Preview FIS Cross-Country World Cup 2019/20 Ruka Sprint C 29th November 2019 Women

• For the 12th season in a row, Ruka will host the first sprint event of the World Cup calendar (2008-2019, all classic style). • Yulia Belorukova won the sprint event in Ruka last World Cup season. won the sprint classic in the Finnish town in both 2016 and 2017. • The last time the winner of the opening sprint event went on to claim the sprint World Cup title that season was in 2015/16: . • Only Marit Bjørgen (4) and Petra Majdic (3) have won more sprint World Cup events in Ruka than Nilsson (2). Majdic won the first three sprint events held in Ruka from 2006 to 2008.

Stina Nilsson • Stina Nilsson won the overall sprint World Cup last season. The 26-year- old won six of the 12 sprint World Cup events last campaign. • Nilsson has now won 18 sprint World Cup events, fourth most all-time. Maiken Caspersen Falla is third on 19 sprint World Cups wins. • On 26 November 2016, Nilsson won the sprint classic in Ruka, her first ever World Cup victory in the classic style. • Nilsson has only claimed more sprint World Cup podium spots in Davos (4) than in Ruka (3). • Nilsson finished sixth in last season's sprint event in Ruka, her joint-worst sprint result of 2018/19. She also finished sixth in the sprint classic in Otepää (DNS in final). • Nilsson's last win in a sprint classic World Cup event was on 20 January 2018, when she won in Planica. • Nilsson qualified for the final in each of her last 15 appearances in a sprint World Cup event. She last failed to reach the final in the sprint free in Davos on 11 December 2016 (31st).

Maiken Caspersen Falla • Maiken Caspersen Falla won the overall sprint World Cup in 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18. Only compatriots Marit Bjørgen (5) and (5) have won the sprint title more often. • Falla has won 19 sprint World Cup events, one short of equalling Petra Majdic (20) in second place all-time. Nilsson has won 18 sprint World Cup events. • Falla has claimed 47 podium finishes in sprint World Cup events, only trailing Bjørgen (60) for most.

• Falla has won the last two sprint events in the classic style in the World Cup, in on 12 March and in Otepää on 19 January.

Other Contenders • Nine of the last 10 sprint World Cup events have either been won by Maiken Caspersen Falla (3) or Nilsson (6). In that run, only Jessica Diggins also managed to win a sprint event, in Cogne on 16 February (freestyle). • Yulia Belorukova won last season's World Cup opener in Ruka on 24 November (sprint classic). Belorukova will moss at least the beginning of the season trough pregnancy. • claimed seven podium spots in individual sprint events last World Cup season, the joint-most alongside Stina Nilsson (7). Dahlqvist finished second in the sprint classic in Ruka last season. • Dahlqvist has yet to claim her first individual World Cup win. She can become the 10th female athlete from to win an individual sprint event in the World Cup.