December 15, 2007 (Rybinsk, Russia) – Canada’s Devon Kershaw gave himself an early birthday and Christmas present Saturday, finishing 12th in a World Cup 30km mass start skate race where the first 19 skiers were within 10 seconds of winner Tor Arne Hetland of Norway.

Hetland, 2001 world and 2002 Olympic skating sprint champion, finished in 1:11.04.8, a half-second ahead of Finland’s Ville Nousiainen. Italian great Pietro Piller Cottrer took third, 1.3 seconds off Hetland’s winning pace.

Kershaw, who turns 25 next Thursday (Dec. 20), had a time of 1:11.10.6. American Kris Freeman finished 46th with George Grey of Canada 52nd and Alaskan Lars Flora 55th in the field of 68 racers.

In a race where 25-30 skiers scrambled for the lead, Kershaw was up front throughout the eight-lap race, in a pack just a couple of seconds off whoever happened to be leading at any moment. Under cloudy skies, temperatures were -6 C. (about 20 F.).

It was his best World Cup performance at distance, topping his 15th-place result a year ago in a 15km freestyle race in Gallivare, Sweden, a year ago. Overall, Kershaw’s best World Cup result was finishing third under the lights in a sprint at Borlaenge, Sweden, shortly after the 2006 Olympics.

Norwegian Astrid Jacobsen won the women’s 15km mass start in Rybinsk. Her time was 39:24.5 with Russian Natalia Korosteleva second in the field of 46 with a time of 39:25.2. No North American women competed.

Full women’s results.

Full men’s results.