Personal Best for Jessica Yeaton as Cross-Country Skiing begins at Beijing 2022

Courtesy of olympics.com.au

Crystal blue skies in Beijing meant freezing temperatures as Jessica Yeaton finished 31st in the women's 7.5km + 7.5km skiathlon on Day 1 of the Cross-Country Skiing program.

The dual-Olympian was looking to improve on her 50th place finish in 2018, and that is exactly what she did, setting a new Personal Best on a difficult course, and among an impressive field of athletes.

Yeaton battled the elements in the first 7.5km, coming into the pit stop in 42nd place at 25:55.1, 2:50.4 off the pace. But she put in an incredible effort to climb back up the ranks to finish 31st with a final time of 48:54.0.

"I'm feeling good," Yeaton said after the race.

"I'm really quite happy with the result. My goal was to finish top 30, and I was only just outside of that. So with me moving up the whole time I'm feeling pretty good, and I'm really excited for my next race."

Therese Johaug of Norway won gold, followed by Russian Olympic Committee athlete Natalia Nepryaeva (silver) and Austrian Teresa Stadlober (bronze).

Next in the program, Yeaton will be back racing in the Women's Sprint Free Qualification on Day 4 of the Games. The Men's 15km + 15km Skiathlon will take place on Sunday.

See more on Olympics.com.au