Skiing

Anchorage skier Gus Schumacher wins American Birkebeiner 50K freestyle

A week after his stunning and historic World Cup victory, Anchorage skier Gus Schumacher landed atop another podium on Saturday.

This time, 23-year-old Schumacher won the 50K freestyle event at the American Birkebeiner in Cable, Wisconsin. Schumacher’s time of 1:58:18 was 6 seconds clear of runner-up Sam Hendry.

Another Alaskan, David Norris, placed third in a time of 1:58:27, just ahead of Alaskan Scott Patterson, who registered the same time.

Hunter Wonders (11th), Thomas O’Harra (16th) and Garrett Butts (17th) also logged top 20 finishes for the Alaska contingent of competitors.

On the women’s side, Minnesotan Jessie Diggins placed first in a time of 2:10:41. The top Alaska finisher was Claire Trujillo, who placed 36th in 2:35:22.

[Schumacher’s World Cup win after two tough years shows world-class talent is ‘still in there’]

ADVERTISEMENT