CROSS-COUNTRY:

Harvey 34th in season-opening skate-ski in Sweden

Nov. 20, 2010 — Cross Country Canada  

GÄLLIVARE, Sweden — Alex Harvey led a group of five Canucks with a 34th-place finish in the season-opening World Cup cross-country ski race of the post-Olympic campaign in Gällivare, Sweden, on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Harvey, of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., measured his summer training against the world’s best nordic athletes, clocking a time of 33 minutes, 48.1 seconds in a 15-kilometre skate-ski race in cold and hard-packed snow conditions.

“Our guys were a little flat today and it didn’t go as well as we expected, but it is nothing to panic about,” said Justin Wadsworth, head coach, Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “We trained pretty hard coming in to this race, and that combined with a little jet lag, maybe hurt us a little. The guys are in good shape and things will get better.”

Four of Harvey’s 2010 Olympic teammates who combined to put down one of Canada’s best-ever performances in men’s cross-country skiing at the Games were also in the field at Saturday’s season opener.

Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., finished 54th with a time of 34:21.7. Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., placed 58th at 34:25.7, while George Grey of Rossland, B.C., was 78th (34:58.2), and Calgary’s Brent McMurtry stopped the clock at 36:02.4 to finish 94th.

“We were really fresh and skiing fast going into last weekend’s FIS race, so I know our shape is there,” said Wadsworth. “We’ll put this behind us and get ready for the relay tomorrow.”

Sweden’s Marcus Hellner was anything but tired, leading the world’s best around his home track to win the opener with a time of 32:26.0. Switzerland’s Dario Colgna captured the silver-medal spot on the podium with a time of 32:37.4, while Sweden’s Daniel Rickardsson locked up third spot at 32:46.1.

Hellner started second-to-last in the interval start race and had the fastest time at every intermediate control, gradually increasing his lead over Cologna, a fellow Olympic gold medallist from Vancouver. He finished in 32 minutes 26.0 seconds, to beat Cologna by 11.4 seconds.

Defending World Cup champion Petter Northug of Norway skipped the event because of an illness.

There were no Canadians in the women's 10-kilometre freestyle race, which Norway's Marit Bjoergen won in 23:48.4.

Charlotte Kalla of Sweden — the Olympic champion over the distance — finished a full 41.1 seconds behind the 30-year-old Norwegian.

Italian skier Arianna Follis was third in 24:39.8.

Chandra Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., won a women’s Scandinavian Cup classic sprint race in Finland on Saturday. Crawford’s teammate, Dasha Gaiazova of Banff, Alta., was second.

The Canadian men will hit the start line again on Sunday when the World Cup continues with the relay race in Sweden.

— The Canadian Press contributed to this report

S-Magazine

Gällivare, Sweden World Cup XC results
Top-5 men and Canadian Results
1. Marcus Hellner, SWE, 32:26.0; 2. Dario Cologna, SUI, 32:37.4; 3. Daniel Rickardsson, SWE, 32:6.1; 4. Chris Andre Jespersen, NOR, 32:48.0; 5. Petr Sedov, RUS, 32:50.7.
Canadian Results:
34. Alex Harvey, St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., 33:48.1; 54. Ivan Babikov, Canmore, Alta., 34:21.7; 58. Devon Kershaw, Sudbury, Ont., 34:25.7; 78. George Grey, Rossland, B.C., 34:58.2; 94. Brent McMurtry, Calgary, 36:02.4.