Winter is in full-swing in Australia at the moment. At the cross country
skiing National Team Training Centre at Falls Creek there is nearly one
metre of snow covering everything, and 40-50km of trails being groomed every
day. Club competitions were held on the first three weekends of July, and
the first Australian Championship events took place last weekend July 26/27.
22-year-old Ben Sim won the men's 30km Classic by only seven seconds ahead
of his New South Wales Institute of Sport team-mate Chris Darlington, while
Aimee Watson won the women's 15km Classic the day before her 21st birthday.
, Ben Sim (AUS, 1st), Chris Darlington (AUS, 2nd)</font></center></p>
<p>Sim and Watson broke through earlier this year with Australian best ever<br />
results at the 2008 World U23 Championship in Malles, Italy. Sim finished<br />
19th in the 15km Classic and 25th in the 30km Freestyle, while Watson took<br />
24th place in the 15km Freestyle.</p>
<p>On Saturday July 26 Esther Bottomley and Neil van der Ploeg won the Classic<br />
Sprint events of the Victorian Championship. Bottomley qualified second<br />
behind Chloe McConville, then turned the tables in the A-final to win by<br />
just two metres. Van der Ploeg was stronger in every round and won the<br />
A-final in a photo finish with Geoffroy Pais from France.</p>
<p>The 2008 FIS Australia – New Zealand Cup begins in two weeks at Perisher<br />
Valley in NSW, kicking off with the Australian Sprint Championship on August<br />
9. The series then continues with three events at the Snow Farm in New<br />
Zealand, before returning to Falls Creek for the FIS Australian 5km and 10km<br />
Championship events on August 23/24. The Continental Cup series concluded<br />
with the Kangaroo Hoppet 42km event at Falls Creek on August 30.</p>
<p>For further news on cross country ski racing in Australia go to:<br />
http://www.hoppet.com.au/xc</p>
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