Athletes Announced for Junior & U23 World Cross Country Championships

Twelve Australian cross country skiers have arrived in Whistler, Canada ahead of the 2023 FIS Nordic Junior/U23 Cross Country World Ski Championships, running 27 January - 5 February.

The team is looking to build on last year's breakthrough World Junior/U23s campaign, which featured five top-30 results. Athletes will also have the opportunity to compete in the new Mixed Relay events.

Led by coaches Alexei Sotskov and Paul Kovacs, the Team will be headlined by Beijing 2022 Olympians Hugo Hinckfuss and Lars Young Vik, competing in the Junior and U23 categories respectively.

Hinckfuss is coming into the Championships in strong sprinting form, having recently qualified in the top six of the US Open sprint events, and making the semi-final of the classic event. At last year’s World Championships in Norway, Hinckfuss placed 27th in the 30km Freestyle Mass Start and 30th in the 10km Classic.

Young Vik also had a standout performance at the 2022 World Championships with a 29th place finish in the Men’s U23 1.2km Sprint, joining the likes of Olympians Esther Bottomley, Ben Sim, Amiee Watson, Phil Beiilingham and Casey Wright as the only other Australians to have achieved a top-30 result when racing in the U23s.

Zana Evans returns to the Junior World Championships team and will be looking to replicate her strong 2022 performance which saw her record two top-30 results, placing 28th in the Women's Junior 1.2km Sprint - becoming the first ever Junior Australian to compete in the Sprint Finals - and 27th in the Junior 5km Classic.

More recently, Evans won 10km Junior gold at the Canadian World Junior/U23 Championship trials in Prince George.

Rosie Fordham, Adam Barnett, Noah Bradford, Fedele de Campo, John Mordes and Bentley Walker-Broose are all heading into the Whistler Championships following the 2023 World University Games which wrapped up last week.

Barnett, de Campo and Walker-Broose recorded Australia’s best result in Lake Placid, finishing 12th in the men’s 4x7.5km relay, alongside Beijing Olympian Seve de Campo.

Fordham was the best-performing member of the women’s cross country squad, finishing her campaign with 13th in the 15km mass start free, just 6s from the top 10.

The experienced team members will be looking to share their insights and wisdom with World Junior Championship debutants Maddie Hooker, Noah Bradford and John Mordes.

The Opening Ceremony will take place at Whistler Olympic Park on Friday afternoon, before competition gets underway with the Junior Sprint qualifications and finals on Saturday 28 January.

Check out the full schedule HERE and tune into the finals live on Snow.org.au/live

Australia’s FIS Nordic Junior/U23 World SKi Championships Team

Junior
Zana Evans
Maddie Hooker
Lily Murnane
Noah Bradford 
Hugo Hinckfuss
John Mordes

U23
Tuva Bygrave
Rosie Fordham
Adam Barnett
Fedele de Campo
Lars Young Vik
Bentley Walker-Broose

Coaches
Alexei Sotskov 
Paul Kovacs

Wax Techs
Toni Escher
Claude Prica