09/09/2024
Yes! Matthew competed in the 2024 Australian Nationals XC Classic race on Friday and placed 2nd! Such a great result for him as his focus is Skate technique because of Biathlon. It was a beautiful blue sky day, but because of poor snow conditions, the race was reduced to 1.65km comprising of two loops. A sprint from beginning to end! There was a gnarly hill that had quite a few athletes slipping and sliding, a good downhill and a 100metre flattish finish to the Finish line. All raced on soft, sugary snow.
Matthew raced brilliantly, showing great technique and speed. With a time of 5:45.70 minutes he was 1:09.40 behind first place, and he beat third by 1.20 seconds! So close. And, the three athletes on the podium were the Australian male Biathlon from the recent Winter Youth Olympics in South Korea. Well done all🙂