2026 FIS World Junior/U23 Championships
Lillehammer, Norway
March 2-8, 2026
March 1st, 2026
My day started off around 7:00 when I headed down to breakfast. At the Scandic hotel in Hafjell, we ate in a buffet style restaurant with many other athletes from different countries competing at the WJC. For this morning’s breakfast, I chose crepes, eggs, cheese, fruit, and some delicious Norwegian jams.
I did not get a start in the 20km mass start so I made my way to the Birkenbeiner ski stadium on the charter bus to go for a classic ski. It was a beautiful, sunny day—perfect for skiing! While I was not racing, my teammates were busy breaking records. Ruby, Louison and Zach all cracked the top six, and many other Canadians finished in the top 30! In the late afternoon, I went for a short run and stretched in the hotel gym before joining my teammates at dinner. We wrapped up the evening with a team meeting before retiring to our rooms for the night.
By Eula Palmer-Bird (Sovereign Lake Nordic Club)
March 5th, U23 20km day.
With great weather, and some heavy medal favourites for the race, Thursday was shaping up to be a very exiting day. After some more buffet breaky, the juniors hopped on the bus up to the venue. The women were first out on course. We cheered our loudest as we watched Alison Mackie win gold in a nail biter of a finish. In the subsequent men’s race, Xavier Mckeever took home a bronze in another chaotic and intense sprint finish. With a heap of stellar results, including two medals, we were all in a great mood as we headed out for a training ski. Some of us did race prep whilst others explored the trails around Lillehammer. The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for races, doing schoolwork, or playing foosball in the hotel.
By Finn Redman (Telemark Nordic Club)
March 7th
Saturday, March 7th was the 10km classic race for the U23s. For the whole week, non-racers would decide if they wanted to do something in town, go training, or watch the races. Louison, Ella, and Sarah-Eve went to the Swix store, but on their way they had to cross a snow bank, and Sarah-Eve managed to lose a shoe in the process. After digging through the snow bank for fifteen minutes and almost missing their bus, they decided to leave it. With one shoe walking through Lillehammer, Sarah-Eve searched to buy some new shoes.
At the race venue, we watched Katya, Alison, Marlie, and Anna have some great races despite super wet and slow conditions. Xavier, Luke, Noah, and Justin raced super well even though the tracks had iced up a ton since the girls' race. We had our last dinner at the Scandic hotel, and then had our team meeting about the following day (relay day)!
By Madeleine Wilkie (Larch Hills Nordic Society)
Results: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=CC&eventid=62427&seasoncode=2026
Previous reports from the 2026 WJC:
https://www.crosscountrybc.ca/2026-fis-world-junioru23-championships-update-1
https://www.crosscountrybc.ca/bc-athletes-2026-world-junioru23-championships-update-2
https://www.crosscountrybc.ca/c-athletes-2026-world-junioru23-championships-update-3
https://www.crosscountrybc.ca/bc-athletes-2026-world-junioru23-championships-update-4
https://www.crosscountrybc.ca/bc-athletes-2026-world-junioru23-championships-update-5
https://www.crosscountrybc.ca/bc-athletes-2026-world-junioru23-championships-update-6
BC Athletes Competing in the 2028 World Jr/U23 Championships
Eamon Wilson (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club, Burnaby)
Ella Fuller (Fernie Nordic Ski Club)
Eula Palmer-Bird (Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, Vernon)
Finn Redman (Telemark Nordic Club, Kelowna)
Louison Dubief (Fernie Nordic Ski Club)
Madeleine Wilkie (Larch Hills Nordic Society, Salmon Arm)
Marlie Molinaro (Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club)
Raleigh Tarte (Kimberley Nordic Club)
Ruby Serrouya (Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club)
