Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Engen is golden at Lillehammer

Masters World Cup wraps up

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Ketchum-based cross-country skier Jon Engen, 46, collected his second gold medal of the 24th Masters World Cup Nordic Championships Saturday at Lillehammer, Norway.

Engen recorded the top finishes among the 28 Sun Valley racers competing in the week-long event at the Olympic site.

Rossignol skier Engen (1.56:03.1) won the three-lap 45-kilometer freestyle race in the men’s 45-49 age class in a photo finish over Erwin Haas of Germany. Earlier in the week at the 2004 World Masters Championships, Engen won the men’s 30k skate finale.

Also, Engen joined Todd Boonstra and John Aalberg to finish second in Thursday’s men’s 40-44 4x5-kilometer relay, 20 seconds behind Russia.

A native Norwegian who came to the U.S. for college skiing at Montana State University, the 6-1, 180-pound Engen is a three-time U.S. Olympian—in 1988 for the Nordic team and in 1992 and 1994 as a biathlete.

Another former U.S. Nordic Ski Team athlete, Alison Kiesel Bradley, captured the silver medal in Friday’s 30k classic race for the women’s 50-54 age class. Her time was 1.46:23.

Kiesel, 51, known as the first girl to compete in the Junior National Cross-Country Championships way back in 1969, was also on the gold medal winning women’s 50-59 relay team on Thursday’s 4x5 course.

Bellevue’s remarkable octogenarian Phil Puchner, 82, placed fifth in Saturday’s men’s 80-and-above 20k classic event with a time of 2.31:12.

Claiming a bronze medal in Saturday’s women’s 45-49 skate race on the 30k course was Ketchum’s Muffy Ritz in 1.26:30. She was 5:44 off the winning time in her age class.

Also on Thursday, locals Bob Rosso and Del Pletcher were members of the fourth-place men’s 55-59 relay squad.

Here are other Wood River Valley results for Saturday’s freestyle finale at Lillehammer:

Men’s 70-74, 20k: 12—Norman Clark 1.07:03. Women’s 60-64, 20k: 11—Berit Flora 1.17:05.

Men’s 60-64, 30k: 16—Andy Andrews 1.30:08. 30—Sam Flora 1.40:52. Women’s 40-44, 30k: 10—Susan Thoreson 1.37:54. Women’s 50-54, 30k: 9—Linda McClatchy 1.45:36. 14—Eliza Wilson 1.50:31. 19—Jeanie Kearney 2.02:44.

Women’s 45-49, 30k: 3—Muffy Ritz 1.26:30. 9—Katharine Sheldon 1.39:40. 11—Carol Rank 1.42:16.

Men’s 45-49, 45k: 1—Jon Engen 1.56:03. 14—Kris Thoreson 2.00:36. 22—Brian Elkins 2.09:26. Men’s 40-44, 45k: 27—Thane Berg 2.10:12. Men’s 50-54, 45k: 18—Jim McClatchy 2.10:28. 29—Richard Knoebel 2.18:02. 31—Jon Holmquist 2.22:53. Men’s 55-59, 45k: 8—Del Pletcher 2.01:03. 42—John Kearney 2.49:23.

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