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Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club product heads to worlds

Anika Wallin will be representing Canada at the World Junior Cross Country Ski Championships later in January

Anika Wallin of Williams Lake will be flying off soon to Italy to compete in the World Junior Cross Country Ski Championships Jan. 24 - Feb. 10.

She was on another airplane when she got the news she made the Canadian team, waiting on the tarmac on her way back from the World Junior Trials in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Refreshing her phone repeatedly to check her email before she had to stow it for the flight, she said she wasn't sure she would get the email, with only five spots still up for grabs.

When she did get a spot, she immediately texted her parents the news.

"I was kind of freaking out in my seat," she said.

From the Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club, Wallin has made her way onto the national cross country ski stage with a lot of hard work.

She has been training with the Alberta World Cup Academy in Calgary and Canmore, while studying engineering part time at the University of Calgary. She qualified for the team after competing in the World Junior Trials in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The 2025 Nordic Junior and U23 World Ski Championships team was announced on Jan. 13 by Nordiq Canada, and spots were to be finalized by Jan. 15. The cross-country ski athletes will be heading to Schilpario, Italy for the competition.

"I am super excited and proud to receive this opportunity to represent Canada and my community internationally," she said on a Go Fund Me she started to help financially support the trip. She has set the goal for the fundraiser at $5,000.

"Any donation would go a long way in helping me pursue this dream," she writes, noting the significant costs associated with the trip include travel, accommodation and race fees.

She expressed her gratitude to her community for their support and encouragement in getting to where she is. 

But she won't be heading to Italy alone. Travelling along with her and the team for one week of the competition will be Bev Rooke, Wallin's mom, who helped coach her for many years. 

"I'm just excited to have her over there," she said of her mom coming to cheer her on and provide support, as well as an opportunity to be there to witness Wallin on the international stage. 

"I think it's really special for her to come out and spend some time with me over there."

Wallin will be facing off against the top young skiers in the world, including from the often-dominant Scandinavian countries. She has only been to one international competition before. It was just south of the U.S. border and the majority of the athletes were American and Canadian.

"I know the competition is going to be really hard," she said, noting she is excited to compete at such a broad international level.

"And the food's going to be great, because it's Italy," added Wallin, who has been there before on a family trip in 2018.

The World Junior Ski Championship is a development competition. Athletes are selected based on both sprint and distance events, equally weighted, according to the Nordiq Canada website. 

Wallin is one of 11 young racers on the World Junior Ski Championship Team. Nordiq Canada will have a total of 22 athletes at the competition, as in addition to the 11 junior athletes, there will be 11 on the World U23 Ski Championship Team.

 



Ruth Lloyd

About the Author: Ruth Lloyd

I moved back to my hometown of Williams Lake after living away and joined the amazing team at the Williams Lake Tribune in 2021.
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