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Weather cooperates for Yukon Cross Country Ski Championships

After being postponed a week, temperatures improved enough to allow racing on Jan. 19
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Colin Abbott won the open men 7.5-km free race at the Yukon Cross Country Ski Championships on Jan. 19 with a time of 21 minutes and 36.7 seconds. (John Hopkins-Hill/Yukon News)

After cold temperatures forced a one-week delay, Cross Country Yukon held the 2019 Yukon Cross Country Ski Championships at the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club on Jan. 19.

Originally scheduled for Jan. 12, organizers were forced to postpone the event after temperatures dipped below the -15 C — for younger races — and -20 C — for older racers — cutoff temperatures.

With an observed temperature of -15 C on race day the second time around, it was game on for close to 100 racers in 11 categories.

This year’s championships were free technique races ranging from 1.2 kilometres up to 7.5 km, depending on category.

The races were mass starts for skiers at the community, atom, pee-wee, mini midget and midget levels, and interval starts for juvenile, junior, open and masters skiers.

Eight skiers raced in the 1.2-km pee-wee race — five boys and three girls.

Sitka Land-Gillis was the fastest boy, finishing in four minutes and 23 seconds. Second place went to Mavik MacKinnon in four minutes and 35.6 seconds, and third place went to Peter Embacher in four minutes and 47.5 seconds.

The fastest pee-wee girl was Emily Kralisch-Seguin with a time of five minutes and 14.4 seconds. Mahée Patera Marchand was second in five minutes and 58.2 seconds, and Josephine Thibeault was third in six minutes and 2.6 seconds.

The lone atom 1.2-km competitor — Oliver Kralisch-Seguin — finished in six minutes and 50.3 seconds.

Mini-midget skiers were joined by a handful of pee-wee skiers at the 2.5-km distance.

Colin Diamond was the winner in the mini-midget boys category with a time of nine minutes and 37.8 seconds. Nicolas Giangrande was second in 10 minutes and 0.8 seconds, and Heron Land-Gillis was third in 10 minutes and 44.0 seconds.

The fastest mini-midget girl was Cheyenne Tirschmann in 10 minutes and 44.3 seconds, followed by Sarah Svoboda in 11 minutes and 4.6 seconds and Emma Waldron in 12 minutes and 8.5 seconds.

Logan Tirschmann won the pee-wee boys category with a time of 11 minutes and 49.9 seconds with Kieran Horton finishing second in 12 minutes and 38.1 seconds.

Niamh Hupé was the fastest pee-wee girl with a time of 13 minutes and 17.5 seconds. Second place went to Morel Graham in 17 minutes and 47.1 seconds.

Rounding out the mass-start races was the 3.75-km midget race with 13 skiers competing.

First place in the midget boys race went to Felix Masson with a time of 14 minutes and 15.3 seconds. Second place was Simon Connell in 14 minutes and 15.9 seconds and third place was Cole Germain in 14 minutes and 32.3 seconds.

Abigail Jirousek was the fastest girl with a time of 14 minutes and 39.2 seconds. Second fastest was Constance Lapointe in 14 minutes and 46.3 seconds and Sophia Giangrande was third in 15 minutes and 6.2 seconds.

Eight skiers raced in the junior boys 7.5-km race.

The top spot went to Derek Deuling with a time of 21 minutes and 55.3 seconds. Sasha Masson was second in 23 minutes and 51.2 seconds with Jamie Phillips-Freedman third in 24 minutes and 11.8 seconds.

In the open men 7.5-km race, Colin Abbott was the winner with a time of 21 minutes and 36.7 seconds. Second place was Caelan McLean in 22 minutes and 6.3 seconds. Matthias Purdon was third in 22 minutes and 58.8 seconds.

Brian Horton was the winner in the masters men 7.5-km race with a time of 24 minutes and 50.8 seconds. Second place was Simon Lapointe in 27 minutes and 38.2 seconds, and third place was Stuart Hamilton in 28 minutes and 39.4 seconds.

In the juvenile boys 7.5-km race, Curtis Cash won with a time of 26 minutes and 35.8 seconds. Noah Connell was second in 27 minutes and 15.5 seconds, and Isidore Champagne was third in 28 minutes and 51.7 seconds.

Sonjaa Schmidt won the junior girls 7.5-km race in 28 minutes and 36 seconds, with Dahlia Lapointe second in 31 minutes and 8 seconds.

The winner of the juvenile girls 7.5-km race was Bella Mouchet with a time of 29 minutes and 27.6 seconds. Maude Molgat was second in 31 minutes and 6.2 seconds and Isla Hupé was third in 33 minutes and 17.1 seconds.

Lucy Steele Masson was the winner in the masters women 7.5-km race with a time of 29 minutes and 35.5 seconds. Second place went to Laura Salmon in 33 minutes and 41.9 seconds and third place was Lois Johnston in 34 minutes and 40.9 seconds.

Contact John Hopkins-hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com

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Sonjaa Schmidt won the junior girls 7.5-km race with a time of 28 minutes and 36 seconds. (John Hopkins-Hill/Yukon News)