Sunday, February 16, 2014

Cross-Country - Men’s Relay 4x10km - 2014 Winter Olympics

Gold Medal
Sweden
 Lars Nelson 
Lars Nelson (born 19 August 1985) is a Swedish cross-country skier.
He represented Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. On 16 February he competed in the first (classical) leg in the men's team relay and became the Olympic champion, together with his team mates Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and Marcus Hellner.
 Daniel Richardsson
Daniel Richardsson (born 15 March 1982) is a Swedish cross-country skier who has competed since 2002.
His best World Cup finish in 2008 was second in two in 4 x 10 km events.
Richardsson also competed at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, finishing sixth in the 4 x 10 km, 20th in the 15 km, and 31st in the 50 km events.
In the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Richardsson rode the first lap for the gold winning Swedish team in the Men's 4 x 10 kilometer relay event.
In the Oslo 2011 World Championships Richardsson went the first lap for the Swedish silver winning team.
On 14 July 2013, Richardsson and a friend were involved in a traffic accident, after their car had had a punctured tire. As they stood by the car at the side of the road, they were hit by a recreational vehicle, the driver of which apparently failed to observe them in time. Richardsson suffered ligament injuries and bruises, but his friend was killed.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics Richardsson won bronze at the 15 km classical and helped Sweden win gold in the relay.

 Johan Olsson
Johan Arne Olsson (born 19 March 1980) is a Swedish cross-country skier and Olympic champion who has raced since 1998. He has 5 individual FIS Cross-Country World Cup victories and 2 additional podium finishes.
Olsson became an Olympian 2006 as he was selected to represent Sweden in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He earned a bronze medal in the 4 x 10 km relay and finished 6th in the 15 km event. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Olsson earned a bronze medal in the 30 km pursuit after leading most of the race, and together with the Swedish team he won the gold medal on the 4 x 10 km relay after a deciding performance on the 2nd stage. During the same Olympic Games Olsson won another bronze medal in the 50 km event.
In the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 in Val di Fiemme, Olsson won the prestigious 50 km classical race. He pulled ahead of the pack after 20 km and never let go of his lead. It was an impressive solo performance to win Sweden's first gold medal on the 50 km in a big competition in over 20 years. Olsson also won silver on the 15 km freestyle, finishing 9 seconds behind Petter Northug.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics Olsson won a silver medal at the 15 km classical.

 Marcus Hellner
Carl Marcus Joakim Hellner (born 25 November 1985) is a Swedish cross-country skier who has been competing since 2003.

Hellner had a total of seven victories in the junior levels of cross-country skiing up to 30 km from 2003 to 2005. In Gällivare, Sweden, he took his first world cup win on a 15 km event.
Hellner won bronze, his first medal, in the 4 × 10 km at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo.
In the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Hellner won his first Olympic gold medal in the 30 km cross-country pursuit, deciding the race in a sprint at the end. At the 4 × 10 km classic/free, Hellner took gold for Sweden after leading the race from the very start.
In the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo, Hellner opened his championship with winning a victory in the men's sprint. A couple of days later, Hellner, like in the 2010 Winter Olympics, rode the last lap for Sweden in the 4 × 10 km relay. This time finishing second, winning a silver medal for Sweden.
In the 2012, Hellner became the first Swedish male skier to be on the podium in Tour de Ski by securing a second place overall after passing Petter Northug in the final uphill event. 
At the 2014 Winter Olympics Hellner won a silver medal at the 30 km skiathlon and a gold in the men's 4 × 10 km relay, skiing the last leg.



11th Place
USA
 Andrew Newell
Andrew "Andy" Newell (born November 30, 1984) is an American cross-country skier who has been competing on the international level since 2001.
His best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was fifth in the sprint at the 2007 championships in Sapporo. Newell's best individual finish at the Winter Olympics was 16th in the sprint at Turin in 2006. In March, 2006, Newell won a bronze medal in a World Cup sprint race in Changchun, China. The medal was the first in just over 20 years for an American Nordic skier. Newell has a total of twenty one individual sprint victories at various levels since 2001, including his first National Championship in January, 2007, at Houghton, MI.
Results in 2007–2008 season include: 2008 US National Sprint Champion, 4th place World Cup Kuusamo Finland, 2nd place World Cup Lahti Finland.
Andrew Newell was born in Bennington, Vermont. He attended the Stratton Mountain School for several years, where his career as a ski racer began to flourish. After completing his High School degree and some post-grad work at Stratton, Newell went on to join the US Ski Team, which he still competes for today.
He also does cinematography as a hobby, and is the owner of a film company called 'X Ski Films.' Newell is known as one of the most talented persons on cross-country skis, as he demonstrates as a star in his own films. Among Newell's most noteworthy accomplishments in the XSki world are huge backflips on his skinny skis, 720's, and a radar-clocking (by the Vermont State Police) of over 50 mph.
It was announced on 19 January 2010 that Newell had qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics where he earned his best finish of ninth in the team sprint.
He is represented by Arluck Promotions, a sports agency based in South Beach.

 Erik Bjornsen
Height: 6’2”
Current Residence: Winthrop, Wash.
College: Alaska Pacific University 
Olympic Experience:
2014 Olympic Winter Games, 38th in men's 15km classic, 42th in men's skiathlon 30km
Career Highlights:
Three-time member of Junior World Championships Team (2011, 2010, 2009)
Three Junior National Championship titles
2013, U.S. National Championships, two-time gold medalist
2013, U.S. National Championships, two-time silver medalist
2012, 15km classic, third place
2012, SuperTour Finals mini tour, third place
2011, 15km classic, second place
2011, NCAA All-American at Alaska Pacific University
2011, NCAA Championship 20k classic, silver medalist
Fun Facts: Attends college at Alaska Pacific University ... When he's not training, likes exploring the Alaskan outdoors, fishing and spending time enjoying nature

 Noah Hoffman
Noah Hoffman (born August 1, 1989 in Evergreen, Colorado) is an American cross country skier.
Hoffman debuted in the FIS World Cup at Vancouver in January 2009, placing 25th in the 30 km skiathlon. His first European appearance in the World Cup was at the 2010–11 season opener in Gällivare, where he placed 31st in the 15 km freestyle, only just missing out on a points finish. He represented the United States at the 2011 World Championships in Oslo, Norway, where he placed 29th in the 15 km classic and 30th in the 50 km freestyle mass start.
Simeon Hamilton
Simeon "Simi" Hamilton (born May 14, 1987) is an American cross country skier who has competed since 2000. Hamilton attended Middlebury College from 2005–2009, during which time he competed for its ski team, individually earning several All-American NCAA Championship results. It was announced on 29 January 2010 that Hamilton qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Hamilton competed in the 15 kilometer freestyle, 1.5 kilometer classic sprint, and 4x10km relay races. He paced all Americans in the field in the 1.5 kilometer sprint by advancing to the medal rounds and finishing 29th of 96 competitors. In the relay, Hamilton pulled away from the Estonian skier in the anchor leg to secure a 13th place finish.
On December 31, 2013, Hamilton won Stage 3 of the 2013–14 FIS Tour de Ski, a 1.5 kilometer freestyle sprint. In doing so, he became the first American male to win a World Cup race since Bill Koch won the Sarajevo 30k in February 1983.

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