Kangaroo Hoppet

Strong winds and early morning fog caused the main 42km event to be reduced to 34km, however the winds eased and fog lifted for a great day of racing and participation. Over 1000 competitors from 24 nations entered in the three race distances of 34km, 17km, and 7km. Valerio Leccardi from Switzerland claimed his third Hoppet victory in six years while the first woman Maria Graefnings from Sweden added a second Hoppet title to her win from 2012. The Hoppet is part of the Worldloppet series of international ski marathons, which features 20 races in 20 countries and has annual participation of over 135,000 skiers.
The men’s 34km podium was rounded out by 2014 Australian Winter Olympians Callum Watson from Sydney and Phillip Bellingham from Mt Beauty. On the women’s side Slovenian Winter Olympian Barbara Jezersek was the runner-up for the second year in a row, ahead of the first Australian Casey Wright from Launching Place. Both Bellingham and Wright live and work at the YMCA Howmans Gap Alpine Centre at Falls Creek during the winter, training at the Ski & Snowboard Australia National Team Training Centre.
Leccardi went to the lead of the main pack early on and pushed the pace. By the 5km mark only Watson was able to follow, with the rest of the pack spread out in ones and twos behind. Sensing that Watson was also on his limit Leccardi continued to put the hammer down and by the 12km mark had broken away as the solo leader. Bellingham worked together with Australian U23 Team member Nick Montgomery but unable to bridge the gap to Watson switched off the pace and a pack of 7-8 skiers reformed, including the first women Graefnings. With Leccardi and Watson off the front the lead of the main pack changed frequently, until finally in the closing kilometres Bellingham managed to kick away to take third place. Just three seconds separated fourth from seventh, with Montgomery edging out three-time Winter Olympian Anthony Evans, Andy Pohl from New Zealand and Graefnings.
The top women barely saw each other during the race, being spread out amongst the men’s field soon after the start. Graefnings had a mishap midrace, snapping off the tip off her pole, however quickly received a replacement pole from 4-time Hoppet winner Ben Derrick, who in turn received a pole from the crowd to ski on for 9th overall. After Jezersek and Wright on the podium Lauren Fritz from the USA was fourth for the second year in a row, and 2015 Australian Junior XC Skier of the Year Xanthea Dewez from Wangaratta was fifth.
The Kangaroo Hoppet was also the fifth event in the 2015 FIS Australia New Zealand Continental Cup (ANC). With three races in the series remaining Jezersek is well ahead in the women’s standings, 130 points ahead of Wright. The men’s ANC is much closer with Bellingham now just 16 points ahead of Watson. The ANC continues next Friday at the Snow Farm in New Zealand.