PRE-COMPETITION FACTS FIS Lenzerheide, SUI

Stage 1: Ladies’ / Men‘s Sprint Free

COMPETITION COURSE

Ladies: 2 x 750 m

Men: 2 x 750 m

BONUS SECONDS: for the top 30 in the Sprint races. The bonus seconds are subtracted from the competitor’s actual race time before being added into the overall time score. WEATHER FORECAST

LADIES

• Last season's Tour de Ski winner (NOR) is looking for her third stage win in the competition. Weng won the 10km classic in 2015/16 (Val di Fiemme) and the 9km pursuit in 2016/17 (Val di Fiemme).

• Weng, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (NOR) and Jessica Diggins (USA) are the only athletes to have won a Tour de Ski stage in both of the last two seasons.

• Weng's best result in a sprint event in the Tour de Ski came on 5 January 2016, when she finished in second place in the sprint classic in behind winner Sophie Caldwell (USA).

• Weng is the only woman to have recorded at least one top-three finish in a sprint event (classic and free) in each of the last three editions of the Tour de Ski.

• Marit Bjørgen (NOR) is on three sprint victories (classic and free) in the Tour de Ski, joint-most in the competition along with (ITA) and Petra Majdic (SLO).

• In all events, Bjørgen has won a total of 11 stages in the Tour de Ski (excl. overall), only trailing Justyna Kowalczyk (POL, 14). • Bjørgen has reached the podium in 17 of her last 19 Tour de Ski stage appearances, with a fifth-place finish in the sprint free on 29 December 2013 and a 13th place in the sprint free on 31 December 2013 as the only exceptions.

• (SWE) has won the last four sprint free World Cup events

• Only (USA, 12) and Bjørgen (24) have won more sprint free World Cup events than Nilsson (8).

• Only Kowalczyk in 2010/11 (2.8km free) and 2011/12 (2.5km free) and Bjørgen in 2014/15 (3km free) won the opening stage of the Tour de Ski and then went on to claim the overall title.

• (NOR) has recorded a top-two finish in each of her last 10 sprint free World Cup appearances, since a 45th place in Planica on 16 January 2016.

• Falla is on a total of 19 World Cup victories, including 14 in individual sprint events (7 in free and 7 in classic).

• Falla has been on the podium in 22 sprint free World Cup events, only trailing Randall (23) in second place and all-time record holder Bjørgen (32).

• Four of the previous five Tour de Ski stages in Lenzerheide have been won by Norwegian athletes. Only (FIN) avoided Norwegian success as she won the 10km classic on 1 January 2014. MEN

• Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) has won seven of the 10 World Cup events this season (incl. Tour stages and overall Tour wins).

• With his win in the 15km pursuit in Toblach on 17 December, Klæbo became the first ever man to claim (at least) seven victories in a single World Cup season before the turn of the year.

• Finn Hågen Krogh (NOR) is the only athlete from to have won a sprint free stage of the last eight in the Tour de Ski, as he won this event in 2012/13.

• Five of the last six sprint World Cup events have been won by Norwegian athletes, with 's (CAN) sprint free triumph in the 2016/17 World Cup Final as the only exception.

• Harvey could become the second athlete from Canada to win a sprint event (classic and free) in the Tour de Ski after (CAN) who won the sprint free in Toblach on 5 January 2011.

• Maurice Manificat (FRA) won the final stage of last season's Tour de Ski (9km pursuit) and could become the first ever man to win the opening stage, after being the fastest in the final pursuit the year before.

• (NOR) has won the last two Tour de Ski stages in Lenzerheide, the 30km classic and the 10km pursuit in 2015/16. • Only (NOR, 13) has won more Tour de Ski stages than Sundby (6). Sundby has never won an individual sprint event (classic and free) in World Cup history.

• (ITA) is the only man to have recorded a top- three finish in a sprint free event in each of the last five editions of the Tour de Ski.

• Only Northug (6) has claimed more podium spots in sprint free events in Tour de Ski history than Pellegrino (5).

• (RUS) won the first stage of last season's Tour de Ski (sprint free) and could become the second athlete to win the opening stage in back-to-back editions after Northug in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

• Ustiugov won the opening five stages of the 2016/17 Tour de Ski, the longest winning streak in history of the competition.

• Ustiugov's tally of five stage wins in 2016/17 is an all-time high for a single Tour de Ski edition. Sundby won four stages in 2015/16.

• Ustiugov is on a total of 12 World Cup victories (individual, relay/team, Tour stages, overall Tour)

• Only Ustiugov in 2016/17 (sprint free) and Lukáš Bauer (CZE) in 2007/08 (4.5km classic) won the opening stage of the Tour de Ski and then went on to claim the overall title.