Cross country skiers wrap up World Championships campaign

Images: Barbara Jezserek and Jessica Yeaton

The World Cross Country Ski Championships have wrapped up in Lahti, Finland, with five Aussies competing on the final weekend of competition.

Jessica Yeaton scored Australia’s best result when she claimed 33rd in the women’s 30km Mass Start, just over four and a half minutes behind gold medal winner Marit Bjoergen as Norway took a clean sweep of the podium.

Fellow Australian Barbara Jezserek struggled with the early pace but finished strongly to claim 35th, a further 16 seconds behind Yeaton in the field of 51.

Three Aussies started the men’s 50km Mass Start but it was only Sochi 2014 Olympian Phil Bellingham who completed the event.

Bellingham was just over 12 minutes off the pace in 56th place in the field of 69, as Canada’s Alex Harvey took the surprise victory in a thrilling finish. Fellow Aussies Paul Kovacs and Callum Watson did not finish the event.

After finishing on a high by saving her best result of the Championships for the final event, Yeaton now heads back to Alaska where she will begin preparing for the World Cup finals to be held in Quebec, Canada.

Jezserek returns to the Ski Classics marathon circuit for the final four events over the next month, while Bellingham is straight back into competition this Wednesday at the World Cup Sprint in Drammen.

Watson and Kovacs will now return to their training bases in Falun and Anchorage respectively. 

olympics.com.au