February 6, 2010 (Canmore, Alberta) – The sprint action was fast and furious on Saturday at the Canmore Nordic Center. With the top 30 qualifiers separated by only seconds, the heats were fast and exciting right from the first gun.

In the women’s field, Petra Majdic (SLO) dominated her quarterfinal heat, taking a huge lead by the second corner and never relinquishing an inch. Canada’s Chandra Crawford raced well in her quarterfinal, skiing at the front of the group until the last hairpin corner. She fought hard to the line but missed moving on by only a few feet, to finish 4th in her heat. Perianne Jones also skied well in her first heat, but the field proved too much for her and she did not advance.

Top US sprinter Kikkan Randall raced a solid quarterfinal, edging her way into the semis, while teammate Holly Brooks was forced to end her day in the quarters. Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova, the top North American in 9th in the qualifications, proved once again that she’s a force to be reckoned with. She fought hard for third place in her heat and her fast quarterfinal time, earned her a lucky loser berth in the semis, along with team mate Sara Renner who also skied fast.

The women’s semifinal action saw some serious contact and carnage. Heavy favorite and second place qualifier Majdic was involved in a crash on the last corner, the same spot that ended the hopes of two Canadian men. Her fast recovery was not enough and she finished last in her heat with obvious disappointment on her face. Meanwhile Canada’s Renner skillfully evaded the tangle and, combined with some very strong double polling, earned herself a birth in the finals, to the cheers of the elated crowd. Randall’s day ended in the semis, as did Gaiazova’s who later explained “I got tired. I’m just happy to have raced well against these girls.”

The women’s final was a nail-biter for the mostly local crowd. The action in the final was clean for the whole 1.4km, with Renner keeping good contact. In the final corner, that proved so dangerous for many skiers, she used her experience to her advantage, and set herself up well for the final sprint. The cheering was thunderous and the hometown girl powered her way down the finishing strait, giving it everything to maintain her 3rd place position right to the line, to take bronze amid the roar of the audience and whir of dozens of camera lenses. World Cup leader, Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk, took the gold, with Sweden’s Ida Ingemarsdotter in second for the silver.

At the press conference, Kowalczyk was asked how she felt about winning, given that Petra Majdic crashed out in the semis. “I’m always happy to win, but it’s not as good because I like competing with Petra. If I’m going to win, I want to race against Petra to be the best.”

As for landing a podium position in front of her home town crown, Renner said, “It was pretty spectacular, everyone was cheering. It’s always exciting having the World Cup come to Canmore. I’m always glad to see the support that Canmore gives me, they support the big guys and the little guys, so it’s great that we can celebrate this as a community.” She said that she had not predicted doing so well, and was just focusing on doing her best. She was also quick to point out how helpful she finds living and training at home. “Being at home, living a normal life instead of living out of a suitcase is really nice. It was pretty nice having people wish me luck at the grocery store.”

Women’s full results here.

Results (brief)

1. Justyna Kowalczyk (Pol)
2. Ida Ingemarsdotter (Swe)
3. Sara Renner (Can)
4. Katerina Smutna (Aut)
5. Karianne Bjellaanes (Nor)
6. Oxana Jatskaja (Kaz)

10. Kikkan Randall (USA)
12. Daria Gaiazova (Can)
23. Chandra Crawford (Can)
25. Perianne Jones (Can)
28. Holly Brooks (USA)
34. Rhonda Jewett (Can)
35. Madeleine Williams (Can)
36. Laura Valaas (USA)
41. Shayla Swanson (Can)
43. Andrea Dupont (Can)
45. Kristina Trygstad-Saari (USA)
47. Nicole Deyong (USA)
48. Kate Brennan (Can)
49. Caitlin Compton (USA)
51. Katie Ronsse (USA)
53. Sarah Daitch (Can)
54. Jacqui Benson Jacqui (Can)
57. Karla Bailey (Can)
59. Rebecca Reid (Can)
60. Rebecca Rorabaugh (USA)
DNS Gosling Brooke (Can)