麻豆社区

Whitehorse cross-country skiers Dahria Beatty and Emily Nishikawa started their competitive ski seasons with the best possible outcomes Sunday.

Nineteen-year-old Beatty won her Alberta Cup race at the Canmore Nordic Centre, finishing the 11.25-km course in a blistering 35:40.2. Her closest rival in the junior women division finished 39.6 seconds back.

"I鈥坵as really happy with my race,鈥濃�圔eatty told the Star yesterday. "I felt strong all the way through and was glad to come out with a win at the start of the year.

"Next week, we are going to Silver Star to race the NorAms there, so this was a good confidence boost heading into two weekends of racing.鈥�

Fellow Whitehorse skier Emily Nishikawa won the senior women's division, with a time of 34:11.5, 38 seconds up on the second-place finisher.

"It was a great way to start the season,鈥� the 24-year-old said. "It was a pretty flat course with a lot of double-poling, a bit different from our usual Canmore courses.鈥�

Nishikawa said she is feeling strong and looking forward to NorAms the next two weekends.

Graham Nishikawa, 30, also competed at the Alberta Cup, finishing eighth in the senior men's event with a time of 30:12.1.

The Nishikawa siblings were named Yukon's international athletes of the year last week at the Sport Yukon Awards Night.