January 5, 2007 —Olympic gold medallist, Chandra Crawford, was on pace towards sprinting to her third consecutive trip to the podium in an international skate-ski sprint event, but ran out of gas and fresh legs at the Tour De Ski in Asiago, Italy on Friday.

The 23-year-old Crawford, who was competing in just her second skate-ski sprint since the Olympic victory in Italy, claimed a bronze medal in the discipline on the opening day of the Tour de Ski last week. The Canmore, Alta., native was poised to raise the Canadian flag one more time after finishing fourth in the qualifications, and winning her opening heat in the round of 30, but couldn’t power her way to the line in the semifinals, and settled for 12th spot.

“I started off awesome and was really fast in qualifications so I thought it was going to be a great day,” said Crawford. “I got through to the semifinals and was in great position tactically, but my legs turned to wood and I got relegated to the B-Final where I just had nothing left.”

The Tour de Ski is taking its toll on the Canadian athletes. The inaugural event designed to replicate cycling’s Tour de France has the world’s best athletes hitting the start line for six events in eight days, racing in a variety of disciplines.

“I’m used to picking my race, being fresh for those races and always rested and ready,” said the Olympic champion. “This is a whole new challenge and it is very difficult. It is fun to race these events, but even more fun when you have energy.”

The marathon journey knocked Canada’s Devon Kershaw off the start line, and into his bed for extra rest. The 24-year-old Canadian, who won a silver medal in the opening day of the Tour de Ski, and wore the yellow leader’s jersey for the sprints, came down with a sore throat yesterday and did not compete, forcing him out of the remaining two days of competition. Two of the five Canadian men entered in Friday’s sprints however did qualify to move on into the heats, which consist of six athletes racing head-to-head, with the top two athletes in each race moving on to the next round. Sean Crooks, of Thunder Bay, Ont. posted another strong result finishing in 19th spot, while Stefan Kuhn, of Canmore, Alta., was 25th.

Finland’s Virpi Kuitunen took home the gold medal in the women’s sprint. Kuitunen knocked off the dominant Marit Bjoergen, of Norway, while Italy’s Arianna Follis pleased the hometown crowd with a bronze medal performance.

The Swedes and Norwegians jockeyed for top spot in the men’s competition all day long, but it was Norway’s Tor Arne Hetland who came out on top when the dust finally settled. Sweden’s Thobias Fredriksson was second, while Norway’s Petter Northug grabbed third.

Other Canadian results in the men’s race include: Drew Goldsack, of Red Deer, Alta., in 31st; George Grey, of Rossland, B.C., in 39th; and Dan Roycroft, of Port Sydney, Ont., who finished 51st. Three other Canadian women also suited up in the sprint. Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., was 35th; Amanda Ammar, of Onoway, Alta., was 52nd; while Dasha Gaiazova was 54th.

The Tour de Ski now heads down the road to Val de Fiemme, Italy for the final two days of grueling competition on Saturday and Sunday. The Canadians will suit up for the distance races, with the women’s and men’s 15- and 30-kilometre classic events, scheduled for Saturday.

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 Disabled 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: http://www.fis-ski.com

Top-5 Men and Canadian Results:

1.Tor Arne Hetland, NOR; 2. Thobias Fredriksson, SWE; 3. Petter Northug, NOR; 4. Janusz Krezolak, POL; 5. Marcus Hellner, SWE.

Other Canadian Results:cul

19. Sean Crooks, Thunder Bay, Ont.; 25. Stefan Kuhn, Canmore, Alta.; 31. Drew Goldsack, Red Deer, Alta.; 39. George Grey, Rossland, B.C.; 51. Dan Roycroft, Port Sydney, Ont.



Top-5 Women and Canadian Results:

1.Virpi Kuitunen, FIN; 2. Marit Bjoergen, NOR; 3. Arianna Follis, ITA; 4. Britta Norgren, SWE; 5. Katerina Neumannova.

Other Canadian Results:

12. Chandra Crawford, Canmore, Alta.; 35. Perianne Jones, Almonte, Ont.; 52. Amanda Ammar, Onoway, Alta.; 54. Dasha Gaiazova, Montreal.