The Australian Open Championship part 1 took place on the last weekend of July in Falls Creek, Australia. On Saturday, the skiers competed in the 1.2km classic sprint, and on Sunday, the 15km freestyle technique event took place. There were athletes from 5 different nations competing across the weekend. 

On Saturday the Classic Sprint showed some exciting head-to-head racing, with Rosie Fordham (AUS) taking the win in the women’s ahead of Australian biathlete Darcie Morton (AUS) in 2^nd and Lily Munane (AUS), rounding out the podium.

The men’s classic sprint showed some powerful double pole from Jayden Spring (AUS)  who took a decisive victory over former Pro Tour athlete, Phil Bellingham (AUS) and Fedele De Campo (AUS) finished up in 3^rdposition. 

Sunday was a bigger day for the athletes, competing in a 15km skate for both the men and women. The course was hard, and with 3 laps of a 5km loop. The winner of the day was once again Rosie Fordham (AUS), followed by Darcie Morton (AUS), and Hannah Price (AUS). In the men’s competition, Phil Bellingham (AUS),  took the win, followed by an exciting race from Liam Burton (AUS), and Swiss athlete Christoph Gasche. 

Former World Cup and Pro Tour athlete, Phil Bellingham, in recent years has turned his focus to Ski Mo. Crediting his continued success in XC skiing to his Ski Mo training, “I’ve been training pretty damn hard last couple of months, and I think it’s worked for me.”

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about the Olympics”

Taking the win both days over the weekend was Rosie Fordham. Fordham reflected on the 15km skate, “That was tough, and it was quite a good course actually quite tricky, but I think that’s good I think we need challenging courses here.”

Australian National Championships Weekend 2 will take place in Perisher, Australia, on August 17 and 18, with skate sprint and classic distances. Only 1 week before the Kangaroo Hoppet.

Countdown to the Challengers event Kangaroo Hoppet

You can see the 2024 Australian cross-country ski race calendar here.