January 23, 2006 – Beckie Scott’s podium streak came to an end at six on Sunday, but she didn’t go down without a fight in Oberstdorf, Germany.

The Olympic champion, who has taken the world by storm in World Cup cross-country skiing this year, finished fifth in the women’s sprint.

“I didn’t have a very good qualification run, but I managed to squeak into the top-30,” said Scott, who qualified in 21st spot. “It was very difficult waxing conditions with warm temperatures and new snow, so it was pretty stressful all day trying to get the right wax. After the qualifier I just told myself not to waste the opportunity, and I am happy with a fifth place result today.”

The top 30 athletes during the qualification round move into the head-to-head heats, which pit six athletes racing simultaneously around a 1.2 kilometre course. The top two in each heat advance to the next round, culminating with the final four athletes fighting it out for the podium.

Scott and two other Canadian women, Sara Renner and Chandra Crawford, both from Canmore, Alta., marched their way through the heats with the 30 best cross-country ski athletes in the world. The Canadian women had little trouble until the semi-final heat when their bid for another sprint podium came up short. While Renner, who settled for ninth spot, was knocked out of the running, Scott and 22-year-old World Cup rookie, Crawford, were relegated to the B final. Scott won the B final and finished fifth, while Crawford finished eighth for her best ever World Cup finish.

“I had a really calm vibe today from watching and being around Beckie and Sara, which I normally don’t have at a World Cup,” said Crawford, whose previous best finish was 10th at a World Cup in Canada in December. “I just thought about skiing today, and was able to tune the crowd, cameras and everything else out. It was a really fun day, and I know I can still improve a lot.”

While the Canadians filled the top 10, it was the Scandinavian countries owning the podium. Norway’s Ella Gjoemle won the women’s sprint, while her teammate, Guro Stroem Solli was third. Sandwiched between the Norwegians was Sweden’s Lina Andersson in the silver medal position.

Canada had four athletes at the start line in the men’s cowho was competing in his first mpetition. While none of them were able to qualify for the heats, Devon Kershaw came the closest, finishing 32nd. It was the first race of the season for the 22-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., who has been recovering from a nagging rib injury. Chris Jeffries, of Chelsea, Que., who posted his best ever World Cup result on Saturday, finished 42nd, while Sean Crooks, of Thunder Bay, Ont., was 44th, and World Cup rookie, Phil Widmer, of Banff, Alta., was 53rd.

The Norwegian men skied into the top two spots on the men’s podium. Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset was first, while Johan Kjoelstad grabbed the silver medal. Russia’s Vassili Rotchev rounded out the podium in third spot.

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.

Complete Results: www.fis-ski.com
Top-4 Women’s Results:
1. Ella Gjoemle, NOR; 2. Lina Andersson, SWE; 3. Guro Stroem Solli, NOR; 4. Justyna Kowalczyk, POL.
Canadian Results:
5. Beckie Scott, Vermilion, Alta., CAN; 8. Chandra Crawford, Canmore, Alta., CAN; 9. Sara Renner, Canmore, Alta., CAN.

Top-4 Men’s Results:
1.Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset, NOR; 2. Johan Kjoelstad, NOR; 3. Vassili Rotchev, RUS; 4. Andrew Newell, USA.
Canadian Results:
32. Devon Kershaw, Sudbury, Ont., CAN; 42. Chris Jeffies, Chelsea, Que., 44. Sean Crooks, Thunder Bay, Ont., 53. Phil Widmer, Banff, Alta.