The Individual Sprint Classic event in Cross Country couldn’t be more aptly named or simpler in concept and tactics. Take off, go flat out for 1.2 kilometres (women) or 1.4 kilometres (men), and hope your time is fast enough to take you through to the next round.

In the qualification race, skiers take off at 15-second intervals, and those with the best 30 times move through to five quarter-finals of six skiers each.

The first two to finish each quarter-final, plus the two fastest skiers of the remaining 20, make it through to the semi-final round, where it’s the same again – first and second-placed skiers from each of the semis plus the two next fastest are the six through to the gold-medal race.

Australians Esther Bottomley and Paul Murray, both based at Mt Beauty in Victoria and both at their second Winter Games, couldn’t be more excited about being back for another Olympic experience, four years on from Turin.

“I think I’m a lot more relaxed than last time,” 32-year-old Murray said. “I don’t feel as nervous and I’m a lot more confident that we’ve done everything we can and there’s no real doubting should I have done something different.

“I know that I’ve done everything I can to be here in the best possible shape, and that gives you an extra bit of confidence, I guess,” he added.

As with all athletes – and most things, for that matter – good preparation makes a difference, and Murray believes the Australian support team, including coaches, ski test pilots and wax technicians, gives him and Bottomley outstanding back-up.

“We were here for a world cup last year and we know the track really well and we’ve got a really good service team, so I don’t need to worry about the conditions – I know I’m going to have good skis – so I just have to worry about skiing fast,” Murray explained.

Bottomley agreed that the service crew had helped them get the most from their training sessions on the course at Whistler Olympic Park.

“Everything’s been going really well. Conditions have been changing a lot but when we get up there, our skis are all prepared and off we go,” the 27-year-old said of their week or so of training.

“The conditions here can play a big part in the racing. In ten minutes it can start snowing and then clear up again so the skis play a bigger part in those sorts of conditions.”

Both Murray and Bottomley also feel that they’ve lifted their form after a slow start to the season.

“It’s definitely on the way up. I haven’t been skiing as fast as what I had planned on at the start of the season but last week’s world cup was a good indicator that things are moving in the right direction and if everything goes well then I’m on the bubble of making that top 30 and making the finals,” Murray said.

“The past couple of months I’ve been skiing well and feeling good, so hopefully that will lead me into a good result,” Bottomley explained.

“I just want to get around the course feeling like I’ve skied well, every corner hard and the hill well, then I’ll be happy. I guess always the ultimate goal is to make the top 30, but I’m usually in the 40s in world cup, so that would be an outstanding performance if I could make the finals.”

Murray Brust
AOC - Whistler