Banff’s Heidi Widmer and Canmore’s Andrea Dupont took the early lead in the hunt for the NorAm cross-country ski title with wins in the 10-kilometre skate and classic sprint races respectively near Vernon, B.C.
Battling -18 C temperatures which threatened to cancel the weekend, Widmer set the pace early on in the 10-km race.
“I went out with an aggressive pace. The course has lots of climbing right off the bat. I usually put out an aggressive pace and see how long I can hold it,” Widmer said.
The strategy worked, as she finished the course in 33:14, ahead of ski ninja Amanda Ammar (33:41) and Zoe Roy (33:54). Cold weather slowed the racers and many youth races were cancelled.
“It was borderline if they should let the athletes race. It’s tough because your body is ready, your mind is ready and everyone is excited to race, but when it’s cancelled, you have to reset. The volunteers did a wicked job to keep things going,” Widmer said.
The race was a good sign for Widmer, who missed a month of training after a roller ski fall in September which re-aggravated a head injury from three years ago.
She says she’s symptom-free while racing, but is still dealing with lingering effects.
“I’m still dealing with some pressure in my head. We’re still trying to figure it out. There is some whiplash and muscle tightness related to the crash from three years ago. It’s been a huge mystery,” Widmer said. “Racing with it is fine. Honestly, it’s a super subtle pressure in my head.”
She followed up the gold medal by winning classic sprint qualifiers on Sunday (Dec. 8). She flew through the heats, but Dupont carried the day with a strong performance. Alysson Marshall finished second and Emily Nishikawa won bronze.
“Usually it’s the classic sprints I struggle with. I won the qualifier and that was a step in the right direction. I could have played the final more aggressively. There were lots of lessons learned, but it was a very solid race,” Widmer said.
Patrick Stewart-Jones continued his hot streak with a win in the men’s classic sprint races on Sunday (Dec. 8). Undefeated on Canadian soil in the sprints this season, Stewart-Jones edged out Alberta World Cup Academy teammate Phil Widmer in the final. Graeme Killick was third. Raphael Couturier won the qualifier, but was fifth in the final.
Americans Brian Gregg and Matt Liebsch won silver and gold in the men’s 15 km freestyle race on Saturday, but Graham Nishikawa prevented the American sweep by winning bronze. Nishikawa will be a skier to watch heading into January’s Olympic trial event, as he defeated fellow countrymen Stewart-Jones and Kevin Sandau, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.
“I was pretty happy with it. It was a pretty tight race. Right now I’m trying to build shape from here and peak for the back half of the season,” Nishikawa said.
Winners of the NorAm circuit earn world cup starts the following season.
Following the NorAm races in Rossland, B.C. this weekend, athletes will compete for the final Olympic spots on Jan. 9-11 at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Although the final tally isn’t official, it’s expected three or four Canadians will have a chance to earn extra Olympic spots. The men’s team will likely take a sprinter and a distance racer, while the women’s team decision is up in the air.
“Everyone has an increased sense of focus, but you don’t have to do anything extreme or different. You have to believe your training will get you there,” Widmer said.
