Hoppet 2020: Olympian Jess Yeaton calls for everybody to join in on the fun

From the mountains around Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA), where she currently lives and studies to become a physiotherapist, 2020 AUS XC Athlete of the Year Jessica Yeaton sent a big ‘thank you’ to the Australian Cross-country community for recognising her with the title. The award was announced last week and celebrated her outstanding performances during the 2019-2020 season.

"I am really honoured to have won AUS XC Athlete of the Year. I really appreciate the support from the entire ski community," said Yeaton.

Yeaton had a very successful 2019-2020 season and was by far the best Australian athlete on the Cross-Country World Cup circuit. She also became the second Australian ever to finish the Tour de Ski, placing 38th.

"Last season was really exciting for me. I finished my first Tour de Ski and that put me in a really good place for later on in the season. I built lots of fitness through that for when I competed at the American Birkie, which I won," continues Yeaton. Her success at the 2020 American Birkebeiner - the largest ski marathon in North America and one of the most difficult events in the Worldloppet series - was the icing on the cake and earned her an honorable mention at the 2020 Snow Australia awards.

“I ended up skiing off the front halfway through the race, and I had to decide whether I was going to keep pushing or drop back and ski with the other girls. I decided to just go for it and I was able to pull it off and take the win.

“It was really huge for me in terms of believing in myself. You never really know how fit you are and what you can do until you try it. I think that was a great lesson to learn and something that I am really excited about for next season,” said Yeaton, who broke the previous women’s course record by nearly three minutes.

Originally from Perth, WA, Yeaton is currently training for the Kangaroo Hoppet, the premier Australian Cross-Country event which is raced virtually this year due to COVID-19 related restrictions. Yeaton will participate by riding 42km on her mountain bike. “I just did a training ride, climbing all the way to 3,000m, which was pretty tough. I am looking forward to doing something different this year. It's sad not to be able to do the race, but I hope everybody joins in on the fun anyway,” Yeaton said.

Like her, many Cross-country skiers and young athletes are trying to find creative ways to train, sometimes lacking the racing goals that usually come with the domestic season. Yeaton advice is to keep a positive mindset and continue training for fitness, despite the lack of competition.

“Even though it might seem out of control right now, just focus on what you can do. Maybe you have a favourite time trial course and you can try to break your record a couple of times instead of racing. Just focus on what you can do.”

For more information on the Kangaroo Hoppet, or to register - click here