Heading into the Olympics, the Canadian men’s cross-country ski team was undeterred by the big climbs, tough opposition and warm weather that were to greet them in Sochi. What they weren’t anticipating was wax problems.
Heading into the Olympics, the Canadian men’s cross-country ski team was undeterred by the big climbs, tough opposition and warm weather that were to greet them in Sochi.
What they weren’t anticipating was wax problems.
With the temperature hovering around +12 Degrees C, Devon Kershaw was the first Canadian to cross the line in the 15 km classic race at the Sochi Winter Olympics, finishing in 35th spot with a time of 41:17, 2:47 behind Switzerland’s Dario Cologna. It was Cologna’s second gold of the games after he missed most of the World Cup season with an ankle injury.
Racing in his favourite event, Kershaw put forth a good effort, but couldn’t overcome slow skis, which cost him on the downhills.
“It’s the Olympics and you have to give it your best every day. I just fought for every second of that race. Obviously it’s tough when the equipment’s not there. I have lots of experience and you have to keep fighting through it, ” Kershaw said.
Ivan Babikov was 39th (41:49.2) on the day and also said his skis kept him from a better result. In the trees, he said his skis were good, but in the stadium, his skis slipped in the slushy snow.
“It’s one of the hardest races. I felt not too bad. (The skis) were not as fast as the other guys, but you have to use what you’ve got, ” Babikov said.
Graeme Killick finished in 65th spot (44:04.8), while Alex Harvey pulled out of the race due to the slow skis.
“(Alex) Poltoranin caught me in the stadium and dropped me instantly on the downhill for 15 seconds. I didn’t know what to think, so I kept pushing… (Chris) Jespersen caught me at the base of the big downhill and I stayed with him the whole way, honestly I was feeling very good, but on a little downhill he put five or 10 metres on me, ” Harvey said. “So I saw Justin (Wadsworth) and said that while I was feeling really good, I was losing so much time on the downhills, that there was just no point in continuing. ”
Wadsworth said this is the first time Canada has had ski issues at a major championship. He pointed out it’s not an issue with the wax techs or the grip, but the speed of the grip wax used.
“We know it’s a speed issue with the kick wax. That’s the limiting issue. (The team) is back out retesting everything. They’re frustrated with the situation. It’s not an application issue, it’s a wax issue.
Canada has five more races. The women’s 4x5 km relay is set for Saturday, while the men compete in the 4x10 km relay on Sunday.
