Aussie Cross Country athletes rise to challenge in 2020 Swiss Championships

It was a great weekend of competition for Australia’s Cross Country athletes racing in the northern hemisphere, with warm conditions making for a solid weekend of racing at the Swiss Championships in Realp.

Casey Wright was the best placed of the Aussies, claiming an 11th place in the 5km Classic and 15th in the 10km Freestyle Pursuit.

Making her European debut, 16-year-old Lily Murnane was the best placed Aussie Junior in the Open 5km event.

In the 10km Freestyle Pursuit it was Phoebe Cridland's time to shine, jumping 10 places to finish as the fastest Aussie Junior on the second day.

For the men, Mark Pollock’s performance was the standout, finishing 23rd in the 15km Classic and moving up to 20th in the 15km Freestyle Pursuit.

Junior Adam Barnett reaped the rewards for his recent hard work, finishing as the best placed Aussie Junior in the 10km Classic, while 18-year-old Fedele de Campo was the quickest in the 10km Freestyle.

The Australian Continental Cup, Junior and U23 teams will now head to Italy for the OPA Continental Cup inn Tarvisio (7-9 February)

It’s been a jam packed northern winter for our cross country athlete so far. Olympian Casey Wright took some time out to have a chat to us...

Get to know Casey Wright…

Casey Wright

Age: 25 years old

Hometown: Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia

Olympic Games: PyeongChang 2018

Disciplines: Sprint & 10km

Favourite Cross Country skier

Kikkan Randall

Favourite place to compete

Falls Creek Backcountry / Anchorage, Alaska

Favourite songs on Spotify

Real Thing - Client Liaison

Runaway - Ziggy Alberts

Settle - Vera Blue

Drink Too Much - G Flip

Favourite songs to listen to while skiing

Off White Limousine - Client Liaison

Old Town Road - Lil Nas X

Rappers Delight - The SugarHill Gang

What’s your favourite thing to do when not skiing

I love spending time in the mountains, running, backcountry skiing and adventuring