Five Yukoners cross-country skied across trails in the Italian alpine province of Bergamo during International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) competitions hosted in Schilpario from Feb. 3 to 9.
The Yukon athletes are part of a group of 22 Canadians representing the country in cross-country skiing events, including Junior and U23 competitions across North America and Europe.
Sonjaa Schmidt, Constance Lapointe, Derek Deuling, Minty Bradford and Sasha Masson competed in the Junior and U23 World Ski Championships from Feb. 3 to 9 in Italy, according to Cross Country Yukon board member Aisha Montgomery.
Schmidt finished eighth out of 71 other racers during the women’s 10-kilometre interval start race on Feb. 8, resulting in her qualifying for the semifinals classic ski sprint race, Montgomery said. Canadian athlete Liliane Gagnon notably placed third while competing alongside Schmidt.
Schmidt notably took third place by a fraction of a second from Swedish athlete Maja Dahlqvist during the FIS World Cup women’s sprint in Switzerland on Jan. 25 earlier in the season.
Lapointe competed in the women’s sprint final classic on Feb. 5 and crossed the line in 25th place out of 72 other athletes, which resulted in her qualifying for the quarter-final heats in the classic ski sprint race.
Deuling competed in the men’s sprint final classic on Feb. 4 and finished 23rd out of 84 other racers. He told the News he will not be competing in the FIS World Cup this year as he is focused on National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) events.
"Unfortunately, I will not be participating in any World Cup events, so I won't be racing for Canada this year. I will focus on the World Championships and finish my degree while competing in the NCAA circuit. I have three more race series to go," Deuling said.
Deuling races for the University of Alaska Anchorage ski team and explained to the News that he will be competing in New Hampshire, United States, against all other U.S. college ski teams for the NCAA Championships.
Masson managed to cross the line in 11th out of 85 other racers in the men’s sprint qualification classic on Feb. 4 and then finished 30th out of 86 competitors during the men’s 10-kilometre interval start free race on Feb. 8.
Bradford’s top performance at the FIS U23 World Ski Championships saw her finishing 31st out of 86 other competitors in the women’s 10-kilometre interval start free race on Feb. 8, alongside Masson.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
