March 7, 2006 – Simply put, the planets were aligned for Canada’s male cross-country ski athletes on Tuesday. On the same day that Devon Kershaw became the first Canadian man to win a World Cup medal in men’s competition in more than 15 years, junior athlete Alex Harvey took the National Ski Championships by storm by posting the best time of the day in men’s open competition.

And in an ironic twist, both feats were connected by former national cross-country ski team member Pierre Harvey, the father of Alex and the last Canadian man before Kershaw to set foot on a World Cup podium. The elder Harvey won a string of three World Cup medals in the late 1980s.

Alex Harvey continued the lineage Tuesday after posting 29:21.30 in the 10-km classic, which stood as not only the best time in the junior men’s division, but the best time recorded by any male competitor on the day. The stellar result vaulted the younger Harvey, at the tender age of 17 still a junior-category athlete, into the winning position in both the junior and senior men’s open events.

The youngster, a resident of St. Fereol des Neiges, Que., finished a shade ahead of senior athlete Stephen Hart, who clocked in with 29:22.80. Rounding out the top finishers in the senior men’s category was Whitehorse native Graham Nishikawa, who recorded a time of 29:25.60. After Harvey, the top junior men were hometown favourite Chris Butler, who recorded 29:56.40 for ninth overall, and Calgary’s Brett McMurtry, who finished with 30:31.20 for 13th overall.

In other men’s open results, 2006 Olympians Drew Goldsack and Chris Jeffries both finished in the top-10 at sixth and seventh spot, respectively.

Montreal’s Dasha Gaiazova finished atop the field in the five-km women’s open with a time of 15:40.70. The 22-year-old was followed by national team veteran and 2006 Olympian, Milaine Theriault of St. Quentin, N.B., who tallied 16:18.90 en route to second place. Brittany Webster, a member of Ontario’s Highland Trailblazers Club, was the top junior woman on the day after posting a time of 17:22.30.

In other results from Tuesday, Sarah Hewitt, Hannah Perry and Natasha Kullas took the top three podium spots, respectively, in the junior girls category, while Heidi Widmer, Flurina Keller and Kara Jaspers were the top-three contestants in juvenile girls competition. In the standing disabled category, the top three finishers were Tyler Mosher, Jerry King and Mikhail Gorbounob.

Haakon Lenes was the top finisher in junior boys competition, followed by Frederic Touchette and Michael Somppi. The top-three finalists in juvenile boys competition were Evan Bruce, Martin Lenes and Anthony Laroche.

The cross-country action continues tomorrow in the National Ski Championships in Thunder Bay with the pursuit start skating event. Complete results from today’s competition can be found online at www.zone4.ca.