Three-time Olympic skier Kikkan Randall is now ranked second in the overall World Cup rankings after landing in second place in the Nordic World Cup skate sprint race in Canmore, Alberta, on Saturday.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Randall has slid into second place with equal points as the defending World Cup champion Marit Bjoergen of Norway. Randall could take the lead if she races in the 15-kilometer skiathlon on Sunday.
Randall, 29, is a graduate of East High School in Anchorage who trains at the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center. Earlier in December, she won two gold medals in two days at the World Cup in Quebec City, Canada. That's two gold medals in two days for Randall in a sport where, before Randall's arrival, Americans could go years without claiming a medal of any color. Now, her performance in Alberta has placed her in the second spot overall.
While the U.S. has long been considered a second-rate power in the world of Nordic skiing, Randall has been leading an American uprising staged in significant part in the nation's far north; in November, Randall and another Alaska Pacific University skier Holly Brooks led the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team to a historic third-place finish in the FIS World Cup relay in Sweden.
Read more about Randal's most recent win at the News-Miner.