CROSS-COUNTRY:

Kershaw soars into top 10 on final day of Kuusamo races

Nov 28, 2010 — Cross Country Canada  

KUUSAMO, Finland — Devon Kershaw rebounded closer to his top form while posting a top-10 result to lead the Canadian charge in a World Cup pursuit race in Kuusamo, Finland, on Sunday.
 
The 27-year-old Kershaw, who got off to a slow start to the post-Olympic season, found his stride in Finland while placing among the world’s best. The two-time Olympian from Sudbury, Ont., clocked a time of 38 minutes, 39.9 seconds (38:39.9) in the 15-kilometre skate-ski event.

“Ski racing makes no sense. One week you can feel like a total bum, the next you are reborn.” — Read more from Devon Kershaw in his online journal at www.devonkershaw.com
 
“I felt really good today and it is awesome that it all came together,” said Kershaw, who finished 10th overall in the three-race Finnish mini-tour that was being held in conjunction with the World Cup races. Athletes started time-behind the leader of the opening two races.
 
“I just over trained coming into last weekend in Sweden, and came out flat. I took it really hard, but Justin (Wadsworth, head coach) kept telling me to relax and it will all come together. It tells me he’s a good coach and knows what he’s talking about because it did. This was unexpected, and I surprised myself today. I don’t normally do well in a 15 k skate, but I had a lot better energy and felt good.”
 
Kershaw started the day 22 seconds behind the leaders and executed his tactics perfectly in the chase pack as they hunted down the frontrunners. Jostling into as high as sixth position, the chase group fought to the finish, closing nearly 25 seconds on the leaders in the final lap, but ran out of track to mount an attack on the podium.
 
The energetic leader of the Canadian men’s squad, Kershaw thrilled the nation on the final day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games when finished under two seconds away from winning the men’s 50-kilometre marathon to post an incredible fifth-place finish. It was an epic performance that wrapped up a historic Olympics for the Canadian men, where they regularly placed in the top-10.
 
After a slow start to the post-Olympic season, Kershaw and his World Cup mates have found their groove in Finland, enjoying a solid weekend against one of the deepest fields on the elite international circuit.
 
“There is no external pressure on the Canadian men’s team to be on top,” said Kershaw. “We have depth and each one of us know we can be there with the best. Nobody puts more pressure on us than ourselves. We all want to win. That is why we do this.”
 
“I think that is why we took last weekend so hard. We have a new coach that puts his heart and soul into this team, and we wanted to do well to show the work in the summer has paid off, so we were so choked in Sweden. But that is the game. It is a long season and you can’t be your best every week. We had a great weekend here. We will gain a lot of confidence from this and are heading in the right direction.”
 
Alex Harvey, who was ninth Saturday and fourth overall in the mini-tour heading into the final day, finished 38th Sunday, clocking a time of 39:47.2 to drop into 17th spot overall. Ivan Babikovhad his best race of the year to finish 31st (38:19.4), making up nearly 40 spots on the field in the mini-tour. Calgary’s Brent McMurtry was 61st at 40:49.1.
 
Lukas Bauer of Czech Republic posted the fastest 15-kilometre skate-ski time at 38:10.5 to win the gold medal. IIia Chernousov of Russia was second at 38:20.9, while Sweden’s Marcus Hellner locked up the bronze medal with a time of 38:26.6. Russia’s Alexander Legkov was the winner of the mini-tour.
 
Norway’s Therese Johaug was the top woman in the 10-kilometre pursuit, setting the time to beat at 29:24.2. Daria Gaiazova was the only Canadian to hit the start line. The 2010 Olympian finished 57th at 32:18.7.  S-Magazine

Kuusamo World Cup cross-country pursuit
 
Top-5 Men and Canadian Results:
1. Lukas Bauer, CZE, 38:10.5; 2. IIia Chernousov, RUS, 38:20.9; 3. Marcus Hellner, SWE, 38:26.6; 4. Maxim Vylegzhanin, RUS, 38:32.8; 5. Nikolay Chebotko, KAZ, 38:34.5.
Canadian Results:
9. Devon Kershaw, Sudbury, Ont., 38:39.9; 31. Ivan Babikov, Canmore, Alta., 38:19.4; 38. Alex Harvey, St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., 39:47.2; 61. Brent McMurtry, Calgary, 40:49.1.
 
Top-5 Women and Canadian Results:
1. Therese Johaug, NOR, 29:24.2; 2. Nicole Fessel, GER, 29:28.3; 3. Justyna Kowalczyk, POL, 29:34.9; 4. Marit Bjoergen, NOR, 29:35.9; 5. Charlotte Kalla, SWE, 29:38.3.
Canadian Results:
57. Daria Gaiazova, Banff, Alta., 32:18.7