CROSS-COUNTRY:

Canada's Harvey collects gold at Under-23 World Championships

Jan. 31, 2011 — Cross Country Canada     ♦ Photo: Alex Harvey (file photo)

OETEPAA, Estonia — Alex Harvey can now add the title of world champion to his list of accomplishments. The 22-year-old Canadian won the gold medal in the men’s 30-kilometre pursuit cross-country ski race at the Under-23 World Championships in Oetepaa, Estonia, on Monday.

Training in Italy over the last week, the St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., native used the under-23 race as a tuneup for the elite World Championships in cross-country skiing at the end of February in Oslo, Norway. One of the race favourites heading to the start line, Harvey battled for the gold from the sound of the gun until the finish line with Russia’s Evegeniy Belov, who is also a world-class skier on the World Cup circuit.

After forming a lead group with 10 athletes at the 5-kilometre mark, the duo put the hurt on the rest of the pack at the 10-kilometre point of the classic-cross-country ski leg and opened a 33-second lead on the field at the transition to skate-skiing. Athletes ski 15-kilometres of each discipline.

Playing cat-and-mouse, Belov took the lead over Harvey heading into the finishing stretch, but the Canuck powered his way past the Russian in the sprint with 500 metres to go, posting a winning time of 1 hour, 13 minutes, 47.9 seconds. (1:13:47.9).

“My goal this year is to medal at the big World Championships, but it is sweet to say I was a world champion at one stage in my life and that is something that nobody will ever be able to take away from me,” said Harvey, who added that the race was really determined in the classic-ski portion. “As a junior I was a favourite to become a world champion but had an injury coming into the event in my final year so never did come through. This is sweet redemption for me and I’m pretty happy.”

Belov earned  silver with a time of 1:13:48.6, while Russia’s Raul Shakirzianov won the battle for the bronze medal with a time of 1:14:23.6.

Regarded as one of the most talented skiers ever to come through the Canadian program, Harvey is no stranger to the international podium. In just two appearances as a junior, he became the only Canadian to win three medals at the Junior World Championships, and Monday’s victory makes him the first Canadian to win an Under-23 World Championships race. Harvey, who finished 10th at the prestigious Tour de Ski earlier this month, also has two World Cup bronze medals in his three years of racing on Canada’s elite squad. Both bronze-medal performances coming during the 2009 season as a rookie — Harvey skied to the podium with George Grey in a team sprint relay at Whistler Olympic Park, and then again in a 50-kilometre race later that year in Trondheim, Norway.

“I was just so lucky as a junior to be able to have the role models like Devon Kershaw, George Grey and Ivan Babikov around me to train with. They were having top-15 results on the World Cup, so it was a good benchmark for me,” said Harvey. “I came on the World Cup at such a good time to have these guys around me. Training around these guys I knew what I was capable of, so it was fitting for all of us to finish in the top 15 on the World Cup. I was really lucky to have a good training structure and that isn’t always the case for junior athletes.”

Three other Canadians also suited up for the men’s pursuit. Calgary’s Kevin Sandau finished 24th at 1:17:13.1, while Graeme Killick of Banff, Alta., was 31st (1:18:20.0) and Michael Somppi of Thunder Bay, Ont., finished 40th at 1:18:54.6.

Alysson Marshall of Salmon Arm, B.C., was the top Canadian in the women’s 10-kilometre pursuit race. Marshall finished 19h after clocking-in at 44:38.4. Emily Nishikawa of Whitehorse was 25th with a time of 45:35.3, while Toronto’s Erin Tribe wrapped up her Under-23 World Championships experience with a 37th-place result at 47:05.1.

Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg won the women’s race after crossing the line with a time of 41:55.5.

Harvey will hook up with his Canadian World Cup comrades Feb. 10 in Norway for their final preparations for the World Championships. S-Magazine

Under-23 World Championships pursuit results

Top-5 Men and Canadian Results:
1. Alex Harvey, St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., 1:13:47.9; 2. Evgeniy Belov, RUS, 1:13:48.6; 3. Raul Shakirzianov, RUS, 1:14:23.6; 4. Andrey Larkov, RUS, 1:14:31.0; 5. Fredrik Jonsson, SWE, 1:14:33.9
Other Canadian Results:
24. Kevin Sandau, Calgary, 1:17:31.1; 31. Graeme Killick, Banff, Alta., 1:18:20.0; 40. Michael Somppi, Thunder Bay, Ont., 1:18:54.6

Top-5 Women and Canadian Results:
1. Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg, NOR, 41:55.5; 2. Britt Ingunn Nydal, NOR, 42:01.9; 3. Kerttu Niskanen, FIN, 42:02.9; 4. Polina Medvedeva, RUS, 42:31.2; 5. Denise Hermann, GER, 42:33.1
Canadian Results:
19. Alysson Marshall, Salmon Arm, B.C., 44:38.4; 25. Emily Nishikawa, Whitehorse, 45:35.3; 32. Erin Tribe, Toronto, 47:05.1.