Emily Nishikawa and Erik Bjornsen picked up their first victories of the season in the Black Jack NorAm freestyle sprints on Saturday in Rossland, B.C., coming out on top of heats that were jam-packed with tactics, crashes and tight finishes.
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Another cold one at Sovereign Lake kept the organizers and athletes scrambling in temperatures around -20 degrees Celsius, but the end result was an exciting first NorAm of the season, with two Americans taking the top spots in the men's 15 k and Heidi Widmer winning the 10 k skate.
Because the Olympics only come around every four years, domestic races hold even more value in the months leading up to the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. In Canada, they’ll determine who will fill approximately four remaining spots on the Olympic nordic team. The fun starts this weekend at Sovereign Lake, British Columbia.
If you noticed the slew of photos from a ski race in the Yukon last week, you weren't dreaming. The second-annual JP Grand Prix, hosted in a backyard in Whitehorse, was held on Friday complete with live music, a barbecue, TV crew and, yes, snow. Welcome to the world's coolest ski race.
For their unmatched performances on the domestic circuit this season, Torin Koos and Rosie Brennan are FasterSkier's 2013 Continental Skiers of the Year.
Canadian World Cup Team members Dasha Gaiazova and Lenny Valjas demonstrated how classic sprinting is done at Canadian Nationals on Thursday, winning their respective qualifiers and later commanding the finals to achieve national titles.
Gaiazova Shakes Off Jet Lag to Dominate Canadian Nationals 10 k Classic; McMurtry Captures First National Title in 15 k
Gerry FursethMarch 27, 2013
Fresh off a flight from Sweden, Dasha Gaiazova entered her first race of Canadian Nationals firing all cylinders, beating Japan's Chisa Obayasi by nearly 1 1/2 minutes in Tuesday's 10 k classic interval start in Whistler, B.C. Brent McMurtry captured his first national title in the men's 15 k, 23 seconds ahead of Norway's Rune Ødegärd.
Heidi Widmer, 22, rolled to her first individual gold and second title in as many days of racing at Canadian Nationals, while the 33-year-old IPC World Cup extraordinaire Brian McKeever won his first Canadian championship just days after flying from Sochi, Russia. Caitlin Gregg and Eliska Hajkova of the U.S. took first and second overall in the 5 k freestyle, and Canadians swept the men's 10 k podium.
Jess Cockney stayed upright despite a tangle in the finishing straight to notch his second-straight team sprint title with Brent McMurtry at Canadian Nationals on Saturday, and Marlis Kromm and Heidi Widmer skied to a nearly 10-second victory in the women's race.
Alex Harvey hung with the group for the first half of Sunday's 50 k, but dropped out of contention and didn't have the skis or the body to catch back up in the final race of the 2013 World Championships. He finished 28th, Graham Nishikawa was 48th and Ivan Babikov pulled out halfway through.
Ivan Babikov had one of the best races of his life on Wednesday with a career-best fourth in the World Championships 15 k freestyle. After a slow start, the man affectionately known as the Canadian "Bulldog" raced to one of the best finishing times, about 30 seconds off the podium.
Seeking Another Podium, Harvey Settles for 13th in World Championships Skiathlon
Alex KochonFebruary 24, 2013
Aiming for another podium, Canada's Alex Harvey stayed in the mix for most of Saturday's 30 k skiathlon before getting caught behind too many men on the last lap and climbing several places to 13th. Ivan Babikov finished 31st after a strong classic leg, Graham Nishikawa was 51st and Brittany Webster placed 57th for Canada.
Cockney Claims First Mini-Tour Title at Easterns; Emily Nishikawa Prevails in Pursuit
Alex KochonFebruary 4, 2013
Jess Cockney and Emily Nishikawa, both of the Alberta World Cup Academy and Senior Development Team, wrapped up Eastern Canadian Championships with the overall titles Sunday, winning their respective 30- and 15-kilometer pursuits in Cantley, Quebec.
Two Alberta World Cup Academy athletes topped the podium on the second day of Eastern Canadian Championships, with Michael Somppi winning another 15 k freestyle and Kate Brennan tallying her second-career NorAm win in the 10 k at Nakkertok Ski Club.
Twelve athletes, including five domestic skiers, were nominated for selection to Canada's 2013 Senior World Championship team, which will compete in the Davos World Cup Feb.16-17 and the WSC in Val di Fiemme, Italy Feb.20 – March 3. Updated with quotes.
Brittany Webster tallied an important win at her home course and race favourite Graham Nishikawa skied away from the field at the Highlands Nordic NorAm on Sunday, which concluded the Canadian World Championships trials.
For the second time this season, the Nishikawa siblings pulled out a NorAm victories on the same day at the World Junior/U23/Senior World Sprint Trials in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Emily won the women's 15 k skiathlon by 9.1 seconds and Graham took the men's 30 k by 3.7 seconds.
Maurice Manificat wrapped up the first World Cup period with an impressive win in the men's 30km skiathlon. He was followed by Roland Clara and Sjur Roethe. North Americans Noah Hoffman, Kris Freeman, Ivan Babikov and Graham Nishikawa all factored in the race.
Thirty Canadian men and women will be putting on World Cup bibs in Canmore this weekend. Some are old pros and some are competing in the first World Cups of their lives.
With less than a week left to go before the Canmore World Cups, Emily and Graham Nishikawa each added a NorAm win to their resumes in Sunday's 10/15 k freestyle in Silver Star.