March 1, 2007 — Despite their best efforts, Canada’s women’s relay team landed in 16th-place Thursday during the 4 x 5-kilometre classic relay at the World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan.

The Canadian squad, consisting of Olympic gold medallist Chandra Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., Montreal’s Dasha Gaiazova , Tasha Betcherman, of Thunder Bay, Ont., and Sarah Daitch, of Fort Smith, N.W.T., didn’t have the speed they needed to maintain pace with the top cross-country ski teams in the world. Canada finished the race in 59 minutes 55.7 seconds, +5:37.1 off the winning team from Finland.

Virpi Kuitunen, who led her team to the gold in the team sprint event, grabbed the early lead which they never surrendered, to take the gold medal in the relay. In the last 500 metres Germany’s Evi Sachenbacher Stehle overtook newly crowned sprint world champion Astrid Jacobsen to strip Norway of the silver medal in the final stretch.

Four Canadian men, Devon Kershaw, George Grey, Dan Roycroft, and Drew Goldsack, will team up to take on the world’s best Friday, in the men’s 4 x 10-kilometre relay.

Complete Results: www.fis-ski.com

Top-five women:

1. Finland, 54:18.6; 2. Germany, 54:30.5; 3. Norway, 54:34.3; 4. Sweden, 54:50.3; 5. Czech Republic 55:02.9



Canadian Results:

16. Chandra Crawford, Canmore, Alta., Tasha Betcherman, Thunder Bay, Ont., Sarah Daitch, Fort Smith, N.W.T., Dasha Gaiazova, Montreal, 59:55.7