On March 24, 1986, James Oksoktaruk — representing the tiny Inupiat village of White Mountain — defied all odds by winning the national junior Nordic ski championship 5-kilometer race at Royal Gorge in California. His performance at the competition included two relay golds and an individual bronze. Then in 1989 “Jimmy O” earned the Skimeister as Alaska’s top performer for state champion West Anchorage High School. Oksoktaruk remains the only Alaska Native with these accomplishments in Nordic skiing.  He died in 2015.

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