Lukas Pigott
Special to the Star
Nelson's Julien Locke finished 20th overall in his event at the FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Cup in Quebec City on March 17.
Locke's result was in the 1.65-kilometre skate sprint event, which saw him ski the first half of the race controlled and then attack from the bottom of the hill.
That effort meant he qualified in 25th place and was one of the 30 athletes that would make it to the heats.
As his quarter-final progressed, Locke started at the back out of six skiers but moved up to finish fourth ahead of top skiers Emil Iverson (Norway) and Marcus Hellner (Sweden). Hellner was the sprint world champion in 2011.
In order for Locke to advance to the semifinal he needed to be first or second or be one of the two "lucky losers."
However, the next two heats were faster than Locke's and so he did not advance to the semifinal.
It was still a promising result for Locke in only his second World Cup race, beating several skiers with world championship and Olympic medal credentials.
After the World Cup finals, Locke got on a plane to Canmore, Alta., for the Haywood Ski Nationals on March 22 in which he placed seventh in the sprint.