No American junior was better than Durango’s Cully Brown at the Nordic skiing Junior World Championships 10-kilometer classic race.

Brown, a sophomore at the University of Vermont and a Durango native, competed for Team USA on Tuesday in Rasnov, Romania. He finished the 10-kilometer classic race in 30 minutes, 59.7 seconds to take 35th overall and finish as the top United States athlete in the event.

This Junior World Championships were Brown’s big goal this season, and he didn’t disappoint in his first of two races this week. He is set to compete again Friday in the 15-kilometer skate race.

It is Brown’s third trip to Europe for Nordic skiing. The former Durango Nordic Ski Club competitor moved to Vail his junior year of high school to attend the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and earned a scholarship to ski at Vermont, where his older brother, Rogan, also competed until he graduated last spring.

Brown is the son of Brent and Lynn Brown. He is also an elite paddler on the Team USA canoe and kayak team.

Brown qualified for the Junior World Championships with a third-place finish in the 15K classic and fourth in the 10K skating event at the U.S. Nationals in Houghton, Michigan in January.

Also in Romania this week is former Durango Nordic coach Evan Elliott, who is working as a U23 coach and wax technician for the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy competitors.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com