World Junior and U23 Championships Skate Distance Recap
Junior and U23 racing at the U23 and Junior World Championships in Vuokatti, Finland continued Friday with a skate distance race for all categories. The Junior women, including Nina Seemann of Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club, started the day off with a 5-kilometer interval start skate race. Following this, the Junior men continued with a 10-kilometer skate race. Next up, the U23 women, including Alex Lawson of the Green Racing Project, also raced a 10-kilometer skate. Last up for the day, the U23 men completed a 15-kilometer skate.
Temperatures rose slightly in Vuokatti for Thursday’s skate distance races, reaching 9-degrees Fahrenheit rather than the subzero temperatures from previous days. Seemann continued her racing on the international stage with a 62nd place finish in the Junior women’s 5-kilometer race. Fellow Vermonter Ava Thurston of Mansfield Nordic Club finished an impressive 14thplace.
Seeman racing in the Junior women’s 5-kilometer race. Credit: Tomi Mäkipää
In the U23 women’s race, the US women had a strong showing with three women in the top 25. Sophia Laukli (Middlebury College) finished in 5th place followed by Hailey Swirbul(Alaska Pacific University) in 8th place. Lawson placed 23rd. Lawson reflects on her race saying, “I was really happy that I was able to truly ski my own race and managed not to get overwhelmed by everyone else around me.” She adds, “The hills were huge though and they really made me appreciate those interval sessions we did at Jay this summer/fall.” Lawson also said it was “so cool to see the US ski so well across the board.”
Lawson pictured here in Wednesday’s classic sprint. Credit: Tomi Mäkipää
Next up is relay day on Saturday. The Junior women will race a 4x3.3-kilometer relay, the Junior men will race a 4x5-kilometer relay, and the U23s will race a mixed 4x5-kilometer relay. Plan to cheer on Seemann as she races the Junior women’s relay.
Skate Distance Results: