February 9, 2004 – Canada's next generation of Olympic cross-country skiers had a challenging finish to a week filled with highs and lows at the Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Stryn, Norway on Sunday.

The inexperienced 10-member Canadian contingent, eight of whom are making their first appearance at the World Juniors, finished 13th in the women's 4x5K relay, while the nation's top junior men crossed the line in 16th spot in a 4x10K men's relay, the final events of the weeklong nordic ski festival.

Four Canadian women – Crystin Jaques, of Edmonton, Amada Ammar, of St. Alberta, Alta., Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., and Claire Rennie, of Ottawa – teamed up to post a combined time of 1:03:49.9.

The Canadian men's team – David Nighbor, of North Bay, Ont., Jesse Heckrodt, of Salmon Arm, B.C., Christopher Werrell, of Kelowna, B.C., and Casey Dyck, of Calgary – finished with a time of 1:52:41.6.

The women's competition was won by Finland (1:01:36.8). The Italian team grabbed the silver with a time of 1:02:16.9, while Japan rounded out the top three on the podium after crossing the finish with a time of 1:02:20.1.

Kazakstan leaves Norway with the gold in the men's relay. The Kazakstan foursome blazed through the course in a time of 1:44:09.8. Team Germany was second at 1:44:11.7, while Russia was third at 1:49:29.4.

Perianne Jones led the Canadian charge throughout the event, finishing 22nd in the 5Kskate event and 13th in Sunday's sprint. Casey Dyck and Christopher Werrell, who finished 14th and 15th respectively, joined the 18-year-old Jones in the top-15 in yesterday's sprint. Another Canadian rookie at international competition, Marcia Birkigt, exceeded her own expectations with a 34th-place finish in the 15K classic event, which kicked off the week.

For complete results of the Nordic World Junior Ski Championships, please visit: www.jvm-stryn.no.

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 two million Canadians participating annually.