January 12, 2015 (Duntroon, ON) – The final competitions for the Haywood NorAm Junior/U23 Worlds Trials at Highlands Nordic concluded on Sunday with the 10/15km and 5/10 individual skate races for senior and junior categories respectively.

Nishikawa leads Comeau ©Jenn Jackson

First out on course were the Junior men, where Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier (Fondeurs Laurentides) claimed his first victory of the weekend by 34s after finishing second in his two previous events. He was followed by fellow Quebec skiers Zachary Cristofanilli (Orford, CNEPH) in second and Edouard Reed-Métayer in third.

Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier follows David Askwith ©Jenn Jackson

Last year at the Junior/U23 World Championships in Italy, Izquierdo-Bernier had Canada’s best Junior Men’s result, finishing 14th in the 10km classic race. With his strong performances this weekend, he has earned himself another opportunity to compete overseas.

Junior Women podium ©Jenn Jackson

Also returning to  Junior Worlds is Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok), winner of the Junior Women’s 5km skate event. Stewart-Jones handily won her race, finishing 38s ahead of runner-up Eliza-Jane Kitchen (Hollyburn). This will be Stewart-Jones’ third trip to Junior Worlds.

Katherine Stewart-Jones ©Jenn Jackson

On having finished second in the Skiathlon and sprint, she said, “I’m really relieved because my big goal was to make it to Junior Worlds and I know that the 5km skate is definitely one of my strong distances, so I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to win the last race.”

In the Senior Men’s event, Kevin Sandau (Foothills, AWCA-NST) set the early pace and skied strong, consistent laps on his way to a 24s victory over fellow National Team skier Michael Somppi (Lappe, AWCA-NST).

Kevin Sandau leads Bob Thompson ©Jenn Jackson

“Today was kind of redemption for me from Thursday, my classic skis were viciously slow which put me way back in the skiathlon… I started fast but consistent and was able to get positive lap feedback the whole way,” shared Sandau.

Senior Men Podium ©Gord Kerr

In a post-race interview, Sandau added, “Climbing felt really good, it was a hard course but I was able to push on the tops after the hills. It was one of those races where it takes a while before it hurts you.” He showed his strength on the climbs, posting the fastest splits around the hilly part of the course two of the three trips around.

Colin Ferrie ©Jenn Jackson

Raphaël Couturier (Skibec, CNEPH-NST) took the fastest final hill split by 12s over Sandau to claim third overall and the top U23 spot. Runner up in the U23 category was Colin Ferrie from Kimberley.

Senior Women podium ©Jenn Jackson

Emily Nishikawa (Whitehorse, AWCA-NST) took her second Senior Women’s distance win of the season and is looking to keep her streak going next weekend when the NorAm moves to Canmore.

“I’m really looking forward to racing the 10km classic, which is my favourite race. To race out at Lake Louise will be totally different, it’ll be a bit flatter course, different venue… it’ll be a lot of fun,” said Nishikawa.

Cendrine Browne ©Jenn Jackson

The races at Lake Louise will act as a test-run for the 2016 FIS World Cup event which is scheduled to be hosted there in on March 11 as part of a series of Canadian races. Finishing in second place at 1:03 back, was Cendrine Browne (Fondeurs-Laurentides, CNEPH-NST), while Saturday’s sprint winner, Perianne Jones (Nakkertok, NST), finished 3rd, just 0.5s behind Browne.

The final Junior/U23 teams have not yet been named – decisions will be made shortly and posted by Cross Country Canada.

Results

Junior Men
1. Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier           31:20
2. Zachary Cristofanilli                      +:34
3. Edouard Reed-Métayer                +:57
4. David Askwith                               +1:20
5. Joey Foster                                     +1:21

Senior Men
1. Kevin Sandau                    45:18
2. Michael Somppi                 +:24
3. Raphaël Couturier                       +:42
4. Graeme Killick                   +:54
5. Andy Shields                      +:54

Junior Women
1. Katherine Stewart-Jones              18:05
2. Eliza-Jane Kitchen                         +:38
3. Maya Macisaac-Jones                    +:41
4. Annah Hanthorn                           +:43
5. Marie Corriveau                            +:44

Open Women
1. Emily Nishikawa                33:30
2. Cendrine Browne              +1:03
3. Perianne Jones                  +1:03
4. Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt    +1:29
5. Heidi Widmer                    +1:36

Full results here.