Rosie Brennan
APU skier Rosie Brennan of Anchorage placed seventh in both the 10k classic and 20k freestyle pursuit to lead the U.S. Ski Team in the season-opening World Cup races in Ruka, Finland.
A two-time Olympian was 29 seconds back of the winner in the 10k classic, crossing seventh in 25:18 among 67 finishers.
“I am very happy with today’s race,” Brennan said in a press release. “I was able to find a good rhythm and strong skiing today and that is all I can ask for in my first race weekend of the year.
“I am pleased with some of the technical improvements I have made over the summer and am hopeful to have stronger classic races this season. I am really looking forward to tomorrow. It feels like a big opportunity with a new distance and I am excited to see what happens.”
This weekend marked the first time men and women all raced equal distance on the World Cup stage.
Anchorage’s Rosie Brennan leads the pack in the 20k skate pursuit race at the Cross Country World Cup in Finland. Photo by NordicFocus
In the 20k, Brennan placed sixth out of 49 finishers with a personal record of 51:07.6.
Brennan was followed closely by teammate Jessie Diggins. Brennan and Diggins stuck with the chaser pack for the majority of the race chasing down Frida Karlsson and Ebba Anderson from Sweden.
Brennan pushed it right at the end and had a photo finish, ultimately landing in sixth.
For the men, Scott Patterson was first on the team and in the mix the entire race, finishing in 14th place – his best result in Ruka to date.
Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won again, but the American men held their own and worked together with the various chaser packs and had great races all around.
Anchorage’s Hunter Wonders had another fast day and skied to a 30th place in the 20k pursuit, with many of his teammates close behind, including Zak Ketterson, Anchorage’s Gus Schumacher and Ben Ogden.