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CANADIAN WOMEN MAKE TOP 15 IN ALPINE WORLD CUP
LAKE
LOUISE, AB (Alpine Canada Release) – Canadian
skiers used home snow advantage to place three athletes
in the top-15 at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Winterstart
super-G event in Lake Louise on Sunday.
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Geneviève
Simard of Val-Morin, QC., led the charge of Canadians
with a sixth place finish followed by an eighth
place finish by Emily Brydon of Fernie, B.C..
Mélanie Turgeon, who was the top Canadian
in the previous two Lake Louise downhill races
finished 15th. Karen Putzer of Italy won the race
ahead of Martina Ertl of Germany. Carole Montillet
of France completed her crystal trophy collection
with her third podium this weekend by finishing
third. Montillet was second Friday and first Saturday
in the two downhills.
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Simard,
Brydon and Turgeon all placed in the top 15 last
weekend at the alpine World Cup in Lake Louise.
(Alpine Canada Photo)
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Brydon,
who is on the comeback trail from injuries that kept
her off out of competition until the Olympics last season,
was excited about her top ten finish. “My run
today was Emily starting to race again. I felt confident,
like I was charging the course – the course wasn’t
charging me,” said Brydon. “We (Canadians)
belong with the best and this is the start of a good
season for us.”
On the Junior side of alpine racing; Sherry Lawrence
of Calgary scored her first NorAm Cup podium finish
in the Super G in Aspen, CO this weekend. On a steep
and icy course that allowed only 20 of 39 racers to
survive all the way to the finish line, Lawrence was
.14 of a second behind American Libby Ludlow. American
Christin Lathrop was third.
The silver medal is a big confidence booster for Lawrence,
18, who was also top junior Monday and top-Canadian,
finishing 10th in Sunday’s Nor Am. “The
team has been so excited and positive this fall,”
Lawrence said. “Some of the girls ski so well
technically, I didn’t really feel I deserved to
be on this team … I had three good results last
year and still thought I needed to do much better, that
I had a lot of catching up to do. The podium is really
neat.
WOTHERSPOON
WINS SECOND GOLD, LE MAY DOAN BRONZE AT SPEED SKATING
WORLD CUP
NAGANO,
Japan (CSN) - Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta.,
rocketed to another victory in the men’s 500-metres
Sunday while Olympic champion Catriona Le May Doan of
Saskatoon added a bronze in the women’s 1,000
to conclude the first stop on World Cup long track speed
skating circuit for the sprinters.
Wotherspoon
skates to double gold on the weekend in Japan (Reuters/Jerry
Lampen Photo) |
In
the men’s 500, Wotherspoon swept both 500
events this weekend. World record holder Hiroyasu
Shimizu of Japan was second and Gerard van Velde
of the Netherlands third. “I thought I could
skate better than that,” said Wotherspoon,
who clocked 35.19 in Saturday’s win. “But
I was kind of sore and tired from yesterday and
I just didn’t have the same energy. My timing
and technique were off.”
According to the ISU, Wotherspoon now has 38 World
Cup career wins, for 3rd place all-time. Uwe-Jens
May of Germany has 48 and Dan Jansen of the U.S.,
46.
James Monson of Winnipeg was 19th, Éric
Brisson of Ste-Foy, Que., 26th while Sterling
Sobczak of Winnipeg did not finish. Mike Ireland
of Winnipeg injured a groin muscle on Saturday
and did not race.
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In
the women’s 1,000, Monique Garbrecht-Endfelt of
Germany notched her second win. Olympic champion Chris
Witty of the U.S., was second and Le May Doan bounced
back from a fourth place finish in the 500 for third
spot. “I had a very solid race,” said Le
May Doan, who is recovering from a back injury which
has affected her training over the past month. “I
didn’t die too badly at the end and hopefully
my starts will come around. The back is doing pretty
well, I’m very pleased.” Kim Weger of Regina
was 25th and Krisy Myers of Calgary 28th.
In the women’s 500, Sayuri Osuga of Japan took
the gold medal while Le May Doan, second on Saturday,
had a big slip with 30 metres to go and ended up in
fourth. It was the first time Le May Doan was not a
World Cup medallist in the 500 since March 2000. “I
nearly went down,” said Le May Doan. “I
caught an edge and did a Bambi. Otherwise it was good
race, I would have been right up there if not for the
slip.” Myers was 21st and Weger 30th.
Jan Bos of the Netherlands won the men’s 1,000
with Wotherspoon fifth. Kevin Marshall of Coquitlam,
B.C., 13th, Jason Parker of Yorkton, Sask., 14th and
Monson 22nd. Next weekend the sprinters compete for
the first time at the indoor oval in Harbin, China.
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DID
YOU KNOW? Included
in the top 10 of the Globe and Mail's annual ranking
of Leading Sport Figures are several Canadian
Sport Centre Calgary Athletes: Beckie Scott, Hayley
Wickenheiser, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier
(who received support leading up to the 2002 Salt
Lake Olympics). They are listed among the likes
of Wayne Gretzky, Jim Thompson, Jarome Iginla
and Gary Bettman.
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CANADIAN
SWIMMERS BRING HOME HARDWARE FROM THE U.S.
MINNEAPOLIS,
USA (CSN) - Audrey Lacroix of Montreal earned her second
gold medal in two days while John Stamhuis of Victoria
posted his first international victory Saturday to conclude
the U.S. Open swimming championships. Silver medals
were won by Mike Mintenko of Vancouver in the 100 freestyle
and Rick Say of Calgary in the 1,500 freestyle. Canadian
swimmers ended the three-day meet with eight gold, five
silver and four bronze.
Rick
Say of Calgary posted a PB to win a silver medal
at the US Open on the weekend. |
Say
posted a personal best time in finishing second
in the 1,500 freestyle as did Mintenko in the
100 freestyle.
In
the women’s 200-metre butterfly, Lacroix
grabbed the lead in the final 50 metres to win
the gold. Lauren Stinnett of the U.S., was second
and Jessica Deglau of Vancouver, the Canadian
record holder, was third.
Stamhuis
led a Canadian medal sweep in the men’s
200 breaststroke. |
The 24-year-old edged Commonwealth Games bronze medallist
and Canadian record holder Mike Brown of Perth, Ont.,
who took second while Chad Thomsen of Edmonton, the 100
breaststroke winner on Thursday, was third.
Keith Beavers of Waterloo, Ont., also won two gold medals
at the meet highlighted by his victory in the 200 backstroke
Thursday in which he beat world record holder and Olympic
champion Lenny Krayzelburg of the U.S.
“Our
performances here are right in tune with our game plan
for the 2004 Olympics,” said Canadian national
team head coach Dave Johnson of Calgary. “There
were numerous positive performances that we’re
very excited about. And to see youngsters like Reimer
and Lencoe reach finals already is a great start for
them.”
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SILVER
MEDAL FOR CANADA AT FREESTYLE SKIING WORLD CUP
SAUZE
D’OULX, ITALY (Freestyle Press Release)
- Scott Bellavance of Prince George, B.C., leads
the overall World Cup moguls standings after winning
his second silver medal in as many weeks.
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His score of 27.17 left him just behind winner
Mikko Ronkainen of Finland, while the bronze medal
went to Travis Mayer of the United States.
“It’s
pretty different from the last few seasons,”
said Bellavance, 27, who hadn’t won a World
Cup medal until this season. “It’s
weird. I’ve been doing lots of good training,
but I haven’t been doing anything fancy
in the competitions. I’m just doing what
we’ve been doing in training.” And
that has meant more simulations of race conditions.
This way, says Bellavance, there’s less
anxiety in the actual competitions.
Veteran
Stephane Rochon of St. Sauveur, Que., after a
rough start last week finishing out of the top
15, placed fifth. He is
recovering from an ankle injury.
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Scott
Bellavance goes inverted in the moguls at the
World Cup this weekend in Italy. (CFSA Photo) |
Two
Canadians also reached the women’s 12-skier moguls
final.
Both in their official World Cup rookie seasons, Elisa
Kurylowicz of Manotick, Ont., placed seventh and Kristi
Richards of Summerland, B.C., was eighth, after a shocking
fifth-place finish to open the season a week earlier.
The winner was Kari Traa of Norway followed by Shannon
Bahrke of the U.S. and Margarita Marbler of Austria,
who was third.
Other women competing included veteran Tami Bradley
of Vancouver. She placed 14th, while rookie Stephanie
St. Pierre of Victoriaville, Que., was 19th.
Other Canadian placings, among the men, were 2002 Olympian
Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, Que., in
17th, Warren Tanner of Grimsby, Ont., 21st, rookie Chris
Wong of Prince George 23rd.
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TRIVIA:
What international
award was Paralympic athletics champion and World
Record holder Earle Connor nominated for in 2002?
BONUS QUESTION:
While in Monaco attending the award ceremony,
which famous actor did Earle play golf with? (See
below for answers)
TEN
MEDALS INCLUDING RELAY GOLD FOR CANADA AT
SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING WORLD CUP
BORMIO,
ITALY (CSN) - Canada enjoyed its most productive
day this season on the short track speed skating
World Cup circuit Sunday with five medals including
gold in the men’s relay to conclude the
fourth of six stops on the circuit.
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The
Canadian Short Track teams win 5 medals this weekend
at Italian World Cup. (AP/Young-Joon Photo)
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In
the men’s 5,000-metre relay, François-Louis
Tremblay of Boucherville, Que., Éric Bédard
of Ste-Thècle, Que., Jonathan Guilmette
of Montreal and Mathieu Turcotte of Sherbrooke,
Que., provided Canada its third victory this season
in the event. Italy was second in Germany third
in 7:08.067.
In
the women’s 3,000 relay, South Korea won
gold by nearly a full second over Canada which
took the silver.
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Canadian skaters were Annie Perreault of Rock
Forest, Que., Amanda Overland of Cambridge, Ont.,
Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, B.C., and Amélie
Goulet-Nadon of Laval, Que.
Goulet-Nadon,
19, capped the best weekend of her career on Sunday
finishing third in the women’s 3,000-metres.
She also won gold in the 500 Saturday and silver
in the 1,500 on Sunday. She was also fifth in
Sunday’s 1,000.
“I’ve taking the next step in my progression
as a racer,” said Goulet-Nadon, a member
of Canada’s bronze medal winning relay team
at the Olympics. Overland, at her first World
Cup event, reached her second and third finals
this weekend placing fourth in the 1,000 and fifth
in the 3,000.
Canada
ends the meet with 10 medals.
“It was great to see everyone contribute
to the team’s success this weekend,”
said Canadian national team coach Guy Thibault.
“We’re a much better squad now than
we were two weeks ago when we arrived overseas.”
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Congratulations
to Gymnast Kylie Stone of Calgary
for
winning a gold medal on floor and a bronze medal
on vault at last weekend’s Elite Canada.
At the age of 15, look for Kylie to be an up
and coming force in Canadian women’s gymnastics.
JUNIOR
AND SENIOR CROSS COUNTRY SKIIERS EXCELLING AT
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION THIS SEASON
DAVOS,
SWITZERLAND (CCC Release) - Canadian National
Team member and two-time Olympian Sara Renner
scored her first world cup points of the year
today when she placed 29th in the 10 km skate
cross-country ski race held in Davos, Switzerland.
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The
twenty-six year old Canmore native, who
got three top-20 results at the Winter
Olympic Games in Salt Lake City last February,
finished in 28:18.2. “I am relieved
that I’m racing faster this weekend,”
says Renner. It feels good to be at altitude
again.”
Teammate
and Olympic Medallist Beckie Scott came
in 15th today (27:37.2) in a closely packed
finishing line-up led by last weekend’s
World Cup winner Bente Skari of Norway
(26:39.5). |
Renner
and Scott both put in top 15 performances
this weekend at the Swiss World Cup. (CCC
Photo) |
Estonian
powerhouse Kristina Smigun was ousted from the
gold again, finishing less than 3 seconds from
Skari. The bronze went to Italian Olympic medallist
Gabriella Paruzzi. Fellow Canadian teammate
Milaine Theriault, who just arrived in Europe
days ago, finished 63rd.
On
the Junior side - Junior National Team Head
Coach Alain Parent is pleased that 2 of his
athletes placed in the top 10 (including a gold
medal) among the competitive 46 women racers
at this weekend’s Continental Cup taking
place in Sovereign Lakes, BC. “I am very
happy with their fitness in these early-season
races. For many of them it is even their first
time on snow this year, so really I have no
complaints.”
On
the men’s side, Team 2006 member Chris
Jeffries earned his first medal of
the season in a close fight to the finish between
American Olympians Carl
Swenson, Justin Freeman, and Andrew Johnson.
The men’s event was easily won by Justin’s
younger brother Kris Freeman. Other top Canadian
finishes include George Grey in 6th, Phil Villeneuve
in 8th, Devon Kershaw in 10th, Gordon Jewett
in 11th, and Adam Kates in 12th.
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LATE
ADDITION...
CANADIAN WOMEN SWEEP SKELETON MEDAL PODIUM –
MEN 4th, 5th, 6th!
LAKE
PLACID, NY (Skeleton Press Release) - In today’s
third World Cup of the FIBT’s 2002-2003
World Skeleton Tour, Canada swept the medal
podium in the women’s competition and
was 4th, 5th & 6th on the men’s side.
Lindsay
Alcock (Calgary) won the race, with Michelle
Kelly (Grande Prairie, AB) in silver, and Deanna
Panting (Calgary) in third. Melissa Hollingsworth
(Lacombe, AB) was sixth, completing the strong
Canadian Women’s Team finishes. Maya Pederson-
SUI was 4th and Olympic Gold medallist Tristan
Gale- USA was 5th.
On
the men’s side, Paul Boehm (Calgary) had
his best finish to date in his young World Cup
career, placing 4th followed by Jeff Pain (Calgary),
5th and Duff Gibson (Calgary) in 6th. Canada’s
fourth entry, Turc Harmesynn of Calgary was
22nd. The Americans swept the men’s medals,
with Chris Soule in 1st, Kevin Ellis in 2nd
and Brady Canfield taking 3rd.
This
was Alcock’s third medal and second Gold
of the season, “It was great to win here,
and I’ll enjoy this victory, but my real
focus is on preparing for the second half of
the season, and in particular the World’s
in Nagano in February”. Similarly, this
was Kelly’s third medal of the season
(2 silvers, bronze). For Panting, this was a
“comeback” of sorts, after missing
last season due to injury, and two disappointing
results in the previous races this year. Panting
commented “it feels great to be back;
and attributed her confidence to her son Dante,
who told her ‘you can do it’”.
The
FIBT World Skeleton Tour now takes a break,
resuming in Igls, Austria in mid-January, followed
by World Cups in St. Moritz, SUI and Altenberg,
GER in late January. The World Championships
will be held in Nagano, Japan on the weekend
of February 15-16, 2003.
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TRIVIA
ANSWER:
Earle was nominated for Sportsperson of the Year
with a Disability - a prestigious Laureus World
Sport Award. Although he did not win, it is an
incredible achievement just to be nominated. Some
past winners of the Laureus awards include Jennifer
Capriati, Tiger Woods, Cathy Freeman, Pélé
and Lance Armstrong.
BONUS ANSWER:
Sir Sean Connery.
For
more information on the Laureus Sports Awards
visit: http://www.laureus.com/awards/index.php
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