Five years of misfortune turned into one perfect day for Ely's Erin Bianco, who won the Girls' Nordic Ski Racing individual championship Thursday at Giants Ridge in Biwabik.
Bianco was in second place behind Cloquet-Esko-Carlton's Anja Maijala after the freestyle race but caught Maijala in the classic race and finished in a time of 32:20.7.
Maijala took second. She skied with an injured shoulder that hampered her in the classic race, which requires more effort with poles. St. Paul Highland Park's Erin Moening was third.
Bianco was making her sixth consecutive state tournament appearance but had never before finished higher than 17th. Something always seemed to go wrong.
"I never really thought this would happen," Bianco said. "I'd think about it and then put it out of my mind, like 'No, no, no.' I was always sick or I'd fall."
But Thursday broke sunny and warm and Bianco, by her admission, felt better than she ever had in previous state meets.
"I just felt super fast and my skis were fast," she said. "But I was shocked when I saw my [freestyle] time. I thought I'd be, like, 10th at best."
Still, Bianco dared not let herself think she could actually win until she hit the final straightaway on the course.