Mannix punches top 10 in U23 worlds pursuit
Alaska's Taz Mannix, of the U.S. cross-country B team, had the fastest skating leg Saturday to finish ninth in the women's 15 km (7.5+7.5) pursuit that concluded the FIS U-23 World Championships.
TARVISIO, Italy — Alaska's Taz Mannix, of the U.S. cross-country B team, had the fastest skating leg Saturday to finish ninth in the women's 15 km (7.5+7.5) pursuit that concluded the FIS U-23 World Championships.
Ioulia Tchekaleva had the second-fastest time in each stage of the mass start race, which began with 7.5 kilometers of classic technique and then 7.5 km of freestyle (skating). Her gold-medal time was 41 minutes, 53.8 seconds as she out-skied Coraline Hugue of France, who was 6.4 seconds back. Czech Ivana Janeckova was the bronze medalist.
Mannix was 23rd in the classic phase but she tore through the field in the freestyle to move up 14 places and finish ninth in the field of 43 with a time of 42:38.0. U.S. B team member Morgan Arritola was 23rd, moving up 19 spots as she turned in the 13th-fastest freestyle loop.
In the men's 30 km (15 km +15 km), Dario Cologna took his second gold, this time in 1:21.50.4 while teammate Curdin Perl and Russian Stanislav Volzhentsev tied for the silver, each finishing 1.6 seconds back of Cologna. The top U.S. result came from Ben True of Dartmouth College, who finished 36th in the field of 74.
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