Alex Harvey and Len Valjas closed out Canada’s world cup season with a pair of top 15 results, leaving both top-ranked cross-country skiers hungry for more in 2016.
Valjas missed the semifinals by a boot length in the Drammen city classic sprints, but the result was enough to sneak him into the overall top-30 rankings on the world cup circuit.
“Drammen is such a badass venue. I’m disappointed that I missed advancing to the semis by a boot, but I’m pumped that my top 15 result was enough to get me back in the world cup red group,” Valjas said.
Eirik Brandsdal of Norway won the race, finishing ahead of countrymen Finn Haagen Krogh and Ola Vigen Hattestad. Harvey just missed the top 30 qualifier by a second, settling for 33rd.
Harvey had a much stronger day in the 50 kilometre ski marathon in Oslo, Norway to close out his year. Battling warm temperatures that hovered around 9 C, he led for 30 km of the skate race, but dropped back in the pack after switching his skis at the mid-race point, finishing 13th with a time of 1:55:37.6.
“It was a good, hard race. The conditions were soft, but the pace was still fast the whole way,” said Harvey. “I was feeling really good, but just died on that last half.”
Sjur Roethe of Norway won the race in 1:54:44.9, followed by Dario Cologna of Switzerland and Martin Johnsrud Sundby of Norway.
Canmore’s Ivan Babikov snuck into the top 30 with a time of 1:59:44.9, good enough for 27th.
The race closes out a landmark season for Harvey, who became the first Canadian to win two medals at a world championship. He also won a medal on the Tour de Ski.
“It was an awesome year for me,” said Harvey. The goal all year was to win one medal at world championships. I won two there, so I’m really happy with how things went.”
Emily Nishikawa was the lone Canadian to compete in the women’s 30 km mass start. She struggled to a 50th-place finish in the distance race, but was still happy overall with her season, which included three top-30 results, including a personal best 23rd-place finsh in Lahti, Finland.
Norway’s Marit Bjoergen won the race ahead of Therese Johaug and Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, also of Norway.
The Canadians wrap up their domestic races at Ski Nationals in Thunder Bay, Ont. this week before taking a month off.
