Upper Yarra
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022
Researching the Yarra River’s ‘poor’ water rating
Yarra Ranges Council’s tribute to former staff
Black Saturday, etched in the memory of community
Rock the Valley will be rocking our world
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The Wright stuff
Casey Wright competing in the sprint at the Swiss Championships, Sparenmoos Switzerland. Picture: MANUEL LUSTI ing undergoes a test event two seasons prior to the Olympics, but due to Covid-19, this was canceled. This left Wright and other competi-
tors unaware of the conditions of the course, making an already difficult preparation harder. “We were told it will be is apparently simi-
lar to the one we had in Pyeongchang in 2018,” she said prior to the Games. “It will be good just to get there and check it out.” Wright also had never had the opportunity to compete or train in China before the Olympics, and all of the courses were made specifically for the event. “It’s my first time to China. All of these racecourses have been made for the Olympics,” she said. “Apart from potentially the Chinese athletes, no one has actually seen these courses before.” The only other Australian competitor in Wright’s events was Jessica Yeaton, who finished 52nd and 51st respectively. Wright made her Olympic debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where she finished 63rd in the same event and 81st in the women’s 10km. Despite lacking the picturesque alpine regions across the northern hemisphere, Wright vouched that Australian skiing conditions are great for young aspiring skiers. “Honestly, the skiing in Australia is some of the best skiing I’ve ever done. Skiing up on the high plains can’t be beaten,” she said. She attended Mount Lilydale Mercy College as a teenager, where she is recognised with a display detailing her achievements on the school grounds. Wright spent the last few years of high school juggling competing and schooling, going on her first international trip when she was 17. She then went on to attend university in Alaska in the United States, competing for the University of Alaska Anchorage college ski team.
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Casey Wright, who hails from Don Valley, competed valiantly in her cross country skiing events at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. “I couldn’t have given any more. At the top of that last climb I was so deep in the box I was seeing stars,” she said “In those moments I almost see it as a life or death situation. I can either curl up on this bit of the track and give up or embrace the pain, keep pushing, and make it to the finish.” Unfortunately, she failed to get past the qualification stage of the women’s cross country skiing sprint and finished 67th in the women’s 10km classic, a 14 place improvement on her position in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. In the sprint, Wright finished in 65th position in qualifying, not quite enough to progress to the next stage. Wright had hoped to qualify for the finals of the sprint but understood it wouldn’t be an easy process. “The top 30 times from a time trial at the start qualify for the finals. That’s definitely the goal,” she said. “But I am competing at the Olympics in a world-class field. So it’s often easier said than done.” Preparation for the Olympics was difficult with two years of minimal racing. “Last summer I was based in Australia, I didn’t make it overseas because of the travel restrictions and Covid. It was my first summer in Australia in 10 years,” Wright said. The initial Olympic qualification period took place throughout December last year before Wright also competed in major races over New Year’s. Normally, the course for cross country ski-