After falling ill with food poisoning for the second time in a month, Devon Kershaw was unable to bring his A-game to the team sprint in Sochi, Russia. He and teammate Lenny Valjas placed 11th.
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Lenny Valjas
Devon Kershaw skied to his best result of the 2013 season, placing 8th in the freestyle sprint. On the Canadian women's side, Dasha Gaiazova placed 12th, a season-best in a skate sprint.
Canada Chances Wax but Misses Grip in La Clusaz Classic
Audrey ManganJanuary 19, 2013
Sometimes the wrong wax call can be disastrous. The Canadian men were reminded of that in La Clusaz, France, on Saturday during the mass start 15 k classic, when they chose a mixture of hard wax and klister on a day that ended up better suited for hairies. Ivan Babikov posted the top Canadian finish in 39th.
Oh Liberec, oh Liberec, before we say so long … here’s what didn’t quite fit into last weekend’s recaps of the World Cup classic sprints and team sprints in the Czech Republic. Disclaimer: It’s Canadian- and female-heavy.
Rested and Ready, Canadians All Qualify, Gaiazova Nearly Makes Podium in Liberec
Alex KochonJanuary 12, 2013
The four Canadians in Saturday's classic sprint made the rounds, where Dasha Gaiazova in fourth led the team in all-around solid day. Gaiazova narrowly missed the podium in a photo finish, Perianne Jones tallied a career best in ninth and Lenny Valjas also made the top 10.
Flying High, Babikov 2nd on Final Climb to Wrap Successful Canadian Tour
Topher SabotJanuary 6, 2013
Ivan Babikov posted the second fastest time of the day while skiing up to 7th in the overall Tour de Ski. Babikov ended the Tour with his highest overall result, and a string of personal bests. Teammate Devon Kershaw finally showed strong form and Lenny Valjas ended his own successful Tour well within the points.
Poltaranin with Back to Back Wins, Canadians Roll in Historic Performance
BrainspiralJanuary 5, 2013
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) skied to his second consecutive Tour stage win, besting the Canadian duo of Len Valjas and Alex harvey in a sprint to the line.Dario Cologna (SUI) moved into the overall Tour lead.
Valjas Leads Canadian Men, Harvey Will End Tour Early
BrainspiralJanuary 4, 2013
Lenny Valjas continues to show top form, racing to an 11th place finish in the 5k classic prologue in Toblach, Italy. Teammate Alex Harvey will withdraw from the Tour de Ski following Saturday's mass start, a plan that has been set for some time.
After Race-Morning Scare Led to Missing Suits and Bibs, Canadian Men Pack Top 30 at Tour de Ski
Audrey ManganJanuary 3, 2013
After getting locked out of their bus, the Canadians didn't have a great start to the day. But for the most part they turned things around. Alex Harvey led the way in 6th and Devon Kershaw placed 12th; Kershaw complimented Ivan Babikov (21st) for attacking hard on the 15 k climb, and Lenny Valjas (25th) for finishing his longest race in years - and doing so quite honorably.
Alex Harvey topped his performance from Saturday and notched fifth in Sunday's pursuit, putting him in fighting position through two stages in the Tour de Ski. Ivan Babikov also made the top 20 for Canada, rising to 19th.
Harvey Right Back in It, Sixth Again in TdS Prologue
Alex KochonDecember 29, 2012
With four men in the Tour de Ski, Alex Harvey led Canada with a season-best of sixth in Saturday's 4 k prologue. While it probably wasn't going to make or break his season, it was still a good sign for him and teammates like Ivan Babikov, who posted a personal best of 32nd.
Valjas Solid in Seventh, Cockney Surprises in Ninth in Canmore World Cup Sprint
Alex KochonDecember 16, 2012
Jesse Cockney of the Alberta World Cup Academy pulled off the greatest race of his career, finishing second in Saturday's skate sprint qualifier then finishing ninth overall at the World Cup in Canmore. Lenny Valjas notched seventh for his best result of the season, and Phil Widmer made the heats for 15th overall.
Alex Harvey (CAN) and Kris Freeman (USA) recorded their best results of the season Thursday at the Alberta World Cup opener, a 15 k classic mass start, to build some confidence and lead their respective teams in Canmore.
Friday's World Cup team sprint did not go as Alex Harvey or Devon Kershaw had planned with a late crash derailing their podium run. The two settled for fifth in the men's final, Lenny Valjas and Jesse Cockney placed 10th, and all the Canadians were looking forward to Saturday.
Fifth Place for Canadian Men is All-Time Best World Cup Relay Finish, but They’re Itching for More
Chelsea LittleNovember 25, 2012
GÄLLIVARE, Sweden – When Alex Harvey said yesterday that Canada could win today’s 4 x 7.5 k World Cup relay, he wasn’t kidding. It might seem surprising after the results the Canadians turned in on Saturday, with just one racer breaking the top 20 in the 15 k skate. But Sunday was a new day, and relays always generate a little extra something for the athletes. “I love racing the relay,” Devon Kershaw told FasterSkier....
Canadian World Cup Team Preview: Even Bigger Expectations
Alex KochonNovember 15, 2012
Without a doubt, the Canadian World Cup team faced some challenges last season even though its results didn’t really show it. Sure, every team has its ups and downs and occasional tizzy, but Canada generally kept it under wraps. Devon Kershaw continued to podium one weekend after the next and ended up second overall in the World Cup. Simultaneously, most of his teammates also notched personal bests: Alex Harvey finished sixth overall, Lenny Valjas tallied three...
One of the first things Lenny Valjas did upon arriving in Östersund, Sweden, on Thursday was put a pole strap on. His Canadian World Cup teammate Alex Harvey went out for a ski shortly after arriving in Europe early that evening, but not Valjas. He stood in his hotel room testing out the strap on his left hand. Valjas, 23, is going to be paying a lot of attention to that hand and more specifically,...
Canadian Men Leave NZ ‘Feeling Good,’ Cracking Jokes
Alex KochonSeptember 7, 2012
Just over two weeks ago, the Canadian men’s cross-country ski team made the long journey to New Zealand in search of some low-altitude, on-snow volume training. According to head coach Justin Wadsworth, they Snow Farm – New Zealand – August 2012” to sum up their time there, which was mostly a laughing matter. In one scene, the four men stand stand on a treeless trail high above the landscape while taking a break during training....
Elite Team Preview: Pierre-Harvey NTC
Alex KochonAugust 8, 2012
This is the second preview in a quick-and-dirty series about Canadian national-training centres. We asked coaches to send their 2012/2013 rosters and tell us what’s new for the coming season. We will be publishing additional reports over the next few weeks. Teams are presented in no particular order. Team: Centre National d’Entraînement Pierre-Harvey (CNEPH), a.k.a. Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre Coaches: Louis Bouchard (head coach), Godefroy Bilodeau (assistant coach), Vincent Renart (assistant coach), Lee Churchill (assistant coach/wax tech),...
Justin Wadsworth, head coach of the Canadian National Ski Team, made a deal with his athletes two years ago: if they collectively produced four or more World Cup podiums, he would bring them to Hawaii for a summer training camp. The team surpassed that benchmark and delivered six podiums in 2010-2011 in addition to World Championships gold. Off to Maui they went in June 2011 for Canada’s first camp on the islands. Wadsworth raised the...