Olympics: Canadian wrestler clinches her spot.
(The Ottawa Citizen)

Freestyle wrestler Christine Nordhagen-Vierling of Calgary is going to the
2004 Olympics.

She defeated Monika Kowalska of Poland 10-0 in the quarterfinals of the 72-kilogram class in a qualifying tournament yesterday at Tunis, Tunisia, and defeated a Russian opponent 11-1 in the semis. A top-three finish in her weight class was enough for the Olympic berth.

Tonya Verbeek of St. Catharines failed to qualify, losing a quarterfinal to Italy's Deletta Giampiccola, but she will get another chance at a second Olympic qualifier in Madrid later this month.

This will be the debut for women's wrestling in the Olympics.

Check out Christine's website.

Canada’s Perdita Felicien wins gold in 60 metre hurdles at track and field indoor worlds.
(Canadian Sport News)

BUDAPEST- Perdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont., won the gold medal and the anxiously awaited showdown with American star Gail Devers Sunday in the women’s 60-metre hurdles at the world indoor track and field championships.

‘’This one’s almost sweeter than the one in Paris,’’ said Felicien, who was named Canada’s female athlete of the year for 2003 after her stunning victory in the 100-metre hurdles at the outdoor worlds last August in the French capital. ‘’Just because it was so hyped.’’

Felicien clocked a Canadian and meet record 7.75 seconds. She finished ahead of Devers, the defending champion and the 60-metre sprint champion on Friday, who was second in 7.78. Linda Ferga-Khodadin of France set a national record for the bronze in 7.82.

‘’Perdita was a favourite here but I think she had to show she could beat Devers,’’ said Les Gramantik of Calgary, head coach of the Canadian team. ‘’I think no one will talk of her as a fluke anymore. She’s a very confident girl and I was very impressed how she managed the entire competition today.’’

Earlier this year Felicien finished second to the 37-year-old Devers at two events in the U.S. The Canadian said she was going to approach the indoor worlds with as much intensity as an Olympic final. Now Felicien will probably the favourite in Athens in the 100 hurdles, with her two world titles in her pocket.

‘’This victory definitely raises the stakes for me,’’ said Felicien, the first Canadian woman to win gold at the indoor worlds and Canada’s first champion at the event since Bruny Surin took the 60-metre title in 1995. ‘’The expectations will be higher. The most important thing is to be ready for the big ones (major competitions).’’

‘’I knew I could win here but I would have been happy with any medal, even a bronze’’ said Felicien, 23, in her first season as a pro after a successful college career. ‘’When I broke the Canadian record in the semifinal, that was my gold medal.’’

There was one false start in another lane in the final but that didn’t bother Felicien, who was running out of lane five.

‘’My coach (Gary Winkler) said there would probably be a false start’’ she said. ‘’He said if it happens just walk back to the lane as if nothing happened.’’

Canada’s 10-member squad ends the competition with one gold and silver medal. On Saturday Carmen Douma-Hussar of Cambridge, Ont., placed second in the women’s 1,500 metres also in Canadian record time.

‘’We had some setbacks but overall it was a strong championships,’’ said Gramantik. ‘’But those that had disappointing performances will only learn from this. It’s hard to come to such an intense competition as this without much experience and put out a personal best performance.’’

Canada was without high jumper Mark Boswell of Brampton, Ont., a bronze medallist at the outdoor worlds, who was nursing an injured ankle.

Calgary’s Earle Connor breaks 60-metre world record at world track and field championships for amputees.
(Canadian Sport News)

COLOGNE, Germany- Earle Connor of Calgary continued his assault on the world record book Saturday at the inaugural world indoor track and field championships for amputees.

Connor won the men’s 60-metre sprint breaking his world record for one-leg amputees by clocking 7.76 seconds at the competition which has attracted more than 300 athletes mainly from Europe. His previous best was 7.83 seconds set earlier this year at a meet in Saskatoon.

‘’Everything went well, I couldn’t ask for a better start to the season,’’ said Connor, who broke four outdoor world records within a week last year. ‘’I was totally focused on what I wanted to do. This really makes me excited for the Paralympics (this September in Athens).’’

Connor was granted a request to race the arm amputees final to get better competition after a posting an 8.03 in the heats. ‘’I beat a bunch of guys on two legs, so that was pretty special too,’’ said Connor who runs with a prosthesis.

Connor lost his left leg at three months because of a problem with his fibula but that didn’t deter him from excelling in abled-bodied sports as a youngster. He was a standout hockey player reaching the highest levels in Saskatoon where he grew up. He was also an excellent first baseman in baseball and a sought-after doubles partner in tennis.

But watching the 1996 Paralympics, the multi-sport Games for athletes with a disability, on TV changed his life.

Last year, Connor was nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in sport. He was a finalist in the Sportsperson of the Year with a disability category at the Laureus World Sports Award which is the Academy Awards of international sport. Lance Armstrong and Serena Williams won the male and female athletes of the year awards.

Connor is coached by Les Gramantik, the head coach of the Canadian team at the world indoor championships this weekend in Budapest. ‘’I phoned Les before my race today and told him I felt ready to break a world,’’ said Connor. ‘’He said just go out and do it.’’

Grant Golding

Grant Golding Wins Madeira International.
(Gymnastics Canada Release)

Athlete Profile: Duff Gibson - Renaissance man makes his bones in skeleton.
(By ALLAN MAKI)

Canada's newest world champion is a modern-day Renaissance man, meaning he's a little of this, a lot of that and not what you think. That's because Duff Gibson is a 37-year-old Calgary firefighter and former speed skater and bobsledder who loves the rush and also the band Rush because he plays bass guitar à la Geddy Lee. (For the record, Gibson plays in a group that includes former national-team speed skaters Mike and Neal Marshall. The name of their band can't appear in a family newspaper because it's patterned after that old ditty Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The band is looking for gigs, by the way.)

Music aside, Gibson has a master's degree in exercise physiology, has worked as a strength and conditioning coach and comes from a line of world-class athletes. His dad was a Canadian lightweight judo champion. His uncle represented this country in rowing at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Gibson, too, was a rower for a time.

But Canada's newest world champion didn't win his title in rowing, track, speed skating, bobsleigh or even playing bass. He won it in skeleton, the sport where you lie on your stomach and blaze headfirst down an icy track at speeds that would make a teenager cry.

It's also worth mentioning that the world skeleton championship Gibson won last weekend in Koenigssee, Germany, was actually his first international win. What can we say? When the guy scores, he scores big. And here's how he celebrated his ultimate moment: He got on a plane and flew to Calgary, where he caught up on his sleep before checking in for his 7:30 a.m. shift at Fire Hall No. 27 at the Calgary airport.

"The guys on duty at the airport came to the terminal when I arrived," Gibson said of his Sunday welcoming party. "My wife, Jennifer, was there and my in-laws drove up from Pincher Creek. It was a special moment."
Gibson has had to persevere for his special moments in skeleton. He didn't take up the sport until he was 32, an age when most amateur athletes are thinking of sliding headfirst into a working career.

In 2002, he was all over the map, finishing second at a World Cup event in Calgary, third at a World Cup event in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and 10th at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. The Olympics were a bittersweet experience for Gibson. Surrounded by Canadian medalists at the athletes' village, Gibson figured he could have done better, so he decided to do something about it.

He bought a new sled built by former world champion Ryan Davenport for $5,000. In his final run on the final day of the 2004 world championships, Gibson decided to push his sled and faith to the limit with one hellacious, all-out ride. He ended up first by 12/100ths of a second, setting a track record in the process. Not bad for a guy who decided he was going to succeed in skeleton even before he'd taken his first slide.

"There were practical reasons for my decision," Gibson said. "I knew I wouldn't be depending on anyone else. Nobody would jump ship [the way athletes jump from pilot to pilot in bobsleigh]. It was dependent on me.
"I never thought about luge because skeleton allowed me to take advantage of the sprint training I'd done for bobsledding. In luge, you use only your arms at the start. In skeleton, you get to sprint.
"The bottom line was I wanted to represent Canada and I figured this was the best way to do it."

Gibson had made it a goal to win a World Cup one day. He never set his sights on a world title because that just seemed "too over the top." But now that he has a championship, he's committed himself to higher standards and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. "Germany's Christophe Langen was second in the two-man bob [to Canada's Pierre Lueders] and he's 39," Gibson said. "That's the age I'll be in Italy. Age matters in skeleton because you need power, but the longer you go, the more experience you have."

To ensure he'll be at his best at what will be his final Olympics, Gibson has begun cutting back on his hectic schedule. He no longer serves as a personal trainer. The one thing he won't give up is his bass playing and love of music. Why, there's even a thought his newfound world championship might better promote his band with the unprintable name. "Who knows?" Gibson said. "We might even need a van for all our equipment."

Drew Neilson adds silver medal at World Cup snowboardcross. Alexa Loo posts best ever result for Canadian female.
(CODA Release)

Mt. Bachelor, ORE-Canada's Drew Neilson completed his World Cup snowboardcross medal collection on Saturday after winning silver in the newest Olympic discipline in Mt. Bachelor, Oregon.

The Vernon, B.C. resident, who won a gold and bronze medal in the event last weekend in Japan, continued his hot streak into North America and stepped onto the podium for the third consecutive time. "That one was exciting. It was so much fun riding down that track today," said the 29-year-old Neilson of one of the longest courses on the World Cup circuit. "It was a great day and nice to get another medal. I am riding well and having lots of fun."

While Neilson was the lone Canuck in the medals, the Canadian squad had some impressive results qualifying six of eight athletes for the finals. The elimination round, which consists of the top-32 athletes, pits four competitors racing head-to-head over jumps, banks and high rollers. The top-two athletes in each heat move on, with the bottom two eliminated from the competition.

Alexa Loo raised the bar for female alpine snowboarders in the country on the weekend The Richmond, B.C. resident finished fifth in the parallel giant slalom, marking the performance the best-ever finish by a Canadian woman in World Cup alpine snowboarding.

"This not only my best result, but the top result ever for Canadian women in the discipline," said Loo, whose previous best was 17th this year. "Canadian women can do better than this, and we need to build from this result and build soon. This gives me a lot of confidence knowing I can compete with the best on the World Cup."

Loo's speed and masterful technique through the difficult course set in Mt. Bachelor under heavy blowing snow and monstrous ruts, proves she is ready to move into a class with the world's best. Loo, who moved into the round of 16 of head-to-head competition, was cruising her way through to the finals until she met eventual winner Daniela Meuli. Loo opened the two-run quarter-final heat ahead of Meuli, but the overall World Cup leader fromSwitzerland knocked off the Canadian in the second run after Loo made a mistake in the flats.

Complete results at http://www.csf.ca

Beckie narrowly misses podium finishing 4th at World Cup sprint. Canadian men glide into top 10.
(CODA Release)

Lahti, FIN-Canada's Beckie Scott was on a mission to capture her first World Cup podium appearance of the year, but the Olympic gold medallist came up short in the final heat and finished fourth, missing the podium by a hair in a sprint event in Lahti, Finland.

Scott started out the day on fire, posting the second fastest qualification time after blasting around the one-kilometre track just .12 seconds behind frontrunner Marit Bjoergen, of Norway. "I skied really good throughout the day and it all started with a good qualifying run. I had good skis and lots of speed and power that carried me through to the final," said Scott, who has consistently placed in the top-15 this year. "I think this course was suited for me. The first half was straight climbing which is one of my strongest skills and I just felt comfortable out there."

"It feels really good to be back and I feel like this is where I belong," said Scott. "I have been skiing really well all year, and have been so close to turning in some good results, but I just haven't had the breaks. It may be one of the final events of the year, but I am still very happy."

Sara Renner, of Canmore, Alta., who may be getting a little road weary having been in Europe since December, qualified 29th . Milaine Theriault, of St. Quentin, N.B., who continued her comeback trail this year after having a baby, qualified 52nd in just her second World Cup of the season.

Chris Jeffries, 26, of Chelsea, Que., and George Grey, 24, of Rossland, B.C., who teamed up to form Canada I, made their way through the 6 x 1-kilometre relay to finish in ninth and become the seventh fastest nation on the day. Each team consists of two athletes who both complete the course three times.

Devon Kershaw, 21, of Sudbury, Ont., and Drew Goldsack, 22, of Red Deer, Alta., made their debuts in Europe on the circuit. The young Canadian duo, which finished third at the Under-23 World Championships in the team sprint relay, suited up in Finland for just their second event ever on the World Cup and finished 19th.

Canada's men and women's Cross-Country Ski Teams will compete again on Sunday in the 10- and 15-kilometre classic events. The competition will be the final event in Finland before the team heads to Italy for the World Cup Finals next week.

Calgary's Erin Gammel and Chad Murray named top swimmers at Canadian championships.

TORONTO- Vancouver’s University of British Columbia Thunderbirds men’s squad set a record for its seventh consecutive team title while the women T-Birds tied the national mark placing first for the sixth straight year to conclude the Canadian Interuniversity Sport short course swimming championships on Sunday.

The Thunderbirds men’s squad surpassed the previous mark of six consecutive men’s team titles set by the University of Toronto Blues from 1966 to 1971. The women’s squad equals the U of T mark of six straight
team crowns from 1987 to 1992.

In individual competition, Chad Murray and Erin Gammel, both of the University of Calgary, were named top swimmers of the three-day meet after gold medal performances on Sunday.

Gammel, who just returned this week from the national team training camp in Australia, completed a golden sweep in the backstroke events with a victory in the 200 metre race. On Saturday she won in the 100 and Friday in the 50.

‘’This is the first time I’ve ever won a 200 backstroke at the national level,’’ said Gammel. ‘’Obviously I think I had gained a certain amount of endurance from the camp but the main thing for me is that I now believe I can go out and win every race I enter.’’

Murray took the 200 IM gold on Sunday to add to his wins on Saturday in the 50 and 200 butterfly and Friday in the 400 IM. ‘’I fought hard this weekend,’’ said Murray. ‘’It certainly sets me up well in my preparations for the Olympic trials.’’

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