Skiing

Skiing roundup: Kurka grabs monoski gold at World Cup Finals in South Korea

Andrew Kurka served notice — again — that he's a skier to watch as the 2018 Paralympics approach.

The Palmer man captured the gold medal in the super-G Tuesday at the World Para Alpine World Cup Finals in PyeongChang, South Korea.

His triumph came on the same hill that will be the scene of next year's Paralympics.

Kurka, 25, won the men's sitting division with a run of 1 minute, 28.77, beating the second-place finisher by more than one second.

The victory marked the continuation of a stellar season for Kurka, who has cemented himself as a medal favorite for next year's Winter Games.

At last month's world championships, he won the downhill, grabbed the silver medal in the giant slalom and was third in the super-G.

Tuesday's win was an important one for Kurka because it provided him with a preview of the course and the venue that will be used at the Paralympic Winter Games.

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In a teamusa.org story published before the competition in PyeongChang, Kurka said he hoped to make this week's races a learning experience.

"It's not necessarily about victory but about challenging myself to be the best I can be, listen to my coaches and put it down the hill," he said. "It's about learning the hill and training myself on what to expect next year. That way I can practice in the offseason and come to training camp knowing what I need to prepare for."

Alaskans head to World Cup Finals

Nine skiers from Alaska Pacific University's nordic training center will compete at the World Cup Finals that begin this week in Canada, including two who are coming off medal-winning performances at the World Championships and another who is coming off a breakthrough result.

Kikkan Randall and Sadie Bjornsen both collected bronze medals at the World Championships last month in Lahti, Finland. Randall grabbed third place in the freestyle sprint and Bjornsen teamed up with Jessie Diggins of Minnesota to take third place in the team sprint.

Scott Patterson, meanwhile, garnered the first World Cup points of his career by placing 28th in the Holmenhollen 50K Classic in Norway last week. He was the top American finisher in the men's race.

"As a first time in the points in Europe I am quite satisfied. However, I don't think I could be a competitive skier if I wasn't looking for more," Patterson said in a press release from the U.S. Ski Team. "Beside a few frustrations with tactics and a small crash on the last lap, it was quite a good race. Being in the points at Holmenkollen with a sunny day and thousands of fans only made it better. I'm looking forward to building on this result for the Quebec World Cup Finals."

Other skiers from APU who will compete in the World Cup Finals in Quebec City, Quebec, are David Norris, Erik Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan, Becca Rorabaugh, Chelsea Holmes and Jessica Yeaton.

Competition begins Friday.

SKAN 24 returns to Kincaid

After being canceled two years in a row due to lack of snow, the SKAN 24 is back.

The Ski Kincaid All Night — SKAN 24 for short — is March 25-26 at Kincaid Park. Online entry is open through March 21 at the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage website.

The race is a lap-format race and has divisions for solo racers and relay teams ranging from two to eight skiers. Twelve-hour and six-hour races are also being offered.

Touted as Alaska's first and only 24-hour cross-country ski race, SKAN 24 has a new division this year for kids — a 6-hour, four-person team race. Skiers can go out as partners and both of their laps will count toward the team total.

Beth Bragg

Beth Bragg wrote about sports and other topics for the ADN for more than 35 years, much of it as sports editor. She retired in October 2021. She's contributing coverage of Alaskans involved in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

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