CROSS-COUNTRY:

Historic day for cross-country Canucks:
Babikov 5th, Grey 8th, Harvey 9th, Kershaw 16th

Feb. 20, 2010 — Gordie Bowles, SRC          ►Photo: Alex Harvey (Agence Zoom)

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WHISTLER, B.C. — The Canadian team launched a brilliant attack on the world’s best cross-country skiers on the biggest stage.

Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., led the powerful attack of young Canucks, which resulted in the home country’s best-ever team result in an Olympic competition. Four Canadians finished in the top 16, with three in the top 10.

George Grey, who finished 25th in this same event in Torino, finished eighth Saturday, and Alex Harvey, whose father Pierre was the first Canadian to win a World Cup race, finished ninth. Devon Kershaw crossed the line in 16th.

“What we did is probably going to stay in the history book for some time — three in the top 10,” Grey said.

Sweden's Marcus Hellner overtook countryman Johan Olsson — who led the race from early on — in the final kilometre and claimed the gold medal down the finish stretch in a time of 1 hour, 15 minutes, 11.4 seconds. Olsson hung on for the bronze, while Germany's Tobias Angerer won the silver.

Click here to read more on Sweden's big day

Babikov, who raced for Russia in the 2006 Olympics and spent years trying to get his Canadian citizenship, now has two top-10 finishes at the Vancouver Games following his eighth-place finish in the men's 15 km.

All four Canadians took turns at challenging the lead pack. Harvey, considered a future threat for international podiums, looked strong.

“As a team it was an amazing result,” the 21-year-old told SRC magazine shortly after the finish. “The program was working well for us today, the wax team did really well, the rest of the team was cheering on the side for us, coaches giving us feeds, time splits ... everything went perfectly, so it’s amazing.

“It was great to be in a pack with George, Devon and Ivan. We train with each other all the time, we know each other and we know each other’s techniques, so it’s easy to follow.”

The Canadians will be considered a legitimate threat for the upcoming 4x10 km team relay on Tuesday.

“The spirits in the house will be at an all-time high and we will be super happy with this result, but there’s room for improvement too,” Harvey said. “For me, I know I could be better, so the plan is to get better as each day goes by.”  SRC