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| RACES IN MONTANA —Canadians finish mid-field at World Cup in Finland |
Canada’s Madeleine Williams has her eye on a much bigger prize this year in qualifying for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in December, but she is content by starting the journey off with a golden performance on Saturday at a U.S. Super Tour event in West Yellowstone, Montana.
The Edmonton native, who has been a force to reckon with on the Haywood NorAm circuit over the last two years, stomped the field through the rolling women’s five-kilometer classic race, stopping the clock at 16 minutes 16.9 seconds.
“It was a good, tough race today. It is pretty high here and I just tried to stay relaxed and was able to do that,” said the 25-year-old Williams. “This time of year is really about seeing where my fitness is at. I feel like it is where I need it to be and I have focus now on skiing fast.”
Williams and the rest of the Canadian athletes will now head back to Canada where they will prepare for the Canadian Olympic Trials December 17-20.
“That really is my goal this year to make that team, and I am obviously looking forward to those races,” said Williams. “I will really target the distance races, and will now go and race an Alberta Cup and keep training so that I’m ready.”
Williams was not the only Canadian on the women’s podium. Dasha Gaiazova of Banff, Alberta completed her medal hat trick after finishing third to complete her medal collection of all colors this week. The 25-year-old Gaiazova, who also started the weekend off with a gold medal in the classic sprint qualifier, clocked a time of 16:25.9.
Holly Brooks, of the United States, was second at 16:22.6
On the men’s side of the draw it was Sean Crooks, of Thunder Bay, Ont., who stood as the lone Canadian on the podium. Crooks won the dash for third in the men’s 15-kilometer classic race with a time of 29:55.1.
Garrott Kuzzy, of the United States, captured his second gold medal of the week with a winning time of 29:25.8, while Chris Cook, of the United States, was second at 29:28.3.
Meanwhile, Canada’s elite cross country skiers struggled across the pond in Kuusamo, Finland on Saturday.
While no athletes qualified in the top-30 for the head-to-head heats of the classic sprint, Sara Renner, of Canmore, Alta., finished as the top Canadian in 42nd spot. Chandra Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., continued her comeback to the World Cup circuit with a 49th place finish, while Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., was 51st.
The Canadian men also struggled to find their top gear after a difficult week of preparation which saw the squad deal with significant flight delays for athletes heading to Finland, and their head coach, Inge Braten, breaking his hip on Thursday. Alex Harvey, of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., was 55th; Devon Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., was 60th; while Graham Nishikawa, of Whitehorse, was 76th; and Ivan Babikov, of Canmore, Alta., was 82nd.
“It was a tough week for us which may have affected our preparation,” said Dave Wood, team leader, Canadian Cross Country Ski Team, who was delayed more than 24 hours en route to Finland with Renner and George Grey. “We are going to regroup and hopefully see some better results tomorrow.”
Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk won the women’s race, whiel Norway’s Ola Vigen Hattestad finished on top of the men’s podium.
Complete Results: http://summittiming.com/races/race_results.php
Top-Five Women’s Results:
1. Madeleine Williams, Edmonton, 16:16.9; Holly Brooks, U.S.A., 16:22.6; 3. Dasha Gaiazova, Banff, Alta., 16:25.9; 4. Shayla Swanson, Calgary, 16:32.6; 5. Rosie Brennan, Dartmouth, N.S., 16:40.3.
Top-Five Men’s Results:
1. Garrott Kuzzy, U.S.A., 29:25.8; 2. Chris Cook, U.S.A., 29:28.3; 3. Sean Crooks, Thunder Bay, Ont., CAN, 29:55.1; 4. Stefan Kuhn, Canmore, Alta., 29:56.2; 5. Leif Zimmermann, U.S.A., 29:57.4
Complete World Cup Results; www.fis-ski.com
Top-Five Women’s Results and Canadians:
1.Justyna Kowalczyk, POL; 2. Petra Majdic, SLO; 3. Alena Prochazkova, SVK; 4. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, FIN; 5. Evegenia Shapovalova, RUS.
Canadian Results:
42. Sara Renner, Canmore, Alta.; 49. Chandra Crawford, Canmore, Alta.; 51. Perianne Jones, Almonte, Ont.
Top-Five Men’s Results and Canadians:
1. Ola Vigen Hattestad, NOR; 2. Oeystein Pettersen, NOR; 3. Nikita Kriukov, RUS; 4. John Kristian Dahl, NOR; 5. Kalle Lassila, FIN.
Canadian Results:
55. Alex Harvey, St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.; 60. Devon Kershaw, Sudbury, Ont.; 76. Graham Nishikawa, Whitehorse; 82. Ivan Babikov, Canmore, Alta.
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