XC with XM intro: Top 5 Moments from last season

Hi everyone,

Welcome to XC with XM. This blog is targeted at offering you an insight into my life as a world-class cross-country skier. This is the first time I have ever offered insight into what my life is like to a wide audience, and therefore, I hope you enjoy taking to the trail with me. For blog #1, I’m going to give you a little recap of what happened last year. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for following along!

Top 5 Moments From Last Season

5. Achieving a New World Cup Personal Best

Before this season, my personal best on the World Cup circuit was a 19th place, which I achieved in a classic sprint on my home trails at the Canmore Nordic Centre. At the time, this was a fantastic result that I was extremely proud of and showed me what I was capable of on my best days. This result was back in 2024, and in 2025, I had ambitions to try to beat that mark. Although my season in 2025 was better, I was unfortunately never able to eclipse that PB, which, in a sport where we try so hard to find improvement, felt a bit disappointing. This year, however, I was finally able to ski my way past that 19th place and set a new PB of 13th in a 5km wave mass start during stage 3 of this year's Tour de Ski.

4. U23 World Championships Bronze Medal

The Junior and U23 World championships have always held a special place in my heart because when you’re young, they are the events that everyone targets. Over the years, some of my most special skiing memories have been created at these events, and this year, it was my last year of eligibility. It was at this championship in 2020 that I got my first taste of what an international podium was when our relay team finished 2nd, a groundbreaking result for Canada. At the time, I was only 16 and still not quite at the top end of the field, but every year after that medal, I longed to add an individual medal to my personal tally. I’ve had multiple of my best races as a junior at these championships over the years, cracking a bunch of top 10s, but I was never able to break through. The first year I qualified for this event was in 2019, which meant that 7 years later, at my 7th championship, it was my last chance to win that medal I’d been chasing. I wasn’t in my best shape, and I was tired, but I never lost belief. And then it happened. In the 20km skate mass start, I came into the finish in a bunch sprint and skied my way to 3rd place. Physically, this performance felt far from my best races at this level, but finally winning this medal was so unbelievably satisfying. Sometimes things can just work out for you.

3. Qualifying for the Olympics

Representing Canada at the Olympics might be one of the biggest honours that sport can offer someone, and therefore, it was kind of surreal coming into this season, with the realisation that I had a chance to do just that. I trained hard all summer with this goal in mind, and as I began racing time trials early in the season, the work I had put in seemed to be paying off. Although these time trials gave me a good confidence boost, I knew that the important races were still just over 3 weeks away and that I needed to keep focus on my training plan that I had made for myself to perform well at the Olympic trials. Before I knew it, I was in Silverstar, one of my all-time favourite places, about a week away from the start of trials. My mind was confident, my body was feeling good, and I was happy with the fact that I executed my plan well, but the nerves were definitely rising. Having four Olympic spots up for grabs and only 3 races to snatch one of those spots is really challenging because it means you have to be at your absolute best right there and then. The 2 distance races at trials, a 10km skate and a 10km classic individual start, were clear targets for me, but I unfortunately didn’t race fast enough in them to earn a spot on the Olympic team. For me, the last race, which was a skate sprint, was truly win or lose. This week had already been super tough with some disappointing finishes, and the reality of not making the Olympic team was becoming more and more likely. But something about having a do-or-die race made me oddly calm, and it was freeing in a strange way. In order to prepare as best as possible, I got in touch with my sports psychologist to help me get into the right mindset for the race ahead. In addition, I called up a coach whom I worked with a few years back, in order to get some words of wisdom from a new source. Being as prepared as I could, I arrived at the race site extremely nervous but also very focused on what I had to do. Sprinting is an event I really enjoy because it is very tactical and fast-paced, which brings excitement of its own. I started the day off by qualifying in 4th place, a solid start, but the real race was about to begin. Moving through the heats while skiing tactically, I found myself in the final with one goal: to win. I knew what was at stake, and I felt tingly on the start line waiting to start the final race of these trials. The start gun went off, and I slotted myself into 3rd place, marking the leader's moves. Going into the biggest downhill on the course, I made my bid for glory by getting a good slingshot from my competitors' draft and gliding into first. From there, it was full gas to the finish. I was battling hard up the final climb with my close friend and teammate from the national team, and our battle came all the way down to the line with a big lunge. I crossed the line in disbelief at what had just happened, and I didn’t know who had won until someone from the crowd let me know I had done it! I took my skis off and I laid face down in the snow in disbelief, trying to process what I had just accomplished. I was going to the Olympic Games!

2. 13th at the Olympics

After qualifying for the Olympics, my mentality changed from simply “how do I get there” to “how do I perform there.” My coach and I sat down and made a solid plan that we were both happy with, and we decided to use the upcoming World Cup races to try and find the form I felt like I was missing during trials. Through some good World Cup results, I built confidence and approached the Olympics feeling ready. The truth is, nothing can 100% prepare you for what the Olympics will be like. The media attention, the fans, the athlete village, the security, the volunteers who are always happy to see you, and the locals who cheer you on as you take a recovery run through the small town you’re staying in; these are some of the things that make being at an Olympics special. The first race day arrived quickly, and I was excited to put my shape to the test. Before the start, I had a cool self-realisation, “wow, I am about to race at the Olympic Games,” which immediately put a smile on my face. The start gun fired, and off we went on our 20km skiathlon. With this being a mass start, my goal was to stick with the leaders for as long as possible and ski smart, conserving energy where I could. I did a pretty good job of doing just that and found myself hovering around the top 30 after the first few kilometres. As the race went on, I kept feeling good and made my way up through the field. When we switched over to skate skis, I found myself in a strong pack of about 8-10 guys, and we worked together to try and pick up other racers ahead of us. Going into the final few kilometres, I was left with only 4 others, and I knew it would come down to a finish sprint. I positioned myself well and gave it my all, finishing second in our group and 13th overall! In some ways, this result was surprising for me. I had hoped for decent races, but getting 13th, let alone in my first Olympic Games race, was not on my bingo card for this year. What made this moment even more special was that I had my parents, maternal grandma, and family friends in the crowd. Being able to have the best race of my career so far at the Olympic Games with my family watching was an extremely special moment and something that I’ll never forget!

1. All the support I received this year from people I know and don’t know.

Competing at the Olympics truly puts you in the spotlight, and the effects of that were felt throughout my time at the Games and afterwards. The number of people who have shown me support, even in simple ways like congratulating me, asking me about my journey, or saying they’ve watched me on TV, is truly touching. In an individual sport like cross-country skiing, it takes a community of supporters to help an athlete achieve their goals, and the support I received in the past and this year has been instrumental in helping me become the athlete I am today. Without outside help, finding success in this sport would be impossible, and I thank anyone who has supported me over the years.

Thank you for taking the time to read and following along with my journey. Wishing you all the best!

XC with XM intro: Top 5 Moments from last season

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