November 16, 2007 (Muonio, Finland) – Canada’s Devon Kershaw proved he is ready to prove his mettle against the world’s best cross-country skiers after finishing fourth against a stellar line-up of athletes in a FIS race Friday in Muonio, Finland.

The 24-year-old Sudbury, Ont. native, who has developed into one of the strongest sprint skiers in the world, qualified in 25th spot of the classic sprint race to move into the head-to-head heats. The heats are made up of the top-30 athletes, with six athletes racing head-to-head. The top two athletes in each race move onto the next round.

Kershaw powered his way through the heats to the final with many of the best skiers from Russia, Finland, Czech Republic and Estonia. Determined to ski his way onto the podium, Kershaw settled for a fourth-place finish after getting tangled up and falling in the final.

Kershaw’s teammate, Drew Goldsack, of Red Deer, Alta., also showed the world he is ready for the World Cup season. The 26-year-old, who qualified in 13th spot, finished 10th.

Russian teammates, Nikolay Morilov and Andrey Parfenov, battled for the gold with Morilov coming out on top once the dust finally settled. Dusan Kozisek, of Czech Republic, grabbed the bronze.

Kershaw and Goldsack will be joined by teammate, George Grey, of Rossland, B.C. when the Canadian team will be back in action in Muonio, Finland on Saturday for a classic distance race.

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.

For full results click here.

Results (brief)

1. Nikolay Morilov (Rus)
2. Andrey Parfenov (Rus)
3. Dusan Kozisek (Cze)
4. Devon Kershaw (Can) Sudbury, Ont.
5. Victor Revin (Rus)

10. Drew Goldsack (Can) Red Deer, Alta.