XC - The Australian Cross Country Skiing Website

| Back to the XC Files | Australian Results 2000 | Winter News 2000 |

Press Releases
Race Reports - Race Results

August 10
August 12
August 16
August 18
August 19
August 20

August 20 - Derrick and Melvey set to win Australian Continental Cup Series

The Australian Championships concluded today at Perisher Valley with the men’s15km and women’s 5km freestyle events. 27 year-old Ben Derrick from Wangaratta and 36 year-old NSW Institute of Sport skier Camille Melvey each added another national title to their collections. Both skiers now have unbeatable leads in the Australian Continental Cup Series, which finishes up next Saturday August 26 with the 42km Kangaroo Hoppet at Falls Creek.

It was very close mid-way through the women’s 5km, with 12 seconds separating the top three competitors at the 3.5 km mark. But then Camille Melvey showed why she is still the number one woman in Australia, storming home to record her 25^th Australian title 26 seconds ahead of Belinda Phillips from Victoria and 41 seconds ahead of Katie Calder from the ACT.

Australian Biathlon Champion Cameron Morton kept pace with Ben Derrick in the early kilometres, but then Derrick steadily forged his way clear. By the end of the race Derrick was 1 minute and 9 seconds clear from Morton, with 17 year-old Daniel Van der Ploeg putting in a very good performance to take third place. The winning time for Derrick was 38 minutes and 30 seconds, a very fast time for 15km given the tough climbs on the Perisher Valley tracks.

"There has been some exciting racing up here," said National Team Coach Finn Marsland, who is based at the Australian Institute of Sport. "Ben Derrick and Camille Melvey were the dominant skiers again, however several juniors showed a lot of potential in the sprint events, and we’re starting to see more depth in the field. There are promising signs for Australian cross country skiing in the next few years."

August 19 - Seventeen year-old wins Australian Sprint Championships.

The inaugural Australian Sprint Championships were held in perfect conditions today at Perisher Valley on a fast one kilometre track. Some new faces climbed to top of the podium, with 17 year-old Esther Bottomley dominating the women’s sprint and Paul Murray also claiming his first Australian title. Both skiers are from Mt Beauty in North-East Victoria.

The event was hailed as a great success from competitor and spectator alike. Sprints have only recently been introduced to international competition and make their Winter Olympic debut at Salt Lake City in 2002. The format involves an initial time trial to determine a ranking order, followed by head to head heats of four skiers with the first two progressing to the next rounds.

In the women’s sprints Bottomley was the outstanding performer right from the start. She posted the fastest qualifying time by three seconds, and then cruised through her quarter-final and semi-final. In the final Belinda Phillips managed to stay in contact for most of the race, however Bottomley was too fast in the finishing straight. Second seed Camille Melvey took a fall early in the final, and had to fight hard to get back and out-sprint Kate Spiller for third place.

There was plenty of action in the men’s semi-finals, with third seed Ben Derrick coming from last place to squeeze into the final in a photo finish. Derrick and Duane Butcher from Geelong threw themselves over the line, with Derrick getting the nod after much deliberation from the jury. Second seed Ronan Magaharan was also eliminated.

In the men’s final Paul Murray opened very fast to take the lead at the first corner, and then took advantage of the other three finalists fighting for position to make a small break. 17 year-old Daniel Van der Ploeg tried hard to bring him back, but Murray maintained the gap and went on to win by 20 metres. Back behind Ben Derrick pulled out an incredible lunge to steal third place from Russian citizen Nick Almoukov, coach of the NSW junior team.

The Australian Championships continue tomorrow at Perisher Valley with the men’s 15km and the women’s 5km events.

August 18 - Derrick and Melvey clean up again in Continental Cup.

The Australian Continental Cup Series for cross country skiing continued today at Perisher Valley with the Australian Championships 10km events. Ben Derrick of Wangaratta Ski Club and Camille Melvey from the NSW Institute of Sport maintained their unbeaten status in the series, with Melvey extending her Australian record for the number of championship titles.

Ben Derrick started as back marker in the men’s 10km classic event and blew the field away. He won in a time of 27 minutes and 28 seconds, a full 1:41 ahead of second placed Paul Murray from Victoria. NSWIS junior skier Matt O’Rourke from Cooma put in another solid performance for third place.

Camille Melvey started out very strong in the women’s 10km classic, quickly gaining a substantial lead over Katie Calder from the ACT and Belinda Phillips from Victoria. However Belinda Phillips dug deep towards the end, making time on everyone in the field. Across the finish line it was Melvey first in a time of 32 minutes and 52 seconds, with Phillips 58 seconds behind, and Calder in third place. The victory takes Melvey’s tally of Australian titles to 24, two more than three-time Winter Olympian Anthony Evans.

The cross country skiing action continues at Perisher Valley tomorrow with the Australian Sprint Championships. The sprint format sees skiers race head to head around a tight loop, making for exciting racing and spectacular finishes. The next event in the Continental Cup Series is the men’s 15km and women’s 5km Australian Championship on Sunday August 20.

August 16 - Australian XC Championships Continue at Perisher Valley

The Australian Cross Country Skiing Championships continue this week at Perisher Valley. While the highlight of the weekend is expected to be the Australian Sprint Championships on Saturday August 19, the classical events on Friday and freestyle events on the Sunday should also be good contests.

The sprint event has only recently been introduced to international competition and makes it’s Winter Olympic debut at Salt Lake City in 2002. The format involves an initial time trial to determine a ranking order. Competitors then race head to head in heats of four, with the first two skiers progressing to the next rounds.

Ben Derrick from Wangaratta Ski Club, and Camille Melvey from the NSW Institute of Sport will go in as favourites in the traditional distance events, despite narrow victories at Perisher Valley last Saturday. Australian Biathlon Champion Cameron Morton was only 3.5 seconds behind Derrick over 42km, and is expected to challenge again in the 15km freestyle. In the sprint events however, everything is up for grabs.

"Endurance machines like Derrick, Morton and Melvey will still be competitive, but they will be up against some young skiers with real sprinting talent, " said Finn Marsland, National Team Coach. "There’s a 16 year old guy from Victoria named Nick Grimmer who has sprint written all over him, and maybe half a dozen other guys who could be up there. Katie Calder from the ACT is not bad money either in the women’s sprint."

For spectators and media, all the action for the sprint event will take place right outside the door of the Nordic Shelter at Perisher Valley.

August 12 - Derrick and Melvey win inaugural Snowy Mountains Classic

The first race of the

2000 Australian Championships kicked off today with the long distance events at Perisher Valley. For the first time an Australian Championship event was combined with a mass start citizen race, the inaugural Snowy Mountains Classic which replaces the Paddy Pallin as the premier long distance event in NSW.

The men’s 42km event was billed as a battle between current Australian champion Ben Derrick and three time Winter Olympian Anthony Evans, however it was Australian Biathlon champion Cameron Morton who took up the challenge to Derrick. The lead see-sawed for much of the race, until Derrick made a slender break on the last uphill and held on to win by just 3.5 seconds from Morton, in a time of 1:54.37. Evans took third place, over three minutes behind.

"I was strong on the hills, but Cameron had fast skis early on," said Ben Derrick, who continues his unbeaten run this season. "It was a tough course too, and in the end I was just happy to come away with the win. Hopefully I’ll recover okay for next weekend."

The women’s 21km championship event was won by NSWIS skier Camille Melvey, in a time of 1:20.19. The victory takes Melvey’s tally of Australian titles to 23, one ahead of Anthony Evans and a new Australian record. Second woman across the line was Belinda Phillips from Victoria, with ACT junior skier Katherine Calder putting in a gutsy performance for third place.

The Australian Championships continue at Perisher Valley next week, with the highlight expected to be the new sprint event on Saturday August 19. The sprint format sees skiers race head to head around a tight loop, often featuring spectacular finishes.

August 10 - Australian Long Distance Championship at Perisher Valley

Australia’s best cross country skiers will gather at Perisher Valley in NSW on Saturday August 12th for the inaugural Snowy Mountains Classic. Taking over from the Paddy Pallin as the premier long distance event in NSW, the Snowy Mountains Classic this year also incorporates the Australian Long Distance Championship.

This is the first time that a mass start citizen event has been combined with an Australian Championship. The Snowy Mountains Classic has distances of 42km, 21km, 7.5km and 2.5km for skiers of all standards, however it is the men’s 42km and women’s 21km events that carry the additional title of Australian Long Distance Champion for the winners.

The men’s 42km is shaping up as a show-down between current Australian Champion Ben Derrick from Wangaratta Ski Club, and three-time Winter Olympian Anthony Evans of Cooma Ski Club. Both skiers are undefeated this season, having competed only in Victoria and NSW respectively. Russian skier Nick Almoukov, fresh from winning the KAC Classic at Perisher Valley this week, may also feature.

The favourite in the women’s 21km is NSWIS skier Camille Melvey from City Tatts Boonoona Ski Club. ACT junior skier Katherine Calder could also be an outside chance, though the distance may test.

The Australian Championships conclude the following weekend at Perisher Valley, with the Australian Sprint Championships on Saturday August 19 and the 5/15km events on Sunday August 20. The sprint event in particular should be a good spectacle.

---

Additional information can be found from:

Finn Marsland
Tel: 02 6214 7940
Fax:02 6214 6214
Email: marslandf@ausport.gov.au

XC is the official website of the Skiing Australia Cross Country Committee. It is produced with the assistance of the Australian Sports Commission, and the Kangaroo Hoppet. The editor can be contacted via hoppet@netc.net.au.