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NEARING THE FINISH – In this March 2 photo Yukon cross-country skiers Emily Nishikawa, 40, and Dahria Beatty, 44, compete in the 30-kilometre skate in Seefeld, Austria. The two are now in Quebec City ready to compete in the next world cup. Photo by BOB NISHIKAWA

Yukon skiers share podium at nationals

Yukon cross-country skiers Emily Nishikawa and Dahria Beatty had a brief break at home after returning from the 41st FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria.

By John Tonin on March 20, 2019

Yukon cross-country skiers Emily Nishikawa and Dahria Beatty had a brief break at home after returning from the 41st FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria.

The two were back in action last week competing in the Canadian nationals at the Nakkertok Nordic Ski Centre in Quebec. The nationals are still continuing but the two Yukon Olympians are now in Quebec City preparing for their next World Cup event.

While racing at the nationals Nishikawa and Beatty shared the podium twice. The first race the 5-kilometre individual start classic was won by Nishikawa in a time of 13:58.0. Beatty finished seven seconds behind her.

“It is an honour to be a national champion,” said Nishikawa. “Being at nationals is always fun and it is exciting to see the up and comers and see all the young faces.”

The next race the two shared the podium was the 10-kilometre pursuit race, which was won by Beatty.

Based on the results of the 5-kilometre race Nishikawa was the first to leave the start and Beatty followed seven-seconds later. Their national team teammate Katherine Stewart-Jones was the third to leave.

Nishikawa was able to hold off Beatty until the last kilometre.

“I held them off for a while,” said Nishikawa. “I didn’t have enough energy at the end but I am happy with how it went.”

Beatty said she and Stewart-Jones were able to team up to chase down Nishikawa.

“We were both trying to chase down Emily,” said Beatty. “It was a very exciting race. I was working with Katherine to try and real in Emily and I finally did in the last kilometre.”

Beatty’s winning time was 40:50.8 while Nishikawa who came in second had a time of 40:58.1.

Nishikawa’s nationals ended after the two races but Beatty competed in the sprints and earned a silver medal.

“I was tired in the sprints,” said Beatty. “It was nice to be on the podium. Internationally the sprints are some are my strong races but it didn’t go as I hoped, but it is does not always goes as planned.”

Both Nishikawa and Beatty said it was nice to share the podium with each other as well as see the up and coming talent - especially from the Yukon.

“It was a really fun week of racing,” said Beatty. “It was a ton of fun seeing the younger skiers. Yukoners did really well and it was nice to see new faces.”

“It is a cool feeling,” said Nishikawa when asked about having two Whitehorse athletes on the podium. “It is inspiring to be able to put Whitehorse on the map. There is strong skiers coming out of the Yukon.”

While at nationals Nishikawa and the rest of the national team took some time to sign posters for the younger generation of skiers.

“We had a big poster signing event and it was nice to see the young skiers come out,” said Nishikawa. “It made me remember my first nationals and what it was like. I hope I was able to inspire some of the kids because they inspired me back.”

Both skiers are now in Quebec City preparing for the World Cup races this weekend. The two said that the nationals were a good primer for the races ahead.

“I’m now focused on the world cup,” said Beatty. “It is going to be an exciting end of the season and I’m looking to go out on a high note. It was great to race in head-to-head competition in a low-pressure environment.”

“I wanted to do well at nationals,” said Nishikawa. “But doing well here at the world cup is a higher priority. I wasn’t trying to peak for nationals instead I wanted nationals to help me peak for the world cup.”

Having competed in Europe for the majority of the season, both Nishikawa and Beatty are excited to race in front of a Canadian crowd.

The races take place at the Plains of Abraham which sit just outside the city walls making it easy access for ski fans.

“It is super central so it is easy for the spectators,” said Beatty. “The crowd lines the race track and it is very lively. Definitely feed off the crowd all the Canadian flags waving gives energy.”

“They always put on such a good event in Quebec,” said Nishikawa.

“It is incredible, right downtown with stunning backdrops. All the fans cheering for the Canadians, it is nice to have that support it is really exciting.

“You for sure feed off that energy. Ski racing is always hard on the legs so any support helps.”

The world cup in Quebec City will begin on Friday and continue through the weekend.

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