Pre-competition facts Seefeld 2019 relay

28.02.2019

Pre-competition facts 4x5km relay ladies

• Norway could win the ladies' relay event for a record-equalling fifth consecutive time at the world championships.

• Only Russia has previously won the ladies' relay event at five world championships in a row, from 1993-2001. Note: this excludes Soviet Union's victory in 1991.

• Only Soviet Union (12) has won more world championship gold medals in the ladies' relay event than Norway (7). Note: this excludes the five world titles won by Russia.

• The last country other than Norway to win the ladies' relay world title was Finland in 2009.

• Norway has already won seven world titles at these world championships. The only country to win more at a single edition was Norway itself in 2011 (8) and 2015 (9).

• Therese Johaug has won nine world titles, equal to Galina Kulakova in fourth place all-time among women. Only Marit Bjørgen (18), Elena Välbe (14) and Larissa Lazutina (11) have won more.

• Johaug could win three world titles at a single world championships for the second time after 2015 (3).

• Maiken Caspersen Falla (G5-S0-B4) could become the third Norwegian woman to collect at least 10 world championships medals, after Bjørgen (26) and Johaug (13).

• Sweden has won the silver medal in this event at each of the last four world championships, and is level with Norway on a record seven runner-up finishes.

• The Swedish team is in search of only its second world title in the ladies' relay event. The country won its only gold medal in 1960 at the Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, United States. This Olympic title also counts as a world title.

• Charlotte Kalla can become the second cross-country skier from Sweden to claim a medal at six different world championships, after Sixten Jernberg (6).

• Kalla has collected 12 medals at the world championships, second-most among Swedish cross-country skiers behind Jernberg (15).

• Kalla (G0-S4-B1) can become the woman to have claimed most medals without winning a world title in a relay event. She is currently level with Elin Nilsen and Gabriella Paruzzi on five medals without winning gold.

• After winning five world titles in a row from 1993 to 2001, Russia has claimed only three more ladies' relay medals at the following eight world championships. The country won its most recent medal in 2013, when the team finished in third place.

• Russia (1999) or Soviet Union (1964, 1976 and 1985) won all the four world titles in the ladies' relay event when the race was held in Austria. Note: In 1964 and 1976 the Olympic title in this event was also the world title (both in Innsbruck).

• Italy has won five medals in this event at the world championships, but still lacks a world title (G0-S3-B2).

• Italy won its last medal in this event in 2005 in Oberstdorf, Germany (bronze).

01.03.2019

Pre-competition facts 4x10km relay men

• Norway has won 13 of the last 14 world titles in the men's 4x10km relay, including each of the last nine. The last time Norway failed to claim the world title in this event was in 1999, when Austria won on home snow, 0.2 seconds ahead of Norway.

• Markus Gandler, Alois Stadlober, Mikhail Botvinov and Christian Hoffmann were all part of the Austria team that beat Norway in Ramsau am Dachstein in 1999.

• Norway has claimed a medal in the men's 4x10km relay in 22 of the last 23 editions of the world championships, with the only exception in that run (1972-2017) a fourth-place finish in 1989. Thirty years ago, Norway finished 0.4 seconds behind third-placed Czechoslovakia. Finland took silver, while Sweden won in Lahti.

• Norway's current run of nine consecutive world titles in the men's 4x10km relay (2001-2017) is the longest winning streak for a country in a single event at the world championships (men's and ladies').

• In total, Norway has claimed 18 world titles in the men's 4x10km relay, at least nine more than any other country. Sweden and Finland are both on nine.

• Only Norway (32) has collected more world championships medals in the men's 4x10km relay than Sweden (28). Finland is in third place all-time, with 26 podium finishes.

• So far, Norway has won all of the men's events at the 2019 world championships - the sprint, skiathlon, team sprint and 15km classic. On only one previous occasion a country won at least five men's events at a single edition: Norway (5) in 2009.

• Sweden is aiming for its tenth world title in the men's 4x10km relay and its first since 1989, when Lars Håland, Christer Majbäck, Gunde Svan and Torgny Mogren won in Lahti ahead of Finland (2nd) and Czechoslovakia (3rd).

• The last time Finland claimed relay gold at the world championships was in 1976, when Arto Koivisto, Matti Pitkänen, Juha Mieto and Pertti Teurajärvi won in Innsbruck.

• The best result for a non-European country in a men's 4x10km relay event at the world championships was a fifth-place finish for both Canada (2009) and United States (1950).

• Two-time defending champion Didrik Tønseth can become the first athlete to claim the world title in the 4x10km relay in more than two consecutive editions since Petter Northug won five in a row between 2007 and 2015.

• Martin Johnsrud Sundby has won three world titles, of which two in the 4x10km relay: in 2011 (Oslo) and 2017 (Lahti).