October 27, 2007 (Dusseldorf, Germany) – Canada’s Chandra Crawford wasted no time at the sound of the bell to jump in the ring and face the battle waiting for her against the world’s best top cross-country ski athletes. The Olympic gold medallist led a group of six Canadian sprinters into the first World Cup cross-country ski event of the season where she finished 10th in Dusseldorf, Germany on Saturday.

“I learned really quickly about what it means to get back on the snow and fight with six girls. It is a huge shock to the system after six months of training on our own,” said Crawford, who powered her way through the streets of downtown Dusseldorf, which were lined with thousands of screaming fans. “It was great to welcome the start of winter again today, and I was thrilled with my performance and ability to regroup and meet the challenge.”

Coming off a difficult post-Olympic season last year, the 23-year-old Canmore, Alta. native had little expectations heading into the season-opener, but was focused on just qualifying for the top-30 head-to-head heats, which consist of six athletes racing head-to-head, with the top two athletes in each race moving on to the next round.

“I had a horrible qualifying run against the clock and from that moment anything would have been a gift for me,” said Crawford, after qualifying on the .8-kilometre track in 24th with a time of one minute 50.25 seconds – nearly five seconds off the leading pace. “I had enough to get through, advanced from the quarters into the semis, and to get four races in today and test myself against this level of athletes was great. Last season was really rough so 10th was the beginning of respectability for me.”

Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., who was the only other Canadian woman to suit up on Saturday, finished in 41st spot.

Phil Widmer, of Banff, Alta., led the Canadian charge in the men’s race, but fell just short of qualifying into the top-30 when he found himself in 36th spot after cruising around the 1.5-kilometre track in a time of 3:09.86. Other Canadian results in the men’s race included: Stefan Kuhn, of Canmore, Alta., in 60th; Sean Crooks, of Thunder Bay, Ont., in 70th; and Dave Nighbor, of North Bay, Ont., in 71st.

Russia’s Natalia Matveeva won the women’s season-opening World Cup. Norway’s legendary Marit Bjoergen finished in second spot, while Sweden’s Anna Dahlberg rounded out the podium in third.

Germany’s Josef Wenzl delighted the home-country crowd with a golden victory in the men’s race. Wenzl was joined on the podium by Bjoern Lind, of Sweden, in second, while Norway’s John Kristian Dahl was third. The Canadian team will be back in action on the World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany on Sunday in the team sprint relay.

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.

Complete results at www.fis-ski.com

Women
1. Natalia Matveeva (Rus)
2. Marit Bjoergen (Nor)
3. Anna Dahlberg (Swe)
4. Arianna Follis (Ita)
5. Seraina Mischol (Sui)

10. Chandra Crawford (Can) Canmore, Alta.
41. Perianne Jones (Can) Almonte, Ont.

Men
1. Josef Wenzl, GER
2. Bjoern Lind, SWE
3. John Kristian Dahl, NOR
4. Petter Northug, NOR
5. Marcus Hellner, SWE

19. Andy Newell (USA)
36. Phil Widmer (Can) Banff, Alta.
43. Torin Koos (USA)
60. Stefan Kuhn (Can) Canmore, Alta.
70. Sean Crooks (Can) Thunder Bay, Ont.
71. Dave Nighbor (Can) North Bay, Ont.