December 15, 2005 – A 10-year veteran of the Canadian cross-country ski team, Beckie Scott will be looking to defend her Olympic gold medal performance from Salt Lake City at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin.

The 2002 Olympic Winter Games was Scott’s finest hour as an amateur athlete as she placed in the top-10 in each of her four Olympic events en route to becoming the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.

During her time on the international circuit, Scott has re-written the Canadian record books and firmly established herself as one of the world’s best cross-country ski racers.

Recently, Scott enjoyed a phenomenal start to her 2005-06 World Cup campaign by winning a gold medal in the sprint event to go along with a silver medal in the team pursuit discipline at a competition in Vernon, B.C.

In 2004-05, Scott turned in another sensational international season, recording six top-10 podium finishes on a condensed World Cup schedule including a season-best result of fifth in the 10-kilometre discipline at an event in Finland.

On the World Championship stage, Scott narrowly missed her first podium finish in the event after finishing fourth in the double pursuit race to go along with a notable sixth-place finish in the team sprint discipline. Scott then concluded the event by recording three top-15 placings in the sprint, 10 kilometre and 30 kilometre races respectively.

Among her most notable achievements, Scott has consistently finished in the top 10 throughout the last five ski seasons while accumulating a total of seven career World Cup podium finishes in the sprint, individual and relay events.

A two-time Olympian (1998, 2002), Scott has become one of the most respected Canadian athletes competing on the international stage – not only by virtue of her athletic accomplishments – but also through her passionate and influential lobbying towards developing a strengthened anti-doping infrastructure.

A member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee, Scott previously helped to circulate an athletes’ petition requesting the establishment of an independent drug-testing body for all World Cup and Olympic competitions.

Throughout her career, Scott has also been recognized for her charitable endeavours as she was named a UNICEF Canada special representative for challenging her fellow athletes at a Continental Cup event in 2001 to donate their prize money to an Afghanistan relief project.

In recognition of her numerous achievements both on and off the snow, Scott is a two-time (2002-03) recipient of the John Semmelink memorial award as the snow sport athlete who through sportsmanship, conduct and ability, best represent Canada in international competition.

Scott has also received the Spirit of Sport Story of the Year award at the Canadian Sport Awards in 2004, and was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame this spring.

As a result of her on and off the course achievements, Scott was selected as Canada’s candidate for the prestigious IOC Athletes’ Commission. Elections for the IOC Athletes’ Commission will be held during the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. The top two athletes receiving the highest number of votes are subsequently elected for an eight-year term.

Apart from competing internationally, Scott is also working towards an English degree from the University of Waterloo by correspondence.


II. Potential Olympic Teammates:

The following is a list of some of the potential Olympic participants from the 2005-06 women’s Canadian cross-country ski team.

Sara Renner (Canmore, Alta.): Entering her ninth season on the Canadian cross-country ski team, Sara Renner is coming off a breakthrough 2005 international season in which she became the first Canadian to capture a medal at the World Championships with a third-place result in the sprint discipline.

Recently, Renner enjoyed a promising start to her 2005-06 campaign by finishing third in the sprint event during a World Cup competition in Vernon, B.C.

The holder of seven individual career top-10 finishes on the World Cup circuit, Renner’s 2004-05 season was also highlighted by two top-six results in the team sprint discipline after helping Canada to a fourth-place finish at a World Cup event in Italy and a sixth-place result in the same discipline at the 2005 World Championship.

A two-time Olympian (2002, 1998), Renner recorded three top-15 results at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games after helping Canada to an eighth-place finish in the 4×5 kilometre relay and placing ninth and 13th in the individual sprint and 10-kilometre events.

Early in 2005-06, Renner has enjoyed a strong start to the season winning the pursuit and sprint event at the Haywood NorAm series in Vernon, British Columbia.

Renner is married to Canadian alpine skier Thomas Grandi. Equally successful in his career, Grandi is a serious medal contender in both the slalom and giant slalom events. In 2004-05, he became the first Canadian to win a technical event at a men’s World Cup after winning back-to-back gold medals in the giant slalom discipline.

Milaine Theriault (St. Quentin, N.B.): A two-time Olympian (2002, 1998), Theriault is competing in her 12th season as a member of the Canadian cross-country ski team. During the past two seasons, she has been competing on a reduced schedule after having her first child, Xavier.

In 2004-05, Theriault’s season was highlighted by a 22nd-place finish in the sprint discipline at the 2005 World Championship.

Away from competition, Theriault is currently finishing her Science degree from Athabasca University in hopes of pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. Her boyfriend, Robin McKeever, is a guide for his brother Brian, who is a Paralympic gold medallist in cross-country skiing, blind.