Source: Cross Country Canada (cccski.com)
-Canadian nordic skiers rise to occasion in front of hometown crowd-
Canmore, Alta.-Canada’s cross-country ski queens, Beckie Scott and Sara Renner, teamed up to win their first ever silver medal in the team sprint relay on Sunday at the Alberta Centennial World Cup in Canmore, Alta.
“This has been a dream week and I am so happy we were able to rise to the occasion at home,” said Scott, who quickly moved into third place on the overall World Cup rankings for the first time in her career yesterday. “I think the team sprint is the most intense race on the World Cup, and it was difficult out there today.”
With Scott being the frontrunner, and Renner anchoring, the Canadian duo blazed through to the 10-nation final after winning their qualification heat. The twosome played cat-and-mouse with the German team throughout the final round, which sees each athlete racing around the 1.1-kilometre track three times each. Athletes tag their partner after each lap.
Scott gave Renner a slight lead at the exchange into the final lap, but the powerful German team, anchored by Viola Bauer, overcame the Canadian in the sprint to the wire in front of thousands of screaming fans. The Canadian team crossed the line with a time of 18 minutes 39.6 seconds.
“I wasn’t thinking anything.
The silver medal victory for Scott and Renner on Sunday caps off a remarkable nine-day World Cup stint for the Canadian women, which saw them lag more than 100 kilometres of competitive racing between the two of them at the first World Cup cross-country skiing events on home snow in Vernon, B.C. and Canmore, Alta.
During the five events, Beckie Scott, of Vermilion, Alta., doubled her World Cup career medal total from five-to-10 after stepping onto the podium in each of the disciplines in Canada, while Sara Renner, of Canmore, Alta., won the first two World Cup medals of her career.
The German team of Manuela Henkel and Viola Bauer finished on top at 18:38.6, while the Swedish team of Lina Andersson and Anna Dahlberg captured the bronze medal with a time of 18:45.4.
Two other Canadian women thrilled the hometown crowd of 4,000 people who lined the stadium for the team sprint. World Cup rookie, Chandra Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., and two-time Olympian, Milaine Theriault, of St. Quentin, N.B., teamed up to finish ninth (19:33.9).
Canada also suited up three teams in the men’s division. While none of the Canucks moved into the final from the heats, Drew Goldsack of Red Deer, Alta., and George Grey, of Rossland, B.C. finished 12th (16:55.8), and 22-year-olds Phil Widmer, of Banff, Alta., and Sean Crooks, of Thunder Bay, Ont., teamed up to finish 13th (16:56.5).
Norway’s Jens Arne Svartedal and Eldar Roenning won the men’s team sprint with a time of 16:22.4, while the Sweden I team of Bjoern Lind and Thobias Frekriksson finished second (16:22.5) ahead of their teammates Mats Larsson and Mikael Oestberg, who settled for third after crossing the line at 16:28.1.