Oksana Masters wins fourth World Cup title

Paralympic champion Oksana Masters sealed the cross-country World Para Nordic Skiing World Cup title for a fourth time with a final victory in Sapporo, Japan, on Sunday.

The US skier, who swept all three cross-country races at last month’s World Championships, won the women’s short distance sitting to gain 100 points and overtake Birgit Skarstein at the top of the overall rankings.

The Norwegian was leading by 10 points coming into the final race but could only finish third in the short distance. Masters’ compatriot Kendall Gretsch ended third overall following a second-place finish in the race.

Second title for USA

Paralympic champion Daniel Cnossen won the men’s sitting and finished top of the overall rankings for his first World Cup title.

South Korea’s PyeongChang 2018 gold medallist Shin Eui Hyun collected silver to finish fifth overall, while Ukrainian Taras Rad took bronze and ended second in the rankings. Rad’s teammate Vasyl Kravchuk completed the overall podium.

Super six for Edlinger

Austria’s double world champion Carina Edlinger, guided by Florian Rupert Seiwald, was the fastest in the women’s vision impaired and claimed her third successive World Cup title.

Ukraine’s two-time Paralympic champion Oksana Shyshkova (840) and guide Vitaliy Kazakov, and German Clara Klug, guided by Martin Hartl, were second and third in the race and the rankings respectively.

McKeever takes second win

Canadian Nordic skiing legend Brian McKeever made it two wins out of two on Japanese soil as he stormed to gold in the men’s vision impaired alongside Graham Nishikawa. But he only reached the fourth place in the overall rankings.

Zebastian Modin of Sweden, who did not compete in Sapporo, claimed the overall title thanks to his performances at previous World Cups.

Norwegian Eirik Bye and guide Ole-Martin Lid, and Ukrainian Dmytro Suiarko, guided by Vasyl Potapenko, followed Modin in the overall rankings.

Vovchynskyi wins men’s standing

PyeongChang 2018 silver medallist Grygorii Vovchynskyi finished sixth in the final cross-country race far behind Canadian winner Mark Arendz, but still managed to end top of the overall rankings with 720 points.

Poland’s Witold Skupien could not capitalise on the Ukrainian’s poor performance and only ended fifth in the race to finish second in the standings with 698 points. France’s Benjamin Daviet (585) completed the overall podium.

Wilkie wins, Nilsen celebrates

Canadian Natalie Wilkie took gold in the women’s short distance standing race, but it was 18-year-old four-time world champion Vilde Nilsen who finished top of the overall rankings.

Ukrainian Paralympic champions Liudmyla Liashenko and Oleksandra Kononova completed the top-three in the overall standings.

Full rankings are available on World Para Nordic Skiing's website.