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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Nordic Skiers Perform Well at Sun Valley Competitions
12/14/2020 6:40 PM | Skiing
Richter claims victory in Saturday’s classical sprint
"These competitions came right at the end of finals week, so our women were pretty tired but still performed exceptionally well," said Utah's Director of Skiing Fredrik Landstedt.
Richter won Saturday's classical sprint qualifier by a staggering 9 seconds over last winter's Top 10 U.S. sprinter Erica Flowers from Bozeman, crossing the line in 3:27, while Palmer-Leger placed a very close third in 3:36.
Jarzin, who skied in her first sprint in almost two years after taking 2019-20 off from racing, performed well by placing seventh in 3:45, followed by Bredel in 16th place with a time of 4:00.
Richter and Palmer-Leger went on to win their quarterfinal and semifinal heats, while Bredal and Jarzin also qualified for the semifinals. That set up a competitive final that turned out to be a narrow competition in which Richter held off Palmer-Leger at the finish.
"In the final it was clear from the start that this would be a race between Julia and Sydney as they separated themselves from the rest of the field on the first hill," Landstedt said. "They came down the final descent together and entered the finish stretch side-by-side. In the end Julia proved a little bit stronger and edged Sydney for the win. It was a great 1-2 finish for the Utes."
Richter enjoyed the competition with her teammate and the promise it suggests for the season ahead.
"Fighting hard in the sprint final with my teammate Sydney was pretty cool because it showed that we have a strong team," Richter said. "I'm looking forward to seeing all my teammates racing strong and fast this winter."
Palmer-Leger also relished the opportunity and lauded the performances of her teammates.
"It felt good to be out racing again, testing myself after training hard all Fall," said Palmer-Leger. "All the Utah girls had an amazing day and made it to the quarterfinals. Julia and I were in the finals and took off on the first hill. It was just the two of us to sprint for the finish."
Sunday's 10-kilometer skate competition was a hotly-contested race that saw two Utah skiers place in the top four, with Palmer-Leger narrowly being edged out for the win by last year's NCAA runner-up and 2020 fourth-place Junior World Championship finisher Sophia Laukli of Middlebury. Richter was fourth, while Bredel finished 10th and Jarzin was 13th.
"Sydney charged hard out of the start, and at the halfway mark she was leading the race by a few seconds ahead of Sophia Laukli," Landstedt said. "Time splits during the race showed that they were neck-to-neck until the very end when Sophia was able to pull ahead and win by 6 seconds. Julia came on strong on the final lap to finish fourth."
Palmer-Leger acknowledged the challenge of that race on a second consecutive day of competition.
"After a long day of racing the day before I was a little sore and tired," said Palmer-Leger. "The course is intense because there is not a lot of rest and recovery. I went out on the first lap a little reserved so I had something for the second lap. On that lap I had a couple splits from the coaches that showed I had a lead at the time. I pushed as hard as I could on the last hills to the finish. It was a close race with another of my U.S. Ski Team members, but I was happy with how I raced."
Richter reflected on the weekend of competition and the obstacles she and her teammates have overcome this semester.
"Doing the time trials in Sun Valley was a great way to finish the semester and right now we all can be very happy for every opportunity we get to race," Richter said. "It was a relief finishing my last exam and submitting a big paper on Friday, before the races, and I was just happy to put on a bib on Saturday and give it everything on the track. It's been a different and challenging semester for everyone but I'm impressed how everyone is doing their best to stay positive and still working hard, which definitely helped me. I am feeling very safe to travel and race with all the precautions the ski team, our coaches, athletic trainers and the University are taking."
Landstedt summed up the weekend of competition.
"Overall, it was a great weekend with lots of skiing and great competitions in Sun Valley."
The next competition for the Nordic team will be the FIS competitions at Soldier Hollow Jan. 2-3.
Players Mentioned
Nordic
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Nordic
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