Liliane Gagnon wins Canada’s fourth consecutive medal at FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Ski Championships – Canada’s medal total climbs to four

SCHILPARIO, Italy – February 7, 2025 – Team Canada is having an unprecedented championships with four consecutive podium finishes. For the second time this week, Quebec City’s Liliane Gagnon claimed bronze, this time in the U23 women’s 10-kilometre interval start free. Gagnon finished in a time of 33:13, behind Germany’s Helen Hoffmann (32:35) and Australia’s Rosie Fordham (33:02). 

“I wasn’t expecting this successful of a championships—and it’s not over yet,” said Gagnon. “Today was actually a bit more expected, if I can say that. My classic race is still my proudest race so far, but today feels great because I had been thinking about this race for a long time. Being able to deliver on a tough course in these conditions is a great feeling.” 

It was a strong day for Team Canada, with five additional top-30 finishes. In the women’s race, Whitehorse’s Sonjaa Schmidt finished eighth, while Rossland’s Jasmine Drolet placed 23rd. In the men’s race, Thunder Bay’s Max Hollmann was 12th, Calgary’s Tom Stephen finished 13th, and Whitehorse’s Sasha Masson rounded out the top 30. 

Gagnon maintained strong positioning throughout the race, hovering in second and third at key splits. “Usually in a 10K individual start, I go out pretty hard because for a long time, I struggled with pacing and not going fast enough,” she explained. “But today, with rough conditions and a tough course, I really focused on pacing myself. I actually didn’t start too fast, and I think that paid off. It was a long grind, and I needed that energy for the rest of the race.” 

She crossed the finish line in second and had a tense wait for the final results. “I knew the Swedish girl had won everything else, but I also knew skate isn’t her strongest,” said Gagnon. “The real danger today was Germany’s Helen Hoffmann, who ended up winning. When I saw the Swedish skier was a bit further back, I had a feeling I was going to get it. It was a pretty good feeling—not having to wait too long was nice, too, because otherwise, it would have been a pretty stressful wait.” 

Canada has two more opportunities to add to its medal haul in Sunday’s relays. No stranger to the relay podium, Canada won gold in the U23 mixed relay in 2024. 

Gagnon credits the team’s collective momentum for their success so far. “We’re all pushing each other and riding the same wave,” she said. “Everyone is performing so well, and it just lifts the whole team up. I think that’s a big factor in our success at these championships, and hopefully, it carries on to senior world championships as well. It’s really encouraging to see Canada up there—it gives us that extra push we need.” 

Full Results: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=CC&raceid=47132