Vernon, BC – David Nighbor double poled his way to victory in the men's Nor-Am classic sprint yesterday.
The 24-year-old Nighbor, who is known more for his strength as a distance skier, chose to forgo kick wax on the 1.1 kilometer course. With heavy snow dumping down on the Sovereign Lake track, Nighbor’s technique choice was used by the top-30 athletes in the men’s field.
“I just find in the fresh snow the grip grabs easy and slows down the skis. It may be a bit slower off the start, but once you get your speed you can maintain it better,†said Nighbor, of North Bay, Ont. “It was a great day for me today. I knew if I could get to the final I could just rely on my technique and hammer it out in the end.â€
While North America’s best senior development athletes may have matched Nighbor’s technique, they could not match his endurance. After a hard-fought semifinal which ended in a photo finish, Nighbor took control of the men’s final for his first victory of the young season.
Anders Haugen (APUNSC/Rossignol) posted his best finish of the young season, crossing the line in second, closely followed by Mikey Sinnott (SVSEF/Saab Salomon Factory Team). Alex Harvey, winner of last weekend's Nor-Am sprint, finished fourth, and top qualifier Garrott Kuzzy (CXC) took fifth. Kuzzy's qualifying time of 2:27.29 was just .06 seconds faster than the number two man, Stephen Terrell (CAN), who ended up 9th on the day.
