Distance ski gives no glory
AUSTRALIA has again failed to make a mark on cross- country skiing at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
In a sport dominated by Europeans, Barbara Jezersek became just the fourth Australian cross- country skier to finish in the top 40 of an individual Olympic event.
She placed 39th in the women’s 30km skiathlon on Saturday, but her teammates Jessica Yeaton, Aimee Watson, Casey Wright, Callum Watson and Phillip Bellingham have all struggled in their events.
Yeaton has the next best result in finishing 48th in the sprint classic on Tuesday, with three individual events remaining in PyeongChang, mirroring Australian campaigns at previous Olympics.
Bellingham expressed his disappointment over placing 65th in the sprint classic.
“Sometimes it’s just not your day. Pretty disappointed with how today went. Definitely looking forward to the next two,” he said.
Australia has been unable to reach a team event final in attempts at two previous Games but has a chance to rectify that in the men’s and women’s in PyeongChang.
The lack of success could be due to Australians having to spend large periods of the year in Europe, with only two months of skiing available in Australia.
But the country has caught up in other winter sports, evidenced by its 13th Winter Olympic medal. Moguls skier Matt Graham’s silver on Monday was Australia’s third in the discipline.