Drew Goldsack and Devon Kershaw on the podium - Drew leading the pack
photos: Arnd Hemmersbach
SAPPORO, JPN—Canada’s dynamic men’s sprint duo of Drew Goldsack and Devon Kershaw teamed up to finish sixth in the team sprint event at the 2007 World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan on Friday.
Goldsack, of Red Deer, Alta., and Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., shook off a disappointing opening day, and skated through a tough qualifying heat to advance to the finals after finishing third, and moved onto a thrilling final where they settled for sixth spot after posting a time of 17 minutes 54.9 seconds.
“The men’s race was fantastic,” said Dave Wood, head coach, Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “They had a really tough first heat to qualify and they finished in third, with the top-five advancing. In the final, they were with the front group the whole way, but the crash in front of Drew in the last 500 metres really held them up. If not for the crash, they would have been in a sprint for the podium.”
It was a dramatic finish in the men’s final that saw the Olympic champions from Sweden crash in the final leg. Goldsack managed to make his way around the downed Swedish skier, but did lose some contact with the snow. He fought back to take sixth-place, just over four seconds out of the gold medal position set by the Italians who crossed the line first with a time of 17:50.6. The Russians finished second in the photo finish at 17:50.6; while the Czech Republic grabbed the final spot on the podium at 17:51.3.
“It is really gratifying for these guys to see that they measure up against the world’s best,” said Wood. “They can see themselves fighting for a podium spot in this event, and that will only serve to boost their confidence for the rest of the events this week.”
As the defending Olympic silver medallists in the women’s team sprint, the Canadian team came into Friday’s race with all eyes on them. With Beckie Scott now retired and Sara Renner taking the year off after the birth of her daughter, it was up to Chandra Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., and Sarah Daitch, of Fort Smith, N.W.T., to carry the torch for Canada. Crawford and Daitch put in a solid effort but were unable to qualify for the finals, and finished 15th.
“The girls came out fighting but slowed a bit in the end,” said Wood. “It’s unfortunate that they were unable to make the finals, but on the whole it was a good day for them. The entire team came into the race with a great attitude. The wax technicians were bang on today, and the end result was a really positive race day for the Canadian team.”
Virpi Kuitunen, part of the team that won bronze for Finland at last year's Olympics, led her team to the gold medal with a time of 16:20.9, beating out Germany (16:21.6), who took the silver. The defending champions from Norway finished over three seconds back at 16:24.0, settling for the bronze-medal position.
The 2007 World Championships continue in Sapporo, Japan on Saturday with the men’s 30-kilometre pursuit.
Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 45,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including members of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.
Men’s top-five and Canadian results:
1. Italy, 17:50.6; 2. Russia, 17:50.6; 3. Czech Republic, 17:51.3; 4. Germany, 17:51.4; 5. Poland, 17:51.5; 6. Canada – Drew Goldsack, Red Deer, Alta., and Devon Kershaw, Sudbury, Ont., 17:54.9
Women’s top-five results:
1. Finland, 16:20.9; 2. Germany, 16:21.6; 3. Norway, 16:24.0; 4. Sweden, 16:40.5; 5. Kazakhstan, 16:42.8.
Canadian Results:
15. Canada – Chandra Crawford, Canmore, Alta., and Sarah Daitch, Fort Smith, N.W.T., semifinals
*****
