Skiing

Girdwood skier Chelsea Holmes rocks in World Championship debut

Girdwood skier Chelsea Holmes had the race of her life Saturday at the World Championships.

Holmes, who was making her debut at the Worlds, captured 13th place in the women's 30-kilometer freestyle race in Lahti, Finland — the best international result of her career.

A skier for Alaska Pacific University's nordic program, Holmes, 30, helped the Americans put two skiers in the top 15. Jessie Diggins of Minnesota claimed fifth place, the best World Championship 30K finish in history by a U.S. skier.

Norway's ageless Marit Bjorgen, 36, won the race in 1 hour, 8 minutes, 36.8 seconds to collect the 18th World Championship gold medal of her career and her fourth in Lahti.

Less than two seconds behind Bjorgen were Norway's Heidi Weng and Astrid Jacobson. Weng won a photo finish to take the silver medal.

Diggins, a two-time medalist in Lahti, was 10.4 seconds behind Bjorgen, and Holmes was 1:28.1 back.

"This was by far my best ever 30K, and I had so much fun I was actually smiling during the race," Diggins said in a race report from the U.S. Ski Team. "…I was so proud of Chelsea for skiing so well and laying down 13th place."

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