FS Podcast: Skiing for the Maple Leaf, Living in Oslo — It’s Devon Kershaw

As long as the Canadian men’s national ski team has been a force, Devon Kershaw’s name has been synonymous with that success. As recently as 2012, Kershaw finished the season ranked second overall in the final World Cup standings. And in 2011, along with teammate Alex Harvey, he won the classic team sprint at World Championships in Oslo, Norway.

Beyond his Oslo win, Kershaw has settled for the time being with his wife, former Norwegian ski star Kristin Størmer Steira. The two live close to downtown Oslo where Kershaw has found a profoundly livable city; it’s easy to find world-class training and as he works on his Norwegian, he can default to English. Kershaw says nearly the entire population can converse in perfect English.

At 33, and having been on the international ski scene for over a decade, Kershaw speaks with experience and authority when it comes to the evolution of the sport. Then there’s the dark side exposed bare this July with the release of the McLaren report.

“As an athlete, I’m just getting a bit sick of lip service. How much lip service do we need to take? It’s either a priority for us, for like, WADA, IOC, FIS … or it is not,” Kershaw said in the podcast.

Kershaw notes he’ll continue competing through the 2018 Winter Olympics, then it’s most likely back to school for the Sudbury, Ontario, native.

Listen to the full podcast here by clicking the play button below.