Canadian Olympic best ever result for 20-year-old cross-country skier Alison Mackie

Alison Mackie had never sat in the leader’s chair before the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

But the 20-year-old cross-country skier got that opportunity on Day 6, in the women’s 10km interval start event. Upon crossing the finish line, she held the fastest time of all finishers to that point and took a seat.

Mackie knew it would be short-lived. She’d started 23rd out of 111 competitors in a race where the athletes’ starts were staggered in 30-second intervals. Still...