A disappointing World Cup season for Kikkan Randall continued Satuday with news that the Anchorage skier will not help defend the only world championship in U.S. nordic ski racing history.
The U.S. Ski Team announced that Randall will not race in the women's team sprint Sunday at the FIS world championships in Falun, Sweden. Randall and Jessie Diggins won the event at the last world championships in 2013, becoming the first Americans to win an FIS world title.
Head coach Chris Grover made the announcement Saturday, the same day Randall finished 31st in the world championship skiathlon, an event that combines classic and freestyle techniques.
"We need to go with the athletes who are skiing the best right now," Grover said.
In comments released by the ski team, Randall said she is "not getting into a good race feel."
"We're trying to figure it all out," she said.
Diggins, a 23-year-old from Minnesota, will race with Sophie Caldwell, a 24-year-old from Vermont, in Sunday's team sprint.
Though she's the three-time defending World Cup sprint champion, the 32-year-old Randall has fallen markedly in the standings this season. The four-time Olympian ranks 22nd in the sprints and is 52nd in the overall World Cup standings.
The tough news was tempered for Alaska ski racing fans by strong performances Saturday by Randall's APU teammates.
Sadie Bjornsen, 25, finished 20th in the women's skiathlon, the second-best finish by an American behind Liz Stephen in 11th. A third APU skier in the race, Rosie Brennan, finished one spot ahead of Randall in 30th.
Sadie's brother Erik, 23, finished 28th to post the top U.S. finish in the men's skiathlon.
Sadie Bjornsen said in an email that she found her legs halfway through the race, when the format changed from classic to freestyle.
"I was really excited to have held things together relatively well during the skate course," she said of her career-best skiathlon finish.
Bjornsen said she was helped along by a large, vocal crowd in Falun.
"This is a volume of noise that gives you goosebumps," she wrote. "It is so fun and unique!"
Erik Bjornsen said he was surprised by how long he stuck with the lead pack.
"That's a boost of energy when you can see the leaders," he said in a U.S. Ski Team press release.
Bjornsen said he was able to keep contact with the lead pack through the 7.5-kilometer classic leg and well into the 7.5-kilometer freestyle portion of the race.
"I went into the skate feeling good and at five K I started to cramp," he said.
He said he was pleased to do so well in the high-profile event.
"This is my second (world) championships and this has got to be one of the biggest races I've skied in," he said.
Gold medals in the skiathlon went to Norway's Therese Johaug and Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin.