U.S. B Team member Liz Stephen skied to seventh place Wednesday in the women's 5 km freestyle race on the second day of the 2007 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships. Sun Valley's Alexa Turzian 16th in the field of 83.

TARVISIO, Italy — U.S. B Team member Liz Stephen skied to seventh place Wednesday in the women's 5 km freestyle race on the second day of the 2007 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships. Sun Valley's Alexa Turzian 16th in the field of 83.
    Swede Charlotte Kalla, silver medalist two days earlier in the 1.3 km classic sprints, won in 11 minutes 44.5 seconds, a half-minute ahead of four Norwegians led by Martha Kristofferson with sprint champion Astrid Jacobsen in third place.
    Stephen skied the one-loop race in 12:36.4 with Turzian, the U.S. 10 km freestyle champion, who plans to enter Middlebury College in the fall, timed in 12:46.2.
    In the men's 10 km free, Martti Jylhae of Finland — who also was silver medalist Monday in the sprint — won with a time of 22:40.9. Kazakh Alexey Poltaranin was the silver medalist and Canadian Alex Harvey was bronze medalist in 23:11.4. Top American was Matt Gelso of the U.S. B Team and the University of Colorado, who finished 29th in the field of 94.

Stephen, Turzian finish top 20 in 10 km pursuit
On Friday, Stephen was 16th and Turzian 19th in the women's 10 km pursuit.
    The race started with a 5 km classic technique leg and then a 5 km free technique leg, and was won by Charlotte Kalla of Sweden, who earned her third medal (second gold) of the championships. Kalla, who had the fastest 5 km classic leg and the fastest 5 km skating leg, won in 26:10.9 — nearly 41 seconds ahead of four Norwegians led by Marte Monrad-Hansen (26:51.7).
    Stephen had the sixth-fastest 5 km free in Friday's race and moved up 27 places in the final lap to finish in 27:50.8. Turzian, the U.S. 10 km champion although she's only a senior at Wood River H.S. in Idaho, was eighth fastest over the 5 km freestyle loop and passed 18 skiers in the field of 76 for a total time of 28:05.5.
    In the men's 20 km pursuit, Norway's Eirik Kurland Olsen was gold medalist with a time of 52:49.8 in the sunny, 35-degree weather, just 1.2 seconds ahead of Czech Ondrej Horyna with Norwegian Sjur Roethe another 2.3 seconds back. Gelso had the best U.S. result, finishing 31st in the field of 89 skiers.
    The final races of the cross-country schedule at Junior Worlds will be the relays Saturday — the women's 4×3.3 km and men's 4×5 km.

2007 FIS NORDIC JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tarvisio, ITA – March 14, 2007
Men's 10 km Freestyle
1. Martti Jylhae, Finland, 22:40.9
2. Alexey Poltaranin, Kazkhstan, 22:57.3
3. Alex Harvey, Canada, 23:11.4
4. Sjur Roethe, Norway, 23:33.8
5. Eirik Saeves, Norway, 23:27.6
29. Matt Gelso, Truckee, CA/Auburn Ski Club/U.S. B Team, 24:31.7
53. Charlie Smith, Bend, OR/Mount Bachelor Ski Education Foundation, 25:45.7
63. Alex Howe, Gilford, NH/Gunstock Nordic Ski Association. 26:12.7
65. Tad Elliott, Durango, CO/Durango Nordic Ski Club, 26:21.7
Women's 5 km Freestyle
1. Charlotte Kalla, Sweden, 11:44.5
2. Martha Kristofferson, Norway, 12:15.2
3. Astrid Jacobsen, Norway, 12:19.2
4. Therese Johaug, Norway, 12:19.3
5. Marie Monrad-Hansen, Norway, 12:21.3
7. Liz Stephen, East Montpelier, VT/Burke Mountain Academy/U.S. B Team, 12:36.4
16. Alexa Turzian, Sun Valley, ID/Sun Valley SEF, 12:46.2
43. Rosie Brennan, Park City, UT/National Sports Foundation, 13:16.7
54. Elizabeth Habermann, Soldotna, AK/University of Alaska Fairbanks, 13:26.5

March 26, 2007
Men's 20 km Pursuit (10+10)
1. Eirik Kurland Olsen, Norway, 52:49.8
2. Ondrefj Horyna, Czech Republic, 52:51.0
3. Sjur Roethe, Norway, 52:53.3
4. Alex Harvey, Canada, 52:54.5
5. Johannes Duerr, Austria, 52:58.9
31. Matt Gelso, Truckee, CA/Auburn Ski Club/University of Colorado/U.S. B Team, 55:10.9
56. Reid Pletcher, Hailey, ID/Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, 57:20.2
57. Karl Nygren, Prior Lake, MN/CU, 57:20.2
75. Colin Struthers, Boulder, CO/SVSEF
Women's 10K Pursuit (5+5)
1. Charlotte Kalla, Sweden, 26:10.9
2. Marte Monrad-Hansen, Norway, 26:51.7
3. Therese Johaug, Norway, 26:52.6
4. Astrid Jacobsen, Norway, 27:16.8
5. Marthe Kristoffersen, Norway, 27:17.6
16. Liz Stephen, East Montpelier, VT/Burke Mountain Academy/U.S. B Team, 27:50.8
18. Alexa Turzian, Sun Valley, ID/SVSEF, 28:05.5
39. Sadie Bjoernsen, Winthrop, WA/Methow Valley Ski Club. 28:44.3
43. Rosie Brennan, Park City, UT, National Sports Foundation, 28:53.9