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Crawford, Harvey golden at nationals

Alex Harvey and Chandra Crawford both scored multiple gold medals while Bow Valley athletes racked up a boatload of wins at the Canadian cross-country ski nationals at Mont Ste-Anne, Quebec.
Chandra Crawford
Chandra Crawford

Alex Harvey and Chandra Crawford both scored multiple gold medals while Bow Valley athletes racked up a boatload of wins at the Canadian cross-country ski nationals at Mont Ste-Anne, Quebec.

In his home province, Harvey won gold in the sprints, 15 kilometre skate and 50 km classic, much to the delight of his fans. Crawford also topped the podium in the skate sprints and 30 km classic race to close out her best season in years.

Battling midsummer temperatures that turned snow into mush, racers were careful not to overheat on the course, wearing shorts and tanktops for many of the events.

The overall senior titles went to Perianne Jones and Alex Harvey, while Canmore’s Jesse Cockney and Emily Nishikawa were the top U23 skiers.

In the skate sprints, Crawford and Dasha Gaiazova finished one-two in the A final, beating out guest challengers from the U.S.A. and Norway. Alysson Marshall finished sixth.

Maya MacIsaac-Jones won the junior women’s sprint, followed by Rebecca Reid and Anne-Marie Comeau.

Harvey, Devon Kershaw and Phil Widmer were the top senior male sprinters, while David Sinclair, Sebastien Townsend and Alexis Turgeon won the junior men’s race.

Sam McConnery was the top Bow Valley racer in the junior boys sprints, finishing fourth, while Stuart Harden and Nico Tobias finished first and second in the B final. Suzanne Stevenson won the junior girls sprint, followed by Katherine Stewart-Jones and Marte Haakenstad Braaten.

Fifteen-year-old Kirsten Gillett of Canmore won the national juvenile girls sprint championship, as she led the charge for Canmore Nordic.

In the men’s 50 km, Harvey and Kershaw crossed the finish line together, slogging through warm temperatures and melting snow to win gold with a time of 2:14:45.

The win allowed Harvey to complete the gold medal hat trick in front of adoring fans. Ivan Babikov was third.

Crawford also won the women’s 30 km classic ahead of Norway’s Britt Inguun Nydal and Ragnhild Haga. Gaiazova was the second fastest Canadian, followed by Jones. Knute Johnsgaard was the junior men’s 30 km Canadian champ, while MacIsaac-Jones was the top junior woman in the 20 km classic mass start, followed by Reid and Comeau.

Harvey also won the open men’s 15 km skate, followed by Babikov and Kershaw. Emily Nishikawa won the open women’s 10 km skate, edging Marshall by half a second at the finish line. Jones was the third fastest Canadian.


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