Alex Harvey loves Falun. The Canadian cross-country ski phenom, dubbed the prince of Quebec, became the first Canadian male in history to win two medals at world championships, grabbing silver in the classic sprint and bronze in the 30-kilometre skiathlon in the Swedish ski mecca. Harvey has now won five medals in Falun since 2012.
Alex Harvey loves Falun.
The Canadian cross-country ski phenom, dubbed the prince of Quebec, became the first Canadian male in history to win two medals at world championships, grabbing silver in the classic sprint and bronze in the 30-kilometre skiathlon in the Swedish ski mecca. Harvey has now won five medals in Falun since 2012.
“It's a great day for me. Hard to believe,” he said on Sunday (Feb. 22). “The skis were fantastic. I had really good training over the summer and I think the wax team are doing such a good job, it's hard for me not to be on the podium these days.”
In a sprint on Thursday (Feb. 19), Harvey had to ski smart as the course began with an immediate steep uphill – not his forte. In the final, he bided his time at the back of the pack before relying on his excellent skis to climb through the pack and challenge leader Petter Northug of Norway. It came down to a sprint finish, but Northug managed to hold on for gold.
In the skiathlon, which combines 15 km of classic technique with 15 km of skating, Harvey tried to stay at the front of the pack through much of the race and then sprint to the finish.
“I was trying to save everything for the last two kilometres. From the day I had on Thursday, I knew that I could sprint well and close well. I was able to come back on the flat section, and I just held on in the downhill sections of the last two kilometres,” Harvey said.
He finished behind Russian Maxim Vylegzhanin and Dario Cologna of Switzerland.
Harvey wasn't the only Canadian to post a strong result, as many Canadians recorded personal bests. Len Valjas finished 13th in the classic sprint, while Jesse Cockney was 49th. Perianne Jones finished 24th in the women's classic sprint. Ivan Babikov was 23rd in the skiathlon, while Cockney and Valjas combined for a 13th place finish in the team sprint.
Emily Nishikawa led the Canadian women in the 10 km women's race, finishing 30th, one place ahead of legendary Marit Bjorgum, while Jones was 32nd. Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt was 56th.
While Harvey and his teammates let out a roar at the finish line, there was also an audible sigh of relief emanating from the Cross Country Canada offices in Canmore.
Canada came into the 2015 world championships bent on redemption after a lacklustre performance at the 2014 Winter Olympics that resulted in a 20 per cent cut in Own the Podium funding. Cross Country Canada high performance director Thom Holland and his coaches put together a plan to avoid issues such as slow skis.
“The most important factor may be that our technical support team has worked relentlessly this season to close any gaps in ski preparation that lingered from Sochi; in particular, a number of strategies were implemented to change protocols for wet, warm and dirty snow conditions that plagued our ski preparation in a couple of key events in Sochi,” Holland said.
“Harvey came into these championships with the right energy level to get to the podium. We just had to guarantee him fast skis and the optimal support systems and team environment this time around.”
The country also elected to take a smaller team to world championships in a controversial move. Canada only took nine athletes to Falun, compared to 18 by the Americans.
“Sochi was a very complex living situation, with a large group of athletes and staff. In Falun, we have simplified the living environment for the athletes and staff. We have a smaller team size, including athletes and staff. This has allowed us to focus more on performance and less on logistics,” Holland said.
Similar to Sochi, several Canadians fell ill right before world championships. The sick athletes, including Devon Kershaw, Emily Nishikawa, Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt and Graeme Killick, were left in Oestersund for an extra week.
“(In Falun), we have a very comfortable living situation in a few rented houses close to the stadium with excellent food services. These factors have created a very positive team atmosphere.”
World championships resume this week, as Harvey will go for a third medal in the 50-km race to close out the event.
