By Gavin Kentch
This is a reader-funded website. Virtually all of my income (for perspective: I took home less than $5,000 from Nordic Insights last year after paying staff) comes from reader contributions, which I sincerely appreciate. If you would like to support the site, including helping us get to the Olympics in February, you may do so here. Thank you.
The U.S. put two athletes in the top ten, three in the top twelve, and four in the top twenty in the 20-kilometer mass start skate earlier Thursday, the first day of distance racing at 2026 World U23 Championships in Lillehammer. The Americans once again had good skis, to put it mildly.
Today was Ava Thurston’s time to shine, as the Dartmouth senior rocketed to ninth in the women’s race, in the chase pack that came in roughly twenty seconds behind the leaders. Close behind her was fellow EISA product Haley Brewster, of UVM, in 12th. Next for the women today was Sammy Smith, the undisputed star of the Stanford cross-country ski team, in 20th. Finally, Evelyn Walton, also of Dartmouth, crossed the line in 32nd.
It was a big day for North American skiing more broadly, as Canada’s Alison Mackie won the women’s race, largely picking up where she had left off at 2025 World Juniors in Schilpario. And countryman Xav McKeever, like Mackie fresh off multiple races at the 2026 Winter Olympics, was third in the men’s race.
Back to the women: Here are photos of all the American women who raced today.
On the men’s side, Corbin Carpenter had a breakout day. The University of Alaska Anchorage athlete finished tenth, in the lead pack, 1.2 seconds off the podium and 1.8 seconds back of winner Elias Keck of Germany. He was happy:
Carpenter was followed by Anders Weiss, of BSF Pro, in 32nd; Benjamin Dohlby, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in 39th; and Owen Young, of UVM, in 61st. Thursday was a big day for not only EISA (on the women’s side) and Alaska RMISA schools (on the men’s side), but also for Aspen: both Carpenter and Weiss hail from the Roaring Fork Valley.
Here are photos of Weiss, Dohlby, and Young. All pictures today, and all week long, are courtesy of Steve Fuller, @flyingpoint on Instagram and online here.
And here are a few more general shots because it is a shame not to share more of Steve’s work when you have it:
Finally, you may view replays of the entire day here: women | men.
Racing at the venue swings back to the juniors, who will contest a 10km interval-start classic. U23s do the same on Saturday, before mixed relays close things out on Sunday.
Thanks again to Steve Fuller for the amazing photos. This week is a pillar project of NNF, in case you are curious where your Drive for 25 donations go. Go team.
