Yukon ski team off to solid start at nationals
Whitehorse skiers had a solid start to the 2013 Haywood Ski Nationals taking place this week at Whistler Olympic Park.
Whitehorse skiers had a solid start to the 2013 Haywood Ski Nationals taking place this week at Whistler Olympic Park.
So far, the Yukon has won three medals and picked up a pair of top-10 performances in a huge field of skiers from across the country, along with a sprinkling of international skiers.
The first event of the week-long meet was the team sprint, where teams of two skiers alternate laps of a sprint course, each completing three circuits.
In an exciting finish in the open men's category, three teams 鈥� including two from Whitehorse 鈥� hit the last 30 metres together.
In the end, the Foothills duo of Jesse Cockney and Brent McMurtry took the gold with less than a second margin over local skiers Knute Johnsgaard and David Greer.
The duo of Graham Nishikawa and Colin Abbott took bronze, only 0.3 seconds behind Greer and Johnsgaard.
On day two, skiers competed in an individual start skate race.
Hitting the hilly trails on a fast, hard-packed course, Brian McKeever from the Foothills Nordic club 鈥� coming off gold medal performances on the world Para-Nordic circuit 鈥� took the open men's 10-km race with an impressive 21:18 clocking.
Nishikawa had a solid race and took second place, only 11 seconds back of McKeever.
Greer also hit the top-10, finishing eighth with a time of 21:54.
In the juvenile boys race, Caelan McLean missed the podium by a whisker, taking fourth place in his five-km race.
Conditions were perfect for the first two days of racing at the traditionally wet race site 鈥� with cool nights hardening up the snow but sunny days welcoming the huge field of 630 racers.
Races continue today with an interval start classic technique race.
On Friday, in Falun, Sweden, Whitehorse skier Emily Nishikawa showed the country that she is in top form in the first event of the World Cup finals.
Nishikawa was the top Canadian in the women's 2.5 km prologue to the three-race series, crossing the line in 41st position overall with a time of 6:40.
Nishikawa will join the Yukon ski team this week to compete in the final half of the ski nationals.
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