2026 Victorian Junior/U23 Cross Country Championships

The 2026 Victorian Junior/U23 Cross Country Ski Championships were held in Falls Creek on the weekend of 25-26 July. Athletes from U10s through to U23s competed for their State title in the Freestyle Sprint event on the Saturday and the Classic Distance event on the Sunday.

We saw some impressive skiing from athletes across the weekend. Thea Harvey won the Overall Women’s Sprint title and Finn Meehan won the Overall Men’s Sprint title, with both U18 athletes delivering outstanding performances against older competitors. Elle Sankey took home gold in the Overall Women’s 10km Distance event, with Finn Meehan backing up his Sprint victory from the previous day and winning the Overall Men’s Distance event.

It was terrific to see so many juniors out racing. It was a fun weekend with cheering teammates and spectators creating a supportive atmosphere for racers that perfectly complemented the competitive spirit that we saw in the Sprint and Distance events.

U10 Men Skate Sprint Final

U14s athlete Isla Harriss shared her thoughts on the weekend:

"I loved competing, the courses were great and I'm happy and proud of my results. [A highlight was] having fun with my cross country ski friends in between races and cheering on my friends in older or younger age groups than me. And getting medals, of course."

Isla Harriss (left) with sister Lily Harriss (right)

When asked about the main lesson that she took away from the weekend, she said:

“Anything can happen, it's so exciting and sometimes my heart was in my mouth watching other competitors so you just have to give it all every time."

We would like to extend many thanks to the officials and volunteers who made this weekend of racing possible and ensured it ran so smoothly. Chief of Course, Andrew Hall, and The Falls Creek Grooming Team put in a tremendous effort to build courses and get the event off the ground despite sub-optimal snow conditions.

Race Official at Race Start

We are looking forward to seeing the athletes build on what they learnt this past weekend at the National Junior Championships in Perisher on August 22/23.

The full 2026 Victorian Junior/U23 Sprint results are available via this link and the Distance results are available via this link.