The Devon Kershaw Show: 2021 World Championship Team Sprint with Alex Harvey (And a 10th Anniversary Celebration Concerning Oslo 2011)

In this Sunday, World Championship team sprint episode of the Devon Kershaw Show, we have a special guest from Québec , the actual Prince of Québec … Alex Harvey.

It has been ten short or long years since he and Kershaw won the classic team sprint at the 2011 Oslo World Championships. First off, before listening to the episode today…check out the videos posted below.

Devon Kershaw (l) and Alex Harvey celebrate their World Championships gold in 2011 in Oslo, Norway.

To set the scene, this win goes down at the Holmenkollen, the Shangri La of cross-country skiing. The Holmenkollen is hallowed ground.

Devon Kershaw leads his Canadian teammate Andy Shields during the 2018 Holmenkollen 50 k freestyle mass start on March 10 in Olso, Norway. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Think dense fog rolling in from Oslo fjord – a hundred thousand fans lining the course and stomping in the stands – there to witness the Canadians overtake a Norwegian in the final straight to win the team sprint. Back then, Harvey and Kershaw were a decade younger but no less wise. But we’ll let them tell the story.

Harvey (C) powers to the line ahead of Ola Vigen Hattestad (L) and Alexander Panzhinskiy (R) for the 2011 World Champs win in Oslo.

For now, their win in Oslo is a good spine tingle for these times. They remind us of the gift of crowds and that anything can happen when the stars and maybe a little fog align.

Here are some solid videos to time-machine back and relive the scene:

1) The call from British Eurosport

2) The scene on the grind from former Canadian National Team athlete George Grey

Indeed, we do get to the 2021 World Championships too. Kershaw and Harvey chat about the sunny day’s racing in the freestyle team sprint won by Norway on the men’s side and Sweden for the women.

Thanks for listening.