February 23, 2019 (Seefeld, AUT) – The USA’s Rosie Brennan claimed a solid personal-best 10th place in the women’s 15k skiathlon the FIS Nordic Worlds in Seefeld, Austria, on Saturday as Norway’s Therese Johaug won gold. Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg took home silver while Natalia Nepryaeva of Russia won the bronze.

Julia Kern raced to a solid 19th while Rosie Frankowski finished 24th. Two Canadian women skied into the top-40 with Katherine Stewart-Jones in 39th and Cendrine Browne in 40th. Fellow Canuck Maya Macisaac-Jones finished 54th.

“Today was quite a turn around from one year ago! I am very happy with how I skied the race. I think tactically, it was one of the best races I have skied. I felt really good so of course I’m wondering now if I could have done more, but it was an excellent way to start off the Championships,” said Brennan. “I had great skis and tried to just stay calm and in the pack on the classic leg. The classic course was much more challenging and so it was tough to hang, but I managed to stick on to the end of the chase pack.

“It’s always hard to know how you are going to feel when you switch skis so I tried to relax and ski into it. What I didn’t realize was that the chase pack was breaking into two and I was not in the front half. That is the one part I wish I could redo.

“The skate course was much faster and flatter and very challenging to ski away from people so getting in the right group at the beginning was very important. I tried to ski away from the group I was in, but was unable to do so, so at that point, I focused in on how I could set up the finish best for myself. I had fast skis so I was able to overtake the lead of the pack in the draft and give a strong sprint up the last little climb to secure a top ten,” she concluded.

Kern’s top-20 result was a welcome result from the rookie. “The conditions were awesome today, super fast and firm for most of the race. The classic course had a pretty big climb, but the race went by really fast.

“I expected the start to be super hot, which it was in the front, but since I started in the middle, it was hard to make moves at the start. I was expecting to take it out super fast, but I started out controlled and settled into a rhythm. Descending on the first lap I realized my skis were absolute rockets, potentially the best skis out there, so that gave me a lot of confidence the rest of the race.

“I haven’t really done skiathalons before, only one at my first World Juniors and I was sick the last 2 years at U23s so I didn’t know what to expect for results or sensations skiing. I wanted to find a pace I felt like I could sustain, and ease into skating after the transition in case my legs felt weird switching over. I had no clue what place I was the entire race, I didn’t hear any splits on course so I was guessing I was maybe fighting for top 30, but honesty had no idea.

“I was really happy about my transition, I came in relaxed and it went a lot smoother than the three times I practiced yesterday, and I even had the 7th fastest transition time which was cool to see.

“My skis were feeling awesome and I know I have a pretty good finishing kick, so I tried to hang as much as I could on the last lap skating because I knew I could close a gap as long as I didn’t let it get too big. I hit the fact and icy men’s sprint downhill and then turned on my finishing gear and V2’ed up the whole last hill and made up 4-5 places,” shared Kern.

So how does a rookie handle the pressure and excitement at her first senior Worlds ?

“I would say that I have been feeling more excited than I amount of nerves I have. It is just an incredible experience getting to be a part of a World Championship event and seeing so many fans out cheering, that I can’t help but be excited. I also didn’t have too many expectations gong into the races here because I didn’t even know if I would get a start, and even after I did, I didn’t know what my expectations should be so I have seen these Championships as a chance to just go out and ski as fast as I can, learn from the experience, and have fun and enjoy it. In a way, events that are unfamiliar make me far less nervous and far more excited!

“It was really special to have my grandparents from Germany here to watch me race and cheer me on in person. I don’t get to see them very often, and to have them be a part of such a cool experience has been truly amazing and I am so thankful for their support and I am really happy to see them,” she concluded.

We caught up Cendrine Browne for her take on the Skiathlon at Seefeld.

“The race started pretty fast; Johaug is back so it was to be expected. I tried to keep my own rythme not to explode. I didn’t have great feelings during the classic part of the race though. I still managed to stick with a little pack of 4-5 people. Luckily my skis were really good, which helped me a lot. I could always count on my skis on the down hills and had enough kick to stay with my group in the up hills. The course is lots of fun! But there are no flats at all, there are a lot of working sections!

“I wish I had better feelings in classic this year… Luckily, my skating is feeling great, so I’m happy about that. I got the 33rd time in the skate part of the race, which is very encouraging for the 30km skate. I would have liked to have a better overall result though…

“I had a little trouble with my bindings during the transition but it wasn’t so bad. I still managed to get out go the exchange zone at the same time as the women who were in my pack.

“As soon as I started skating, I felt great again. I felt like I was flying. As I was skiing with my pack, I could see we were catching some people. We caught up to Katherine and it was great skiing together. I wish the race would have been longer! Can’t wait for the 30km skate.

“I was a little bit nervous because I really like skiathlons and usually can do quite well. But after racing in the Olympic Games, nothing seems quite as stressful. Thanks to all the Canadians out there who were cheering for us! We could here you so well, it was so great,” she concluded.

Results here.