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Alaska State Cross Country and Track Champion Kendall Kramer Makes History With Skiing Bronze Medal at Winter Youth Olympic Games

Published by
DyeStat.com   Jan 22nd 2020, 11:44pm
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West Valley senior becomes first American female athlete to earn individual cross country skiing medal in meet history by rallying for third-place finish in 5-kilometer classic event in Switzerland

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Kendall Kramer, a three-time Alaska 4A state cross country winner and six-time state track champion, made history Tuesday by becoming the first female athlete to earn an individual medal for the U.S. in cross country skiing at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Vallee de Joux, Switzerland.

Kramer, a 17-year-old senior representing West Valley High in Fairbanks, Alaska, captured the bronze medal in the 5-kilometer classic event in 14 minutes, 28.4 seconds.

Sweden’s Maerta Rosenberg earned gold in 14:15.7, with Switzerland’s Siri Wigger securing silver in 14:28.4. Kramer rallied from sixth place at the 3.7-kilometer mark to grab the first international medal of her career, passing fellow American Sydney Palmer-Leger from Utah, who placed fourth in 14:43.3.

“As soon as I knew that I was in the Youth Olympic Games, I really wanted to get a podium in this race specifically, so I’m really glad I could make the people back home proud and make myself proud,” Kramer said in a U.S. Olympic Committee press release.

“The U.S. cross country team has been historically underrated and it’s not expected for us to be up there with the athletes from countries like Norway and Sweden...But I really, really enjoy every time that I can show that we are up to par with them and that we have the exact same training quality, and that we’re really catching up year by year.”

Along with Will Koch of Stratton Mountain School in Peru, Vt., capturing a bronze medal in the men’s 10-kilometer classic in 27:29.5, it marked the first individual cross country skiing medals for the Americans in meet history.

The only other medal the U.S. had earned in any Nordic skiing event at the Winter Youth Olympic Games was also a bronze in the cross country skiing biathlon mixed relay in 2012 in Innsbruck, Austria.

Kramer rebounded from a 16th-place finish in the 10-kilometer cross country freestyle Saturday, followed by a 25th-place result in the 1.5-kilometer sprint freestyle Sunday.

She also placed fourth in the 15-kilometer classic, as well as fourth in the 3.3-kilometer relay at last year’s Junior World Championships in Finland, making Tuesday’s performance even more gratifying.

“I felt disappointed after the sprint races... so what really motivated me today was thinking about how I want to make people back home proud when they see results,” Kramer said.

Kramer will have another opportunity to challenge for an international medal after being one of a dozen American U-20 skiers selected to compete Feb. 28 to March 8 at the Junior World Championships in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.

In addition, Kramer is also seeking another World Cup start this season after being the youngest American female to achieve the feat at age 16 last March in Quebec, Canada.

“There’s a lot of pretty cool stuff still upcoming,” Kramer said.



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