January 24, 2017 (Calgary, AB) – Alberta World Cup Academy stand out Knute Johnsgaard punched his ticket to the 2018 Winter Olympics with a bronze medal performance in 4×7.5km men’s world cup relay Sunday (Jan. 22) in Ulricehamn, Sweden.

After watching Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey ski incredibly well through the first two legs, Johnsgaard skied the third leg of the relay, keeping the Canadians in medal contention before tagging off to Len Valjas, who secured the history-making medal performance. It’s the first men’s relay world cup medal in Canadian history.

Remarkably, Johnsgaard’s decision to join the team was an extremely last minute decision. He got the call to fly to Sweden on Wednesday, and raced with only two-days rest.

“I just made great decisions. Last week, Canada wasn’t going to be able to field a relay with only three people, so it started with my decision to fly over to Sweden on short notice, arriving late Thursday night.  I knew my shape was feeling good training back in Canmore and there was no question the other guys were in shape coming off a team sprint win last weekend,” Johnsgaard said.

It was only the second World Cup relay of his career, and the Whitehorse native hung in there with the World’s best. He was never more than five seconds off the pace, as he was determined to stick with the top group.

“I knew Len was in good shape so if I could keep contact with the top guys in my leg he could potentially come through for us,” Johnsgaard said.

Strategy was the name of the game for Johnsgaard, who knew he had to conserve as much energy as possible before the race.

“Another great decision was for me to sit out (Saturday’s) 15 km skate. It meant I was fresh for the relay and I knew that was a worthy sacrifice,” Johnsgaard said. “I was able to hang on to the group, tagging Len off just five seconds behind the lead. We were very confident and positive as a team and everyone did their part, including the support staff who gave us great skis. I’m so thrilled to have had the opportunity to be part of this.”

The medal means Johnsgaard will make the trip to the 2017 world championships, and has earned a spot on the Olympic team. This will be his first trip to the games.

Johnsgaard has been a standout with the AWCA this season, and has worked hard to adjust to the pace of the World Cup. In the off-season, he likes to take his fellow teammates into the backcountry, where his avid hunting and angling skills have resulted in many incredible adventures.

NORAM Race Report – Cowboy hats aplenty on Whistler podium

The Academy men swept the sprint podium, as the team dominated the Western Canadian Championships in Whistler B.C., Jan 21-23.

With Knute Johnsgaard away on the World Cup, AWCA alumnus Jesse Cockney stepped in to take the open men’s title Friday (Jan. 21) in the skate sprint, followed by speed merchant Julien Locke and Dominique Moncion-Groulx. The Westerns podium was a first for Moncion-Groulx, who has been one of the Academy’s steadiest skiers this year.

“It was good to see ‘Do’ step onto the men’s podium,” said coach Scott Perras. “We wanted to sweep the podium. We adopted Jesse Cockney, who trained with the Academy for years, and needed someone else to step up. ‘Do’ was able to do that for us.”

The race also represented a big milestone for Locke, who is returning to form after returning from injury. Locke will race on the World Cup in South Korea next week, and the coaching staff is very happy with his recovery.

“Julien was a little disappointed not to be first, but overall he had a good trip,” Perras said. “Injuries do come in the sport and it’s a part of our job to make sure they don’t come back too early, which is what every athlete wants to do. Overall he was good with it.”

After a few tough weekends, the coaching staff challenged many of their racers to step up their game. Perras said Moncion-Groulx did just that in Whistler.

The Quebec athlete is now beginning to realize his potential, and Perras said he could have easily had two podiums on the weekend, were it not for a crash on Saturday.

“The big highlight in Whistler was ‘Do’ with his third place in the sprint,” Perras said. “He’s really suited for all around races. If there was a five km race, he would be incredible. The skate sprint is his strength and he was able to show that. He was in great shape.”

Dahria Beatty and Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt finished first and second in the open women’s skate sprint as they round into form before world championships, as the duo showed dominant speed. Maya MacIsaac-Jones won the ‘B’ final, while Delphine Duvarnay Tardif was 11th.

Distance races:

In Sunday’s 10 km classic, Beatty took the silver medal, finishing 16 seconds behind Emily Nishikawa.  Maya MacIsaac-Jones put on a AWCA cowboy hat for the first time of her career with a bronze medal performance.

Perras said he was most encouraged by MacIsaac-Jones, who is on track for strong races at the U23 World Championships next month.

“For Dahria and Maya, it was good to see they can perform with high volume loads,” Perras said.

Duvernay-Tardif finished 12th in the open women’s category.

Cockney took second place in the men’s 15 km classic race, finishing 4.2 seconds behind Andy Shields of Thunder Bay. Jack Carlyle took fourth, Patrick Stewart-Jones was seventh, while Antoine Hebert impressed in eighth place.

“Antoine did a great job. It was by far his best race of the year. We expected to see that result in Soldier Hollow, but he got sick. It’s good to see he is in good shape,” Perras said.

The team scatters this week, with some athletes traveling to Eastern ski championships, while others await world championship and world junior championship announcements. Perras will travel with the U23 team, while coach Chris Jeffries will work with the world championship team in Lahti, Finland.