-Alex Harvey, son of Olympian Pierre Harvey, follows in father’s tracks-
Canmore, Alta-Canada’s reigning junior women’s cross-country ski champion, Perianne Jones of Almonte, Ont., will lead a solid group of six elite athletes when they compete with the world’s best at the Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Rovaniemi, Finland, March 21-26, 2005.
The 20-year-old powerhouse, who dominated the Canadian Championships earlier this month in Prince George, B.C. – completing a gold medal hat trick by winning all three junior women’s individual races – is looking to cap off her sensational season with a top-10 result at the junior world championships.
“Last year I ended up 13th in the sprint, and I will definitely be looking to better my performance,” said Jones, who will be competing in her third, and final, world junior championships. “The senior team has set an amazing standard for us, and hopefully we can follow in their footsteps.”
Jones will be joined on the junior women’s team by budding star, Amanda Ammar of Edmonton, Alta., who at 19 years of age has been consistently earning podium finishes throughout the Haywood NorAm Canada Cup circuit this season.
Cross Country Canada will also follow the international tracks of five junior men at this year’s premier junior event. Brent McMurtry of Calgary and Chris Werrell of Burns Lake, B.C., will both strap on the skis at the junior world championships for the second consecutive year. The two male Canucks are both expected to make an impact among the globe’s top junior skiers. McMurtry, 18, has been making significant strides on Canada’s junior team and keeping pace with senior athletes racing in domestic competitions throughout the season. Werrell, 20, has established himself as the top junior sprinter in the country.
“The level of competition for men in Canada, with both the junior and senior teams, is definitely being raised,” said Alain Parent, head coach, Canadian Junior Cross-Country Ski Team. “It has taken a while, but we are developing an incredibly strong group of talented cross-country skiers, who will continue to develop as they respond to the influence of racing at the international level.”