Swift broken leg recovery for Andrew Young and three top ten finishes for Andrew Musgrave as Huntly Nordic Ski Club duo shine at World Cross Country Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany
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FOUR weeks after fracturing his fibula in the World Cup, Huntly skier Andrew Young represented Team GB again on the world stage.
But it was his fellow Huntly Nordic Ski Club team-mate Andrew Musgrave who stole the show at the World Cross Country Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany.
The north-east duo were part of a three-man British team at the event, opening up in the 30km skiathlon.
This race sees the athletes start in classic style and change to skate skis at the half way stage.
Musgrave was always in the lead pack as they went through the classic stage and covered the acceleration as the competitors left the stadium having stopped for the ski change.
By now the leading group was down to ten racers and for another 10k the Huntly skier stayed with the lead.
Finally with five km to go, the pace got to Musgrave and he fell back to finish seventh, equalling his best result in the event.
Young had surprised many of his coaches by even managing to make the championships.
Four weeks earlier while racing in the World Cup in Sweden he had been tripped on a downhill and sent smashing through the advertising hoardings at the side of the track, breaking his fibula just below the knee.
Only the dedicated support of team medics and physios got Young to the start line for the team sprint in Germany.
Along with team mate James Clugnet, the British pair were looking like qualifying from the semi-final until Clugnet had a tangle with a Swedish skier in his round.
Despite this, Young nearly got the team to a qualification position before they missed out by just over one second.
In the 15km skate, it was the turn of both Huntly skiers to team up.
While Young’s leg hampered his race, Musgrave produced an excellent and controlled race in the wet conditions to finish tenth.
Musgrave was sole British skier in the final event, the 50k classic.
This was always going to be a long race with light rain falling on the track for an event which saw athletes climb higher than Ben Nevis while covering the distance.
As with most marathons there is a fair amount of easy-paced skiing which is just fast enough to take the lead group down in size.
At 30k there were still 30 athletes in the lead group but this is when the race sprung to life with a series of breaks attempted on the big uphills.
Just ten were left in the pack with 10km to go to the finish, and Musgrave was there covering all breaks.
In a final kilometre break, the leading Russian drew two Norwegians in response, with Musgrave doing brilliantly to finish seventh for another personal best in this event.
All three of the British team are off to St Moritz for the final world cup of the season this weekend.
