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Dahria Beatty puts it together in season finale

Getting career bests in back-to-back races is one way to close out your season.
Beatty2021
Dahria Beatty competes on the world cup circuit in 2021. NORDIQ CANADA PHOTO

SWITZERLAND – Dahria Beatty’s season finale did not disappoint.

The cross-country skier closed out her shortened world cup with back-to-back career bests in distance, finishing 23rd in the 10-kilometre classic and 15th in 30-km pursuit up high in the Swiss mountains last weekend.

After struggling to find her form for most of 2021, Beatty said that on the right course and right day, she knows what she is capable of doing.

“I felt excitement and relief to be able to look back on the season with some positivity and not just a complete write off,” said the 2018 Olympian.

“I knew I had to dig deep and get into a tunnel vision focus, where the world around you disappears, and you’re not really sure who you’re racing against. There’s just kind of skis and feet and bodies and I was definitely able to get into that extreme focus being in the moment for every step of the race and pushing in that instant and not thinking about I’m going to be tired on the climb or not.”

The two Swiss races were the only times this season Beatty finished with top-30 results.

"I felt I was in some of the best shape of my life this December and then when racing wasn’t going well when I came over here, I started to question if I had been mistaken," she said. "But I definitely felt the same way this past weekend, as I did when I was doing time trials and training in December."

The 15th place ties the sprint specialist’s best ever result on the world cup, crossing the line in the 30-km at a time of 1:01:34.1 – only seven seconds off fifth place.

Pushing herself to the limit and beyond, the Whitehorse-native's body reacted well to the high altitude intensity at Engadin, Switzerland.

When a lot of skiers were dreading the 1,800 metres above sea level grind at the end of the year, Beatty was in her element.

“Nine out of 10 times, racing in altitude goes reasonably well for me,” said Beatty, who trains in Canmore.

“It’s fun when you’re racing fast, it takes a little bit of that frustration away. It’ll make for a more relaxing off season and really get ready to get back in May.”

Beatty added she's received a boost going into the off season, ahead of an Olympic year. With a focus mainly on sprints, the positive distance racing has gotten her intrigued about what kind of results she could shoot for in 2021-22.

In other Canadian results, finishing up their seasons were Canadians Katherine Stewart-Jones and Cendrine Browne with a 23rd and 35th in the 30-km, respectively.

“It was a cool race, definitely different than what we are used to on the world cup," said Stewart-Jones in a press release.

“It was flat and slow conditions, so it was a pack race where strategy mattered a lot. I just stuck behind my pack until it started climbing with three kilometres to go, and then I followed [Ragnhild] Haga to the finish.”

On the men's side, Antoine Cyr finished 21st in the 50-km skate-ski pursuit, and Russell Kennedy finished 33rd.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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