March 8, 2006 – Only the thinnest of margins separated the top three finishers in women’s pursuit cross-country ski action on Wednesday, with Canada’s Beckie Scott making her first post-Olympic journey onto the World Cup medal podium after executing a dramatic sprint to the finish line.

The 31-year-old native of Vermilion, Alta. was the bronze medal winner when the snow settled on a tight three-way race to the finish in the 2 X 5 km pursuit event. Scott clocked in at 29:27.20, a mere whisper off the 29:27.10 time recorded by silver medallist Katerina Neumannova of the Czech Republic.

Emerging atop the fray was Germany’s Evi Stehle Sachenbacher, who posted a time of 29:26.70 en route to top spot on the podium.

“It was a great three-way sprint at the end,” said Dave Wood, coach of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “Beckie was at the front of the pack and fighting the whole way. It was a good, strong effort for her, and she raced the way she likes to race.”

In other Canadian results, Sara Renner of Canmore, Alta., winner of a bronze medal on Tuesday in the women’s sprint, skied into 21st spot after clocking in with 29:57.40.

On the men’s side of the competitive ledger, young gun Devon Kershaw built on his stellar showing in Tuesday’s men’s sprint competition that yielded the first World Cup medal, a bronze, won by a Canadian male cross-country skier since the late 1980s.

The 23-year-old Sudbury, Ont. native continued his steady international rise by placing 16th in the men’s 2 X 10 km pursuit on the strength of a time of 51:45.90.

“It was an exceptional result,” said Wood. “(The 2 X 10 km pursuit) is a reasonably new event, so I’m sure it’s the best result by a Canadian male we’ve had. Devon has really come up a big notch lately, and he’s skiing at a different level than he was before.”

Norway’s Petter Northug posted 51:42.20, the best time of the day, to sew up the gold medal honour in the men’s event. A pair of German competitors, Tobias Angerer and Axel Teichmann, recorded identical times of 51:42.70 to share the silver medal, while Norway’s Tord Isle Gjerdalen posted the third best time of the day with 51:42.90.

World Cup cross-country skiing action continues tomorrow with the classic sprint events in Drammen, Norway.

Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 45,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including members of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.