November 30, 2008 (Kuusamo, Finland) – Canada’s Devon Kershaw, 25, had an excellent race placing 5th in the men’s 15km individual start on Sunday won by Norway’s Martin Johnsrud. USA’s Kris Freeman was the top American with a solid performance in 16th. In the women’s 10km classic won by Aino Kaisa Saarinen (Finland) the sole US competitor, Kikkan Randall (Anchorage), placed 23rd her best distance result to date. Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., was the lone Canadian finishing 60th

Cross Country Canada Report
Canada’s Devon Kershaw jumped into an elite group after finishing fifth in a 15-kilometre individual start World Cup classic cross-country ski race on Sunday in Kuusamo, Finland on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Sudbury, Ont. native, who has been focused on posting consistent results on the World Cup while following a training program that will have him peaking at the World Championships and Olympic Winter Games in 2010, took another significant stride forward towards the podium with a stellar result after posting a time of 38 minutes 12.8 seconds.

“I felt like I had something to prove today after yesterday’s debacle ,” said Kershaw, who was disqualified in his opening heat after being pegged for skate-skiing in a classic format. “I felt like my shape was really strong this weekend, and tested my body today. I am ridiculously excited about today, but need to keep things in perspective.”

Equally as impressive as his fifth-place result after attacking the five-kilometre loop three times was Kershaw’s ability to ski at an even pace throughout the entire race.

“The Kershaw way in the past has been to go hard at the beginning and then I just hold on at the end,” said the 2006 Olympian. “I have been working hard at skiing on an even pace which is the key to any endurance event. I didn’t have a sprint in me for the final kilometre today, but I stayed relaxed, used my technique and this is a huge step forward for me.”

Racing against the clock the entire way, the individual start format is not only a test of skill and endurance but can be a battle against one’s personal demons to remain calm.

“This is an exceptional day and likely one of the best performances of his career,” said Dave Wood, team lead, Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “To be able to start strong and keep it together until the end in an individual race is exceptional. This is fantastic for his confidence to start the season this way.”

A model of what coaches and high-performance directors strive to achieve in athlete development, Kershaw’s results curve has done anything but flatten out since emerging onto the World Cup circuit nearly five years ago.

Following the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Kershaw had a breakout performance when he became the first Canadian male in more than a decade to cross-country ski onto the World Cup podium after finishing third in a sprint race in Sweden. The following season, he sprinted back onto the World Cup podium with a silver-medal performance at the Tour de Ski, and also jumped into the top-20 on a couple of occasions. Last season, the Kershaw name became more vivid at the top of the standings after cracking the top-20 barrier more than one dozen times.

“Devon continues to take significant steps forward and that is a good sign,” said Wood, who added his long-term development is similar to that of Olympic medallists, Beckie Scott and Sara Renner. “There is no indication Devon is starting to slow down on progression, but we are still taking off chunks of time and not quite yet at taking off tenths of a second.”

Kershaw finished just 20 seconds off the leading pace set by Norway’s Martin Johnsrud who stopped the clock at 37:52.5 to take home the gold medal. Lukas Bauer, of the Czech Republic, was second at 37:56.0; while Finland’s Sami Jauhojaervi settled for the bronze medal at 38:06.6.

Two other Canadians also hit the start line on Sunday. Stefan Kuhn, of Canmore, Alta., who posted his best-ever World Cup result in Saturday’s classic sprint race, finished 68th on Sunday (40:48.8).

Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., was the lone Canadian in the women’s 10-kilometre classic race. Jones finished 60th with a time of 30:58.4.

Finland’s Aino-Kaisa Saarinen thrilled the hometown crowd after posting a gold-medal time of 28:16.4. Saarinen’s teammate, Virpi Kuitunen, was second at 28:20.2, while Norway’s legendary Marit Bjoergen solidified the bronze-medal position with a time of 28:23.7. The Canadian team will now head to La Clusaz, France for the next stop on the World Cup, December 6-7, 2008.

USSA Report

The U.S. Ski Team’s Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) pulled within one minute of the leader to finish 16th in a World Cup cross country 15K race Sunday in Kuusamo. Freeman, a diabetic, tied for his spot for his second straight top 20 finish.

“I felt really good and I was thinking this could be my podium day. I was running in 10th place and I tried to put the hammer down in the last 5K and I just didn’t have it,” Freeman said. “It’s nice to be disappointed with 16th rather than excited. I’ve had a really solid start and I hope to keep it going.”

“What is for sure is, he’s got two races in the top 20 at the World Cup level and we’re off to a really steady start. I know that he feels like he’s got more to give and he’s looking for that podium,” Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. “Before the race we were a little concerned with where his blood sugar was, but it didn’t seem to affect him. I think we got it dialed in well for the race, but still towards the end where he should have started to really pick it up, he started to fade a little bit.”

Martin Johnsrud Sundby of Norway won the race, followed by Czech Lukas Bauer in second and Sami Jauhojaervi of Finland in third.

Traditionally a standout in the sprint events, Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) finished 23rd in the women’s race to mark her best distance result to date as the sole female competitor for the U.S. “It was Kikkan’s best distance race ever, so we’re really happy about that,” Vordenberg said. “Her best results are obviously in sprint, where she’s been first. Her fitness is definitely there and she’s podium potential for sure.”

The Finns swept the top two spots of the female podium with Aino Kaisa Saarinen, who finished fifth in Saturday’s sprint, winning the event and Virpi Kuitunen taking second. Norway’s Marit Bjoregen was third.

The win by Norway’s Johnsrud Sundby boosted him into the World Cup lead after three events, as it did for Finland’s Saarinen in the women’s standings.

The Team now shifts its focus to the World Cup in La Clusaz, France, which will have a long distance and team relay event Dec. 6-7. “I can smell it – we’re close to our first podium, we’re just not there yet. I know it’s not going to be put on the table, but I know it’s there and the team knows it’s there,” Vordenberg said. “The mood is really good and it’s off to the next races.”

Full women’s results here.
Full men’s results here.

Results

Men

1. Martin Johnsrud Sundby (Norway) 37:52.5
2. Lukas Bauer (Czech Republic) 36:56.0
3. Sami Jauhojaervi (Finland) 38:06.6
4. Eldar Roenning (Norway) 38:07.2
5. Devon Kershaw (Canada) 38:12.8

16. Kris Freeman (USA) 38:44.0
64. Chris Cook (USA) 40:35.3
65. Torin Koos (USA) 40:35.8
68. Stefan Kuhn (Canada) 40:48.8

Women

1. Aino Kaisa Saarinen (Finland) 28:16.4
2. Virpi Kuitunen (Finland) 28:20.2
3. Marit Bjoergen (Norway) 28:23.7
4. Marianna Longa (Italy) 28:31.7
5. Justyna Kowalczyk (Poland) 28:43.9

23. Kikkan Randall (USA) 29:48.0
60. Perianne Jones (Canada) 30:58.4