February 22, 2007 – Canada’s elite cross-country ski athletes, who have not raced internationally in six weeks, got off to a rusty start on Thursday in the classic sprint race at the 2007 World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. Known as a country that has sprouted some of the best cross-country sprint racers on the globe, Canada suited up seven of its best athletes including four men and three women. However, none of the Canuck hopefuls were able to qualify amongst the fastest 30, prohibiting them from moving into the head-to-head heats.

“We just didn’t have any fight today, and we’re not happy with our start here,” said Dave Wood, head coach, Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “It is a long week, and we have a night to sleep on it and get ready for the team relay tomorrow and be better.”

Canada’s Sean Crooks, of Thunder Bay, Ont., led the way for the Canadian squad, just missing out on getting into the elusive group of 30, which has six athletes racing simultaneously around the Sapporo track. The top two in each heat advance to the next round, culminating with the final four athletes. The 23-year-old Crooks missed moving into the heats by .25 seconds after qualifying in a time of three minutes 14.75 seconds, good enough for 31st spot.

Olympic gold medallist in the skate-sprint race, Chandra Crawford, led the way for the Canadian women. The 23-year-old Canmore, Alta., native finished in 32nd spot after clocking a qualifying time of 3:04.39.

“Our skis were a little too slow today, and we just got off to a bad start,” said Wood. “This track is demanding both physically and mentally and is among the best sprint tracks anywhere. There is no excuses, but hopefully this is a good wakeup call and we’ll turn things around.”

The Scandinavian countries definitely rose to the occasion, especially the Norwegians who took home the first gold medals at the 2007 World Championships at the Sapporo Dome, which was built for World Cup soccer, and is now the first indoor facility in the world to host a nordic event. With seating up to 50,000 people, the athletes start inside the Dome and head out to a course constructed on soccer fields, and then make their way back inside for the finish.

Astrid Jacobsen won the sprint to the finish in the women’s race, while teammate, Jens Arne Svartedal made his way to the top of the podium in the men’s competition.

Slovenia’s Petra Majdic grabbed the silver in women’s action, while Finland’s Virpi Kuitunen rounded out the top-three. Sweden’s Mats Larsson finished second to prevent a Norwegian sweep of the podium in the men’s sprint, while Norway’s Eldar Roenning crossed the line in third.

Other Canadian men’s results included: Devon Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., in 39th; Stefan Kuhn, of Edmonton, in 40th; and Phil Widmer, of Banff, Alta., in 65th. On the women’s side, it was Sarah Daitch, of Fort Smith, N.W.T. in 46th, while Montreal’s Dasha Gaiazova was 52nd.

The 20007 World Championships continue in Sapporo, Japan on Friday with the team sprint events.

Top-5 Women and Canadian Results:

1.Astrid Jacobsen, NOR; 2. Petra Majdic, SLO; 3. Virpi Kuitunen, FIN; 4. Anna Dahlberg, SWE; 5. Madoka Natsumi, JPN.

Canadian Results:

32. Chandra Crawford, Canmore, Alta.; 46. Sarah Daitch, Fort Smith, N.W.T.; 52. Dasha Gaiazova, Montreal.



Top-5 Men and Canadian Results:

1.Jens Arne Svartedal, NOR; 2. Mats Larsson, SWE; 3. Eldar Roenning, NOR; 4. Bjoern Lind, SWE; 5. Andrew Newell, U.S.A.

Canadian Results:

31. Sean Crooks, Thunder, Bay, Ont.; 39. Devon Kershaw, Sudbury, Ont.; 40. Stefan Kuhn, Edmonton; 65. Phil Widmer, Banff, Alta.