Simi Hamilton competes in the men's cross-country team sprint final at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships at the Lugnet venue on Feb. 22, 2015 in Falun, Sweden.
After a thrilling race ending in a photo finish, Simi Hamilton found himself back on the world cup podium with a second-place finish in the men's sprint in Toblach, Italy.
Hamilton won his opening heat to advance with no issues into the semifinals. In the semis, it took a huge effort at the finish to vault him into the final in a lucky loser position. The final was another late battle, with Hamilton and Norway's Sindre Bjoernestad Skar locked in a photo finish for the win. After awaiting the final decision, Skar was awarded the win by .03 seconds. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, also of Norway, rounded out the podium in third place. Three-time Olympian Andy Newell finished 13th.
Hamilton had also finished second at the world cup in Toblach in 2015, which was his last world cup podium. He has earned two other stage world cup podiums: he won in Lenzerheide, Switzerland in 2014 and took third in Gatineau, Quebec in 2016. He is a two-time Olympian, his best result a sixth-place finish in the men's team sprint classic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
In the women's sprint, Kikkan Randall, Sophie Caldwell and Ida Sargent finished 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively. All three advanced out of their heats and into the semifinals, where Randall and Caldwell were involved in a crash that took them both out of the race.
Action continues on Sunday with the men's and women's team sprints.
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