[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5054]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO KIKKAN RANDALL

 Mr. BEGICH. Madam President, I wish to recognize Kikkan 
Randall, an Olympic athlete and World Champion Nordic skier from 
Anchorage, AK. On March 18, 2012, Kikkan was awarded the Joska crystal 
globe as the Cross Country World Cup sprint champion, recognizing her 
as the world's top sprint ski racer. She clinched the sprint title in 
Drammen, Norway, despite breaking a binding and skiing on one ski for 
part of the race. Nevertheless, Kikkan secured the sprint title with a 
World Cup record that included four podium finishes. This victory makes 
Kikkan the first American to win a World Cup Nordic skiing title since 
Bill Koch in 1982.
  Kikkan made her Olympic debut in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt 
Lake City. Since then, she has represented the United States in the 
2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2010 Kikkan finished eighth in the 
sprint competition, registering the best ever Olympic finish for a 
female American Nordic skier.
  Kikkan has been a role model for thousands of young athletes through 
her extensive community involvement and encouragement of a healthy and 
active lifestyle. She has worked with young athletes and trained with 
her fellow Alaskans as a member of the Alaska Pacific University Nordic 
Ski Team. Her hard work, training, and dedication have clearly paid 
off. She is an inspiration to young skiers and athletes everywhere.
  I would like to congratulate Kikkan on her championship season and 
wish her the best of luck as she trains for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, 
Russia. All of Alaska is proud of Kikkan and her 
accomplishments.

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