Photo by Angus Cockneyf

Killick midway through the classic leg, securing his spot on the Under-23 Championships Team.

Emily Nishikawa and Graeme Killick can sleep easier tonight after qualifying for the World Junior and Under-23 Championships in today's duathlon event. Hosted at the Callaghan Valley trails, both skiers crossed the line as the top Under-23 skier, giving them an automatic go to Turkey in February.

Emily Nishikawa not only crossed the line as the first Under-23 racer, but also took the victory in the 15km race, crossing the line 8 seconds ahead of second place and teammate Alysson Marshall. Taking a slight lead after the transition, Emily was able to hold off her competitors for the remaining two skate laps. Annika Hicks finished 6th overall and 2nd U-23, while Marlis Kromm crossed the line 8th and was the 3rd U-23.

The mens 30km race started off quick, opening up the field just after a couple laps. Graeme Killick dropped from the lead group, consisting of Graeme Nishikawa, Kevin Sandau and Brent McMurtry, just before the transition zone. Despite skiing in 4th for the remaining race, Graeme was able to secure the top U-23 position. In the overall race, Kevin Sandau made his third distance victory in a sprint to the line. Graeme Nishikawa was 3rd. Jess Cockney crossed the line 8th, and was 3rd U-23

Janelle Greer started her set of races strongly, finishing 3rd in the junior women, while Rebecca Reid and Zach Holland were both 8th. 

Tomorrow is a training day for the athletes to prepare for Saturday's skate sprint and the classic individual start races the following day.

 Full results along with live timing can be found at zone4.ca. Check out our image gallery below for more shots, special thanks to Angus Cockney for snapping these.

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