
4. Sigrid Lagerfield
5. Hilary Patzer
6. Melissa Oram
7. Rhonda Sandau
8. Jacqui Benson

PHOTOGRAPHY: High resolution digital images are available. To request images, email [email protected] or call (715)798-3599.