(By Phil Bowen)

kikkan in the last 10 meters of the sprint prelims, finishing 32 hundredths of a second from qualifying for the heats. she talked to another racer who hadn’t qualified in drammen in her three years of competition and said she just wasn’t going to race there anymore. but i don’t get the impression that’s what kikkan’s future plans are for drammen. she says third time's a charm.

koos was one of maybe five skiers who raced the prelim on skate skis. everyone in the heats was on classic skis.

newell fully airborne a couple strides from the finish. there were actually quite a few skiers running like this at the end. i think the snow was too soft to glide.

chris cook finishing the prelims.

virpi kuitinen has no problem leaving the field behind after only 200 meters. she was never challenged today.

koos in quarterfinals behind the defending Olympic champion and ahead of the current world cup points leader.

kikkan, chandra crawford and magda genuine watch the big screen. apparently the tv cameras were watching them, too.

newell on the big screen for his quarterfinal introduction.

odd-bjorn hjelmeset tries to sneak in, but newell out-stretches him at the line to take second place.