Some have dubbed Canada’s men’s cross-country ski team to be a collection of ‘Nordic Knights’ defined by bravery, ferocity and victory on the frozen tracks of the World Cup.
Another athlete made his bid for a place at the round table on Sunday (Jan. 22) with a Paladin-esque performance at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
On bended knee, Kevin Sandau accepted his gold medal for winning the cross-country ski mini-tour at the Western Canadian Championships, lining him up for a shot at the World Cup later this spring. Sandau was the fastest aggregate male over the 10 km classic ski, skate sprint and 15 km free skate competition. Graham Nishikawa finished second, while Brent McMurtry was third.
The title goes to the top racer over three days of racing. In order to claim victory, Sandau had to make up 41 seconds on McMurtry in the final pursuit race on Sunday. He did so – and more.
Sandau was second in the classic race on Friday, behind McMurty and just ahead of Erik Carleton, who had a strong tour as well. In the sprint race, which was won by Canmore’s Jesse Cockney, Sandau didn’t pass the semi-finals, while McMurtry was third, putting him in the driver’s seat.
“I thought 41 seconds was a lot for 15 kilometres. I don’t know what to think – it was a hell of a race,” Sandau said.
In Sunday’s pursuit race, McMurtry was given a 41 second head start thanks to his dominating performance in the classic race on Friday, and needed a strong result after coming up short in the sprints, where he won bronze. However, Sandau, who started second, was on a mission and caught a struggling McMurtry by the halfway point and refused to relent.
“In the mini-tour, you can’t win with one race, but you can lose with one race,” Sandau said.
“When I caught Brent, I could tell by the way I was moving and he was moving there was no point sticking with him. I knew I had to keep the hammer down and worry about the overall time.”
Nishikawa also crept up on McMurtry and edged him at the line to earn second place in the mini-tour.
“This weekend was kind of confusing. I was superbad on Friday. I don’t know what happened and didn’t know what would happen (in the skate). I kept reeling in guys and had a shot at second,” Nishikawa said. “I’m super happy with this result.
McMurty was extremely frustrated after the skate, calling the race his worst of the year. The NorAm leader going in, he’ll be hard pressed to capture the last World Cup spot.
Sandau has had a remarkable season since returning from Europe, winning three races and battling with McMurtry and Nishikawa as the top-ranked NorAm racer. The win in the mini-tour came as a surprise though.
“I’m speechless. I did not expect a tour like this. I’m thrilled. After the sprint my body was crashing badly. I tried to stay positive and it worked out in the end,” Sandau said.
He’s off to the Eastern Canadian Championships in Gatineau, and will wait and see if he gets the call to join Canada’s World Cup squad in spring.
In a final surprise in the race, World Cup veteran Ivan Babikov showed up for the skate ski. Since he didn’t compete in the other races, he had to join the mass start, six minutes behind the leader. However that didn’t deter him, as he posted the second-fastest time of the day, passing skiers left and right around the course.
