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Pair of podium finishes at Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships

Bulkley Valley athletes impress at Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships.
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Zoe Hallman (center R) teamed with Fred Albrechtson (center L) to top the field in the mixed gender final. They skied as the B.C. 1 team against other provincial entries. Contributed photo

Members of the Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club have shown once again that size doesn’t matter when it comes to top level performance.

Racing very well over a variety of distances and types of races, young skiers have brought home an impressive list of finishes including two podium appearances at the Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Standing atop the platform was Zoe Hallman who combined with another B.C. skier, Fred Albrechtson, to take the mixed gender final. Mia Recknell came in with a bronze in the mass start skate race.

Both girls placed seventh in their division in the running for the Sophie Manarin award, Hallman in the junior girls, Recknell in the juvenile girls.

Jesse Smids had a number of top 25 finishes in the Junior Boys division while Rachel Cuell was 29th in the overall standing for Junior Girls.

“We’ve had outstanding racing by all athletes,” said coach Geoff Recknell.

The competition was comprised of a number of different race distances and styles. For example, there were some races which had a mass start while others had a time trial format or an interval start. Traditional competitions such as pursuit races are always popular as are the sprint race distances.

Over 500 able-bodied and Paralympic athletes from around the nation participated.

sport@interior-news.com

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Jesse Smids skied to a number of top 25 finishes at the national cross country ski championships, sometimes mere seconds behind first place.
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Mia Recknell (R) was third in the mass start skate race.
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Zoe Hallman shows off her gold medal that she won in the mixed gender race. She paired up with another BC skier, Fred Albrechtson to take top honors.