Anna Stonehouse/The Aspen Times
Aspen skier Hamilton wraps up another world championship
Aspen native Simi Hamilton recently completed his fifth trip to the FIS World Ski Championships, held every two years. The 31-year-old, who had been fighting illness much of the season, had some solid results at the premier cross-country ski event in Seefeld, Austria.
He finished ninth in the Feb. 21 sprint final, eighth in the Feb. 24 team sprint final, and 34th in the 50-kilometer freestyle, which is not a common event for the sprint specialist.
Hamilton has competed in each world championship since 2011, he best result being fifth place in a team sprint at the 2017 competition in Finland. Hamilton is a three-time Olympian, twice having finished sixth in a team sprint (2014, 2018).
The World Cup season is fast approaching the finish, with the final scheduled for March 22-24 in Quebec, Canada. There still are two World Cup events in Norway and another in Sweden before finishing in North America.
Aspen’s Callahan earns cycling honors as student-athlete
Aspen native Kevin Callahan was named to USA Cycling’s fall 2018 class of Collegiate Academic All-Stars, it was announced Monday. The son of Aspen’s John Callahan, who competed in the 1992 Olympics as a cross-country skier, Kevin Callahan is a student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, where he is studying biology and competes on the school’s cycling team.
According to a press release, 72 athletes from across the nation were named to the all-star team. In order to qualify, athletes must have a term GPA of at least 3.5 and need to have competed in at least one of USA Cycling’s national championships.
Aspen Junior Hockey wins more championships over weekend
Aspen Junior Hockey added to its list of state champions over the weekend. At the Pepsi Center in Denver, the Aspen Leafs 19U AA team won the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association state championship by beating the Littleton Hawks in a best-of-three series. Aspen won the first game, 1-0, and the second, 3-2, for the sweep.
With the win, the team will compete March 15 to 18 as the top seed in the Rocky Mountain District championship tournament. The 19U A girls recently won the Mountain States Girls Hockey League title for the second straight season, going 26-0-1 overall.
Also winning a state championship this past weekend was the Aspen Leafs 16U AA girls team. They went undefeated in a three-team double elimination tournament for the their second straight CAHA title. The 16U team also will advance to the RMD championship as the top seed.
acolbert@aspentimes.com