King Completes Trek to Olympics in Style

Suzanne King, her Olympic berth already secure, collected a $10,000 bonus Friday by winning a two-day cross-country ski race and becoming the only double winner in the U.S. Ski Team Olympic trials.

King, who opened the cross-country competition Tuesday by winning the 15-kilometer freestyle race, capped a big week with the best overall time in an event made up of Thursday’s 5K classic and Friday’s 10K freestyle pursuit.

The schoolteacher from Minneapolis, clearly the best among the freestylers in this first-ever Olympic qualifier, went 10K Friday in 32 minutes 31.9 seconds for a two-day aggregate of 50:08.9. Laura Wilson of Ketchum, Idaho, was second, 9.9 seconds behind overall and 39.9 seconds behind on Friday.

In the men’s competition, Justin Wadsworth, 29 seconds behind leader Marcus Nash after the first segment, won the 15K pursuit Friday in 42 minutes 31.8 seconds. His overall time of 1 hour 12 minutes 25.8 seconds was 15.1 seconds ahead of John Bauer and 53.6 better than Nash. He also won a $10,000 bonus.

On Friday night at the Lake Placid jump complex, Matt Chojnacki and Tracy Evans, both of Park City, Utah, won the freestyle aerials competition.

With the completion of the cross-country phase, King and Petty were assured of berths with the women’s team and Marc Gilbertson, Nash and Wadsworth with the men.