CROSS-COUNTRY:

Crawford 8th in Rhine River XC sprints

Dec. 4, 2010  — Cross Country Canada

DÜSSELDORF, Germany — It might not have been a podium finish, but it was a small victory for Canada’s Chandra Crawford, who celebrated her best result on the World Cup in nearly two years after finishing in eighth place in a skate-ski sprint race on Saturday in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The 27-year-old Crawford moved into the round of 30 in the head-to-head heats after clocking the fourth-fastest qualifying time at 2 minutes, 2.8 seconds around the track mapped out through the streets of Düsseldorf.

The 2006 Olympic gold medallist advanced into the semifinals after finishing second in her opening heat. The top two athletes in each heat move on until the winner is declared in the final. Focused on fighting her way back to the podium, the Canmore, Alta., resident was relegated to the small final after finishing at the back of her group in a tough semifinal heat.

“That result absolutely feels great. It has been a long time since I’ve been in the top 10,” said Crawford. “For me it has been years of battling through injuries and going through coaches, and now that everything is getting back to normal it feels great to be able to start to perform again.”

An eight-year veteran of the national team and winner of two World Cup sprint titles along with her Olympic gold, it has been an enduring road for Crawford to get back into elite racing form after fighting through two seasons of ankle injuries.

“It was really nice to hear someone say on the street today in their European accent ‘Chandra is back,’ and I’m starting to feel that way myself,” said Crawford following the awards ceremony. “The goal this year is to win at World Championships. I had a fast qualifier today. I nearly made it to the final, and between now and February that will be the goal, and hopefully get back on the podium. This is a huge confidence boost for me.”

It was a good day for Crawford and her Fast and Female program, which inspires young girls to ski. The Canadian's good friend and Fast and Female business partner, Kikkan Randall of the United States, won the silver medal.

Italy’s Arianna Follis sprinted to the gold medal while Slovenia’s Vesna Fabjan rounded out the women’s podium.

The only other Canadian to enter the women’s race was Daria Gaiazova of Banff, Alta., who also qualified for the round of 30. The 2010 Olympian's quest for the podium came to halt in the opening heat, and she finished 27th on the day.

Meanwhile, four Canadian men also hit the start line but came up short in qualifying for the heats. Stefan Kuhn was the top Canuck in 33rd, Toronto’s Len Valjas was 34th, Phil Widmer was 53rd and Calgary’s Brent McMurtry 56th.

Sweden’s Emil Joensson won the men’s race. He was joined on the podium by Italy’s Fulvio Scola in second spot, while Norway’s Oeystein Pettersen locked up the bronze.

The World Cup wraps up in Düsseldorf on Sunday with the team sprint relay.  S-Magazine

Düsseldorf World Cup cross-country sprint results

Top-5 Women’s Results:
1. Arianna Follis, ITA; 2. Kikkan Randall, USA; 3. Vesna Fabjan, SLO; 4. Celine Brun-Lie, NOR; 5. Hanna Falk, SWE
Canadian Results:
8. Chandra Crawford, Canmore, Alta.; 27. Daria Gaiazova, Banff, Alta.

Top-5 Men’s Results:
1.Emil Joensson, SWE; 2. Fulvio Scola, ITA; 3. Oeystein Pettersen, NOR; 4. Alexey Petukhov, RUS; 5. Mats Larsson, SWE.
Canadian Results:
33. Stefan Kuhn, Canmore, Alta.; 34. Len Valjas, Toronto; 53. Phil Widmer, Banff, Alta.; 56. Brent McMurtry, Calgary.