March 16, 2007 (Tarvisio, Italy)- With the dust barely settled on his bronze medal from Wednesday, Alex Harvey, of St.-Ferreol les Neiges, Que., battled with the world’s best to take fourth-place in the 20-kilometre pursuit at the FIS Nordic World Junior Championships in Tarvisio, Italy on Friday.

Harvey was in the hunt for a medal throughout the entire race that sees competitors perform a 10-kilometer leg in the classic style and a 10-kilometre leg in the skate style. The 18-year-old took the lead several times throughout the race, but an unfortunate tangle with a Norwegian competitor on the last downhill left Harvey chasing the medal pack. He made up significant time and finished the race in 52 minutes 54.5 seconds, just four seconds out of the gold medal position.

“Alex skied a very strong race,” said Stéphane Barrette, high-performance system coordinator, Cross Country Canada. “He led several times in his pack of seven in the skate leg, and we thought he was going to win. It was an incredible performance.”

Bolstered by the strong performance of his teammate, Frederic Touchette, also of St.-Ferreol les Neiges, Que., turned in his best performance of the week. Touchette used his strength in the skate leg to finish 22nd, +1:53.6 behind the leaders.

Haakon Lenes, of Canmore, Alta., had early problems in the race, losing his right handle, but was able to get a new pole from support staff and battled back 15 spots to finish in 36th-place (+2:49.8). Finally, Pate Neumann, of Caledon, Ont., made his Junior World Championships debut, finishing in 64th (+5:07.6).

Norwegian Erik Kurland Olsen took top spot on the podium, finishing with a time of 52:49.8. Ondrej Horyna, of Czechoslovakia, was second, +1.2 behind Olsen, and Sjur Roethe, also of Norway claimed the bronze, +3.5 off his teammate.

In the women’s race, Brittany Webster, of Caledon, Ont., continued her top-10 streak, posting the sixth-best time of the day. Like Harvey, Webster too experienced some drama, crashing in the classic, and then losing her pole briefly in the transition. The 20-year-old showed immense composure and stopped the clock in 27:26.3, +1:15.6 off the winner from Sweden.

It was a tough day for the rest of the women. Kate Brennan, of Pakenham, Ont., struggled to maintain her pace in the skating leg, finishing 50th, +3:09.9 behind the leader. Calgarians Sara Hewitt and Hannah Perry finished 62nd (+3:54.4) and 74th (+6:03.1), respectively.

Charlotte Kalla, of Sweden, continued her domination in the women’s race, taking her second consecutive victory. Kalla won the gold medal with a time of 26:10.9, +40.8 seconds faster than her nearest competitor. The silver medal went to Norwegian, Marte Monrad-Hansen (+40.8) and the bronze to another Norwegian, Therese Johaug (+41.7).

The 2007 FIS Nordic Under-23 World Ski Championships continue Saturday, with the men’s and women’s pursuit.

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 ParaNordic Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.

For full results please visit <http://www.jwsc2007.com/Mondiali_Juniores/index.php?op=135>http://www.jwsc2007.com/Mondiali_Juniores/index.php?op=135

Men

1. Erik Kurland Olsen, NOR, 52:49.8
2. Ondrej Horyna, CZE, 52:51.0
3. Sjur Roethe, NOR, 52:53.3
4. Alex Harvey, CAN, 52:54.5
5. Johannes Duerr, AUT, 52:58.9

22. Frederic Touchette, of St.-Ferreol les Neiges, Que., 54:43.4
36. Haakon James Lenes, Canmore, Alta., 55:39.6
64. Pate Neumann, Caledon, Ont., 57:57.4

Women

1. Charlette Kalle, SWE, 26:10.9
2. Marte Monrad-Hansen, NOR, 26:51.7
3. Therese Johaug, NOR, 26:52.6
4. Astrid Jacobsen, NOR, 27:16.8
5. Marthe Kristofferson, NOR, 27:17.6

6. Brittany Webster, Caledon, Ont., 27:26.3
50. Kate Brennan, Pakenham, Ont., 29:20.8
62. Sara Hewitt, Calgary, 30:05.3
74. Hannah Perry, Calgary, 32:14.0