Two Canadians injured at short track speed skating worlds following medal performances.
(Canadian Sport News)

GOTHENBURG, Sweden - Jonathan Guilmette of Montreal and Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, B.C., both suffered injuries on Sunday in 1,000 metre races at the world championships in short track speed skating.

Guilmette was the most seriously injured of the two. He was diagnosed with a stable compression fracture of the 11th vertebrae (middle back) and is expected to remain in hospital for up to a week. The 25-year-old double Olympic medallists from 2002, was injured in the 1,000-metre final when he tried to take the lead coming into a curve before the last lap.

Guilmette and Seung-Jae Lee of South Korea, the skater he was trying to pass, both went down. Guilmette crashed first into the boards and the Korean then slid into Guilmette. Lee was disqualified from the race. Guilmette was fitted with a neck brace and carried off on a stretcher.

Kraus crashed into the boards in her 1,000 quarterfinal after a Russian skater tried to pass her from the inside. The 26-year-old Canadian was taken to hospital for lower neck examination and released.

The accidents shook up the Canadian contingent enough that team decided not to compete in the 3,000-metre and relays finals, the last events of the competition. South Koreans Ahn Hyun-soo and Choi Eun-kyung defended their overall titles. South Korea won seven of the eight individual gold medals, three more than they earned at last year's worlds in Poland.

Amélie Goulet-Nadon of Laval, Que., finished fourth in the women’s 1,000 while Tania Vicent of Montreal was eliminated in the quarterfinal for 14th. In the men’s 1,000, Steve Robillard of Montreal and Jean-Francois Monette of Pointe-aux-Trembles, Que., were eliminated in the semis for sixth and seventh respectively.

Canada ends the meet with two medals both won Friday in the 1,500. Guilmette took silver in the men’s race and Kraus the bronze in the women’s race.

Despatie, Heymans and Hartley earn more medals at diving Grand Prix.
(Canadian Sport News)

MADRID-Alexandre Despatie of Laval, Que., earned his third consecutive international victory on men’s three-metres on Thursday at a Grand Prix diving competition.

Despatie took the gold with Kia Qin of China second and Rommel Pancheco of Mexico third. The 18-year-old Despatie, one of Canada’s top hopes for Olympic gold this summer, also won the three-metres at the FINA World Cup last month in Athens and at the Grand Prix last week in Russia.

“The three-metre is an event that’s really coming along for me this year,” said Despatie, better known for his exploits on 10-metre tower. “The key is
consistency. I’m scoring 8.0’s and 9.0’s on every dive. Today I was pleased with how I adapted to a different format of competition with the semis and
finals back-to-back in the evening session.”

Philippe Comtois of Laval was seventh, Arturo Miranda of Toronto eighth and Reuben Ross of Edmonton 15th.

Emilie Heymans of St-Lambert, Que., won Canada’s second gold medal in two days on Friday as she placed first on women’s 10-metre tower. Pei Liang of China second and Olena Zhupina of the Ukraine third.

The highlight in the final for Heymans was her reverse 3.5 on which she earned a whopping 86 points. She scored 8.5’s and 9.0’s on the dive and is the only woman in the world that executes it in competition.

“It’s hard to get high marks at this level of competition but Emilie came through,” said veteran Canadian coach Herb Flewelling of Edmonton. “The reverse is a new dive for her this year and it has given her some trouble. She’s feeling tired from all the recent competitions but this is only making her tougher and better under pressure situations.”

Myriam Boileau of Pointe-Claire, Que., was eliminated in the semifinal and finished 10th overall.

Blythe Hartley of Vancouver earned Canada's third medal of the competition on the 3m springboard placing second behind Yulia Pakhalina of Russia. Vera Ilyna of Russia was third.

March 25 – 28 will see Dive Calgary host the Canadian Senior Winter National Diving Championships at the Talisman Centre. Competitors will include World Champions Alex Despatie, Emilie Heymans and Blythe Hartley. Admission is $5 at the door. Visit www.divecalgary.ca for more information.

Jenn Heil celebrates victory in Italy.
(Freestyle Skiing Canada Release)

March 17, 2004 -- Canadian mogul sensation Jennifer Heil from Spruce Grove, Alberta, currently residing in Montreal, made history on the weekend as she accepted the FIS crystal globe for the 2004 FIS World Cup Freestyle Ski season. "I have always dreamt of winning the overall title," said Heil, after wrapping up the title. "Deep down I think I always knew I could do it."

Heil burst onto the World Cup mogul scene in 2001 and made an immediate impression. As a rookie, she placed 7th at her first World Championships in Blackcomb, 2001, and also achieved her first podium result at Mt. Tremblant. After an even more successful season in 2002 where Heil narrowly missed an Olympic bronze medal, and captured her first World Cup win in Inawashiro, Japan, Heil elected to forego the 2003 World Cup season to focus on rehab and strengthening for chronic injuries sustained through years of competition.

"My first two seasons on the World Cup tour brought success but not consistency. I was a little discouraged but I continued to dream that it was possible to win the title. Experience, hard work, determination and a lot of really great people in my life has helped me to win this title."

Despite already belonging to one of the world's most successful Freestyle Ski teams, Heil has raised the bar for Canadian female mogul skiers by being the first Canadian woman ever to capture a world cup mogul title. "It feels very special to be the first Canadian woman to win such a title in Freestyle Skiing. We have a great team of women leading up to the 2006 Olympics and I am happy to set the pace. My teammates have really helped to push me to be my best."

Meanwhile in aerial skiing, Steve Omischl captured the 2004 Suzuki Freestyle FIS World Cup title over the weekend. The 24 year old aerialist from North Bay, Ontario edged out FIS World Cup Half-Pipe competitors Mathias Wecxsteen and Laurent Favre from France, to secure himself as the number one Freestyle Skier in the world.

Omischl shared the stage with Snowboarder Jasey Jay Anderson, and Alpine legend Herman Meier. Omischl referred to his moment on the podium with the other snow sport leaders as "one of the coolest things I've ever done!"
Indeed, Omischl's entire season was one that is rarely achieved in the world of high performance competitive sport.

In early September, he captured the first two World Cup competitions in Buller, Australia, and sent a message to his competitors that he would be hard to stop this season. Omischl backed up those results with four more wins throughout the 2003-2004 season, as well as three silver medal performances, totaling nine podium results in 12 competitions. His dominance in aerials resulted in earning him the overall men's FIS Freestyle World Cup title as well as the men's FIS Aerial title.

Canada’s Melanie Banville wins bronze medal at Olympic test event in gymnastics.
(Canadian Sport News)

ATHENS- Melanie Banville of the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre won the bronze medal on women’s vault on Saturday at the Olympic test event in gymnastics while David Kikuchi of Halifax was fourth on rings.

In the women’s vault final, Natalia Ziganchina of Russia earned the gold while Courtney McCool of the U.S., was second and Banville, 16, captured the bronze, Canada’s first medal at the competition.

Banville was a member of both Canada’s world championship and Pan Am Games teams last year. At the worlds in Anaheim she helped Canada to 11th spot in the team event which qualified a full team for Canada for this summer’s Olympics. She also won three gold medals and was second all around at the national championships in 2003.

In men’s rings, Kikuchi, a three-time world championship team member, was fourth. ‘’I don’t think I’ve done a better rings in international competition,’’ said Kikuchi, also 10th earlier this week in the all around competition. ‘’I
increased the difficulty of the routine, held all my strength moves and stuck my dismount.’’

Christine Bisson, Devon Kershaw claim overall Madshus sprint titles.
(CODA Release)

Charlo, N.B.-Canada's Beckie Scott was one of four athletes to win a second consecutive gold medal at the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Championships in Charlo, N.B. on Friday.

Scott, of Vermilion, Alta., won gold in the women's open category of the Madshus sprint competition. David Nighbor, of North Bay, Ont., captured the junior men's national crown for 18- and 19-year-old athletes, while Edmonton's Amanda Ammar claimed the title in the junior girls event (athletes 16 and 17), and Natasha Kullas, of Timmins, Ont., made her second trip to the gold-medal position on the podium in the juvenile girls category (athletes under 16). All four athletes also won gold in their respective age categories during Wednesday's two-day pursuit competitions.

Scott continued her head-to-head battle with Olympic teammate Sara Renner, of Canmore, Alta., in Friday's sprints. While Renner was the fastest skier to whip around the .9-kilometre track in the qualifyication round, the Olympic champion was able to overcome the 27-year-old Renner's charge in the women's head-to-head final in order to claim her second title of the week. Renner settled for her second straight silver medal. Cheers by the hundreds of New Brunswick cross-country ski fans who lined the track were loudest for Milaine Theriault, of edal performance.St. Quentin, N.B., as the three-time Olympian sprinted to a bronze m

While Beckie Scott and Sara Renner are dominating the field in the women's events, the competition is tight in the men's races. Devon Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont. has been rising to the top of the field throughout the week. The 21-year-old, who competed in his first World Cup competitions in March, captured his third sprint title on the Madshus series while grabbing the national crown ahead of teammate, and gold medalist at the Under-23 World Championships this year, Drew Goldsack, of Red Deer, Alta., who finished second. Dan Roycroft, of Port Sydney, Ont., finished third.

"Competing at nationals is always a lot of fun and this is just a great way to end off the year," said Kershaw, who led from start-to-finish in each of his heats. "It is very important for our senior team to compete at nationals and give back to the hundreds of volunteers and parents who are here that love the sport. It is awesome to have Beckie (Scott) here with us this week and so great to see the eyes bulge out on the young kids that are here competing because the event is so big for them."

Despite a fourth-place finish in New Brunswick, Quebec City's Christine Bisson won her second overall Madshus women's title in four years, while Devon Kershaw won the men's series.

Other sprint titleholders on Friday included: Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., who won the junior women's division; Quebec's Nicholas Poirier, who claimed the junior boys event; and Haakon Lenes, of Banff, Alta., who crossed the line first in the juvenile boys race.

Canada wins team bronze at world cross country running championships.

BRUSSELS- Canada won the team bronze medal in the women’s four-kilometre race at the world cross country running championships.

Émilie Mondor of Mascouche, Que., led the Canadians in the race placing 13th. Mondor was eighth in Saturday’s eight kilometre race. Carmen Douma-Hussar of Cambridge, Ont., was 17th. Douma-Hussar won the silver medal earlier this month at the world indoor track and field championships in the 1,500 metre race.

‘’We couldn’t ask for much better,’’ said Mondor, 22, also one of Canada’s top middle distance runners on the track and on the road. ‘’The key for us now is that we have a program and that has created some team spirit. And when I talk about a team effort it’s not only the runners. I was still feeling the effects from yesterday’s race and I don’t think I could have gone out there again without the help of our coaches and team medical staff who helped me recover and get ready.’’

Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, B.C., was 22nd, Tina Connelly of Port Coquitlam, B.C., 35th, Courtney Inman of Mount Lehman, B.C., 37th and Lean Pells of
Coquitlam, B.C., 57th.

It’s Canada’s first medal at the cross country worlds since 1983 when the women were also third as a team. But back then Africa wasn’t a big factor in the competition.

‘’This is a young team and they are not intimidated by the competition,’’ said Martin Goulet, the director of endurance programs for Athletics Canada. ‘’Cross country is a powerful developmental tool for us in our plan to build strong runners on the track for events such as the Olympic Games.’’

Olympic bid over budget, but produces a surplus Prince George Citizen.
(Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER (CP) -- While Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympic bid went over budget by almost $1 million, it also came in with a surplus of more than $573,000. The bid released its audited financial statements, showing it cost $35.5 million to bring the $2-billion, five-ring circus to Vancouver and Whistler.

"We were working all along with a budget of $34.6 million," said John McLaughlin, vice-president of finance for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corp. "In the end, we spent $35.5 million. The bottom line was to make sure we didn't spend more than we took in." The bid corporation wound up taking in almost $36.1 million from various sources. The surplus is five times the $100,000 predicted by bid chairman Jack Poole last July.

The figures show that planning for delivering the Games cost close to $6
million, while $24.7 million went into marketing and support services and $4.8 million into sport development with Legacies Now. The audit shows that in terms of cash, $3.7 million came from the B.C. government, $6.6 million from the federal government and $20.5 million from corporate and private supporters. A further $5.3 million came from in-kind donations. The biggest spending item was $7.7 million for "international relations." McLaughlin said that included travel costs, when president John Furlong criss-crossed the globe promoting the Vancouver bid, plus attending international sports events, the mission to Prague to make the final presentation to the International Olympic Committee and the cost of the bid
book. The bid costs cover four years from 1999 to 2003.

Delays kill plans for roof over Athens pool, temperatures often exceed 38 degrees Celsius.
(The Toronto Star/Associated Press )

The Greek government called off plans yesterday to build a roof over the Olympic swimming pool after concluding the construction timetable was too
tight.

The cancellation, proposed late Friday and later approved by Premier Costas
Caramanlis, is one of the most serious rollbacks by Olympic planners who face widespread construction delays but promise most work will be done before the Aug. 13-29 Games.

The roof over the open-air pool was urged to protect athletes from the scorching summer sun and improve the quality of television coverage. "The experts concluded that due to the delays there are no guarantees for the timely construction and delivery of the roof - a fact that could jeopardize the swimming event," said a statement from the Olympic organizing committee. The committee said it would work on "alternative plans" without a roof, which could include rescheduling the swimming events to avoid the midday sun. Summer temperatures in Athens often exceed 38C.

The deputy culture minister, Fani Palli-Petralia, warned that hosting the swimming "under unsatisfactory conditions" would "shame the country." International Olympic Committee spokeswoman, Giselle Davies, said the decision "while not ideal, is the most sensible and practical solution." It was not immediately clear whether the April 14-18 swimming test competition will be rescheduled.

For the entire month of April, KidSport Calgary calls out to Calgarians to clean out their garages and pockets for Calgary and area kids! When you give to KidSport - you’re helping to keep kids in need busy, active and healthy.

KidSport helps overcome the financial obstacles that prevent some young people from participating in sport programs and provides funding for registration fees and sport equipment for approved applicants.

Before his passing, local sport icon, Ed Whalen was an enormous force behind the annual Drive for KidSport. KidSport now asks the people of Calgary and surrounding areas to get involved and carry on Ed’s legacy in supporting all kids’ access to active and healthy lifestyles through sports.

“The KidSport program is an excellent resource for hundreds of families in our city. In a time of rising costs of living, and reports of increasing health issues among Canada’s kids, many local families are facing a crisis situation. KidSport is here to help keep children active and provides an essential service, while the families we help get back on their feet.” says KidSport Calgary’s Chair Ken Newans.

KidSport Calgary has experienced a 40% rate of growth in the number of kids who accessed their program in last five years. Though all of the help given by the community last year was greatly appreciated, KidSport needs a great deal of quality equipment and monetary donations to ensure the assistance for kids continues to be available.

To date, KidSport Calgary has helped more than 7100 local kids and distributed over $1,121,000.00 across Calgary and area. KidSport funding is for children from low-income families and residents of Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Turner Valley, High River, Strathmore and Okotoks or within a 50 km radius from Calgary are eligible to apply.

KidSport would like to thank Sport Swap and Global Television for helping to make this Drive possible every year. Sport Swap’s three locations in the city accept any new and used sport equipment on behalf of KidSport Calgary year round. So throughout April’s Drive, just bring your gear to a location near you. Sport Swap is located at Southland and Elbow Drive, in the Northeast just South of Sunridge Mall, and downtown on the corner of 6th Street and 11th Avenue.

As well, watch Global Television for information on Ed Whalen’s Drive for KidSport! Together we can make a difference in hundreds of kids’ lives!

For more information or to donate, call 202-0251 or visit www.kidsport.ca.