March 4, 2007 — The Norwegians continue to dominate at the 2007 World Championships, snagging the top-two spots on the podium in the men’s 50-kilometre classic, Sunday, in Sapporo, Japan.

The gruelling two-hour race came down to the final stretch at the finish line, with Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset just edging out teammate, and defending World Champion in this event, Frode Estil, by 0.4 seconds, with his time of two hours 20 minutes 12.6 seconds. Less than 15 seconds separated the gold medal spot from fifth-place, holding the fans through to the thrilling end.

Dan Roycroft, of Port Sydney, Ont., put together a solid effort in the final race of these World Championships, posting his best individual result. Roycroft finished in 31st-place, with a time of 2:30:05.8.

Blind skier, Brian McKeever, of Canmore, Alta., had another strong result, stopping the clock at 2:32:10.4, good enough for 35th-place. McKeever, who is legally blind, made history earlier in the week by being the first Canadian ParaNordic athlete to ski in an able-bodied World Championships. He also holds the best Canadian result for the week, with his 24th-place in the men’s 15-kilometre free.

Edmonton’s Stefan Kuhn also suited up for the final men’s race, crossing the finish line in 2:35:01.7, which put him in 41st-place. This marks the end of the 2007 World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. The Canadian team will travel to Europe where they will finish out the World Cup season, before returning to Canada for the National Championships at the end of March.

Top-five results:

1. Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset, NOR, 2:20:12.6; 2. Frode Estil, NOR, 2:20:13.0; 3. Jens Filbrich, GER, 2:20:17.1; 4. Tobias Angerer, GER: 2:20:23.1; 5. Lukas Bauer, CZE, 2:20:25:7

Canadian results:

31. Dan Roycroft, Port Sydney, Ont., 2:30:05.8; 35. Brian McKeever, Canmore, Alta., 2:32:10.4; 41.Stefan Kuhn, Edmonton, 2:35:01.7