Whitehorse Daily Star

Beatty crowned US skate sprint champion in Utah

Dahria Beatty

By Whitehorse Star on January 13, 2017

Dahria Beatty capped off a week of racing at US Nationals standing on the podium after winning the skate sprint race by more than three seconds.

“Today’s race was a really hard one but I was able to keep pushing in sections where other competitors were taking some rest and in the end that allowed me to win by a big margin today,” she wrote in an email to the Star yesterday afternoon.

Beatty has already qualified for the Canadian U23 world championships team and is proving to be a fierce competitor in both the distance and sprint events.

Fellow Yukoner and national team athlete Knute Johnsgaard also made it to the podium in Thursday’s sprints, finishing third.

“It was a good race. The only two guys to beat me are sprint specialists so for me to race an extra 45km the days leading up to the skate sprint and to still be in the mix with them is great,” he said. “The question is will it be enough though.

“I should find out in the next day or two whether or not I’ve qualified for World Champs. What’s next for me completely depends on that.”

Johnsgaard is hoping to qualify a spot on the Canadian senior worlds team, which is expected to be announced later today.

Be the first to comment

Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar

In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.

Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.