RUMFORD — No one was going to catch Holly Brooks.

Not this time.

Brooks, who burst onto the U.S. skiing scene in a big way less than two years ago as a surprise Olympic qualifier for the 2010 Games in Vancouver, continued her storybook rise in the sport Sunday in the opening event of the 2011 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships at Black Mountain of Maine.

After qualifying first overall in a field of 144 women, Brooks advanced through the quarterfinals and semifinals without winning her heats, losing twice to Eliska Hajkova after leading at about the halfway mark.

In the final, with another lead at the top of the final major climb of the 1.4-kilometer sprint course, Brooks turned on the jets.

“I honestly didn’t feel like I was skiing any faster than in my quarterfinal or my semifinal,” Brooks said, “I probably was, but I just, I didn’t think it was going to happen. In the quarters and semis, I was in first at the top of the course, and Eliska would just come gliding past me. I was worried that was going to happen in the final, too. I heard people saying near the end that I could slow down, but there was no way in hell I was slowing down.”

Not bad for a skier who never raced in the NCAA championships while attending Whitman College from 2001-04.

Since then, Brooks has been an instructor and coach in Alaska. In 2006, she joined the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center. For the past four years, Brooks has served as the head junior coach for APUNSC. In addition, she coaches an adult master’s training program as well as a women’s only ski group.

She started competing recreationally in 2009, and quickly rose through the U.S. ranks, earning a spot on the 2010 Olympic team. In Vancouver, she competed in five events. Her best finish was 12th in the 4-x-5K relay, and her best individual finish was 36th in the 30-kilometer event.

“I was here back in (2003), and I’m sure I got 120th,” Brooks said. “So I’ll take the improvement.”

Brooks said Sunday she plans to ski the rest of this week’s events, as well.

American vacation

Torin Koos is probably pretty happy he made the trip back to the United States for this one.

The first skier out of the gate in morning qualifying, Koos was the second-fastest male skier of qualifying, placed second in his quarterfinal heat and then skied off with victories in the semifinal and final rounds to claim the men’s title.

“It was a long, hard day, especially with the snow,” Koos said. “You really have to be tough out there, there’s not a lot of glide. There’s a lot of striding, the double-poling takes a lot of power because your sinking down a bit. But it was a good feeling to go out there and run the race.”

Koos set his sights on the crown early, and made sure that, while he raced well, he didn’t waste his energy.

“I thought the rounds went pretty solid,” Koos said. “The quarterfinals, I just planned on skiing super relaxed and coming through at the end. There was a spot where the snow was receding, we went from four tracks to two tracks, and I almost got myself into trouble there. From then on, I decided I’d try to ski a little bit more toward the front, stay out of the trouble.”

In the final, there was no mistake at all. Koos, in his bright orange uniform, charged down the final straightaway well in front of the next racers, Michael Sinnott and Skyler Davis.

Koos is another U.S. Olympian. The son of a former U.S. biathlon skier, Koos started skiing growing up in Washington state. He skied and ran cross country and track for the University of Utah and, given a World Cup start when another athlete was sick in 2001, Koos made the most of his debut, finishing 12th in a sprint. He hasn’t missed an Olympics or World Championships since then as he became the first U.S. Ski Team racer fully committed to sprinting.

In 2010 at the Vancouver Games, Koos placed 26th in the individual sprint classic event, ninth in the team sprint freestyle and 13th in the 4-x-10 kilometer relay classic/freestyle.

This winter, Koos has taken a different training approach, spending much of the early season in Europe.

“I don’t race much domestically, so this is a good chance for me to see what the competition here in the U.S. is like,” Koos said. “This year, I’m skiing away from the U.S. Ski Team. I’m racing with a professional club in Norway, and it’s going really well. I was there for five weeks, and from here, I’m going to go over to Switzerland and train with the Swiss National Team over there and hopefully get the chance to rip it up for the USA at the World Championships.”

Koos said Sunday was one of three events in which he’d participate, saying four event in six days is a bit harsh on the body.

The events at Black Mountain continue Tuesday with a timed distance race. Freestyle distance races are Thursday, with freestyle sprints finishing out the week Saturday at the Rumford mountain.