December 17, 2010 (Rossland, BC) – When it comes to do-or-die performances, you can’t get much more clutch than Stef Kuhn’s Tech Sprint win in Rossland today. The Canadian National Ski Team (NST) veteran only just returned from racing in Europe on Monday, having been forced home by necessity. Today’s 1.6km freestyle sprint in Rossland, BC was the last qualifier for a sprinter’s spot on the Canadian Nordic World Championship team.

“Whoever wins here will go, and that’s about it,” said Cross Country Canada’s James Cunningham, “the rest of the team is pretty much full.”

On a very technical course, Kuhn took the win in a hard-fought sprint to the line over teammate Drew Goldsack after the two Canucks gapped the field just before the last corner. Fellow NST skier George Grey finished 3rd, with Lars Flora (USA), Phil Widmer (CAN) and Mike Sinnott (USA) rounding out the top six.

On the women’s side, the competition was just as stiff; so stiff in fact that Canada’s Perianne Jones and American Holly Brooks (APU) tied for 2nd just meters behind US winner and Brooks’ teammate, Sadie Bjornsen. The women’s final saw all top six qualifiers from this morning battling for podium positions. Jessica Diggins (USA) finished 4th, Heidi Widmer 5th and Andrea Dupont was 6th. Having so many top skiers in the final is something that winner Bjornsen said made for a good, clean race.

Tied for second makes Ottawa’s Jones the top Canadian, which also secures her a spot at the World Championships. She said today’s result is a huge weight off her shoulders.

“It’s a big time relief,” said Jones. “I was pretty nervous this morning and right up ’till the final.”

Despite her dominance on the domestic sprint circuit this year, today was no cakewalk for Jones. In her final heat she battled with 3rd fastest qualifier Heidi Widmer (AWCA) and 6th fastest qualifier, Andrea Dupont, and both were contenders to challenge for he World Champs position.

“I was very concerned about them, especially because it’s so hard to pass on that course. I wanted to get out front, so I basically went as fast as I could off the start. Most importantly I wanted to be safe on the corners.” Indeed, being taken out by an aggressive competitor would have been disastrous, especially considering the Americans have no qualification spots on the line this weekend.

With her big race out of the way, Jones said she’s excited about the rest of the mini-tour.   She said she likes the idea, and that “in Canada, it’s good for people who usually just race sprints to get some other races.”

Women’s full results HERE.
Men’s full results HERE.