Sports

Brennan, Bjornsen wrap up world championships with top-20 efforts

Anchorage skiers Rosie Brennan and Sadie Bjornsen cracked the top 20 Saturday in the final women's race of the Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden.

The Americans landed three skiers in the top 20 of the 30-kilometer classic, a group led by Vermont's Liz Stephen, who placed 11th. Brennan finished 16th and Bjornsen was 20th.

The race capped a strong championships for Brennan and Bjornsen, members of the Alaska Pacific University nordic program.

Both were members of the American relay team that finished fourth, and Bjornsen notched top-20 performances in two other individual races, placing 19th in the classic sprint and 20th in the skiathlon.

Norway's Therese Johaug won the mass-start 30-K, forging a big lead early. Brennan and Bjornsen skied in a pack between eighth and 12 place for most of the race, held in snowy conditions that pushed racers out of the tracks at times and prompted nearly all them to switch to freshly waxed skis at the halfway point.

The championships conclude Sunday with the men's 50-K classic.

ADVERTISEMENT