麻豆社区

Four Yukon cross-country skiers have been named to the team slated to represent Canada at the upcoming World Cup races in Canmore, Alta.

Senior national team members Emily and Graham Nishikawa are once again on the team, and after posting strong performances in last weekend's NorAm races, Dahria Beatty and David Greer have been added to the roster.

"For Greer, this is a major accomplishment and shows that he is steadily progressing,鈥� said Claude Chabot, executive director of the Whitehorse Cross-Country Ski Club. "For Beatty, this is recognition that she has a great future in the sport. Very few juniors ever qualify to compete at this level.鈥�

Canmore will host three races 鈥� a mass start classic technique race Dec. 13, a free technique sprint race Dec. 15 and a skiathlon Dec. 16. The Yukon skiers have all been tagged to start in all three races except for Greer, who will skip the sprint.

While both Nishikawa siblings have competed at World Cup events in the past, this will be the first opportunity for Beatty and Greer.

For Beatty, it is especially significant as she is still a junior going head-to-head with the best seniors in the world.

"The first time an athlete competes at this level is bound to be a bit intimidating,鈥� Chabot said. "The experience our athletes gain at these races will go a long way for their future careers.鈥�

The first NorAm races of the season were held over the weekend in Canmore, with several Yukon skiers competing.

First on the agenda was a free technique sprint race, skied on Saturday. This race was hotly-contested as the Swiss national team sprint specialists were competing.

They showed their class, sweeping the men's podium and taking the top spot in the women's field.

In a surprise performance, Beatty finished sixth overall in the open women's field.

On Sunday, the skiers donned their classic equipment and hit the trails for an individual start distance race 鈥� 10 km for the women and 15 km for the men.

Once again, Beatty was the top Yukoner for the day, this time competing in the junior women's category.

Beatty picked up a silver medal, and was just four seconds back of Frederique Vezina from the Mont Ste-Anne club in Quebec.

On the senior women's side, Sport Yukon's newly-acclaimed International Female Athlete of the Year, Emily Nishikawa, narrowly missed the podium with a fourth place finish, 12 seconds back of the bronze medal position.

Skiing in the big senior men's category, Greer picked up a third place finish, while Graham Nishikawa also cracked the top-10 with a seventh place finish.