Canada’s Dahria Beatty Sprints into World Cup Season in 25th

DAVOS, Sui.—Canada’s Dahria Beatty opened her World Cup season with a 25th-place finish in the skate-ski sprint races in Davos, Switzerland on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Whitehorse resident squeaked into the head-to-head heats as the final qualifier with the top-30 athletes on the challenging 1.5-kilometre trail.

“I was happy with my day. It is always great to get into the points and have the chance to race in the heats,” said Beatty. “For my first World Cup of the season, I am pleased with how the day went and look forward to building on this result as the season progresses.”

Drawn into one of the fastest heats in the round of 30, Beatty charged out of the gate but ran out of gas. Her day came to an end in the opening round after crossing the line in fifthplace. Only the top-two athletes in each heat, along with the next two fastest times overall, advance to the next round.

“The course here in Davos is always very hard. I was able to get a good start and keep myself in the mix for the first half of the heat. I lost a couple of positions in the second half,” said Beatty. “I was happy to end the day in 25th, but I have some bigger goals that I will be aiming for this winter.”

Sweden’s Linn Svahn was flying en route to claiming the gold medal in the women’s race. Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla sprinted to the silver medal, while Sophie Caldwell, of the United States, claimed the bronze.

Russell Kennedy, of Canmore, Alta., finished 42nd in the men’s race.

The Canadians will be back on the start line tomorrow for a 10- and 15-kilometre skate-ski race.

Complete World Cup Sprint Results: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=CC&eventid=45165&seasoncode=2020

Quebec’s Antoine Cyr and Katherine Stewart-Jones Celebrate Victories at Haywood NorAm in Gatineau

Antoine Cyr and Katherine Stewart-Jones dusted the men’s and women’s fields in the middle-distance individual start skate-ski races at the Haywood NorAm stop in Gatineau, Que. on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Cyr, of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que. will take the NorAm leaders bib into the holiday break after a decisive victory in the men’s 10-kilometre race with a time of 22:10.4.

“It was good to get back home. I know this course and I know the shape is really good,” said Cyr, who was second in Canmore last weekend. “I knew if I started really fast today, I could catch Rick.

“We battled the whole course. I knew if I stayed with him, I’d get a good time. We pushed each each other really hard and it worked out for both of us.”

The former teammates pushed the pace in each of the four laps around the challenging terrain. Cyr opened a 21 second gap by the time he crossed the finish line to secure the leaders bib heading into the holiday break.

“I don’t really worry too much about qualifications or where I am in the standings. I’m more of a ski fast and I’ll get into the big races,” said Cyr. “But knowing I’m fast enough to have the leader’s bib is overwhelming.”

Quebec’s Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier settled for second place at 22:31.3. Evan Palmer-Charrette, of Thunder Bay, Ont., stopped the clock at 22:43.2 for the bronze.

Katherine Stewart-Jones relished the opportunity to ski on her home trails, winning for the second straight day in the women’s five-kilometre skate-ski race.

The 24-year-old, of Chelsea, Que., destroyed the field by 37 seconds, winning with a time of 12:24.4.

“It was really fast and so different from last weekend in Canmore at low altitude. It was a shorter course, so I went out hard and tried to keep it. I was happy with my pacing,” said Stewart-Jones, who also hopped onto the top step of the NorAm podium on Friday. “It was nice to be on home trails. There isn’t any rest, but it is not as hard on the body. I’m hoping to head onto World Cup after Dresden and stay there for the rest of the season.”

Laura Leclair, who skis out of the Chelsea Nordiq, finished second at 13:01.2. Cendrine Browne, of Saint-Jérôme, Que., was third at 13:06.3.

Complete Haywood NorAm Results: https://zone4.ca/race/2019-12-14/f48e57fa/results/

Nordiq Canada is the governing body of para-nordic and cross-country skiing in Canada, which is the nation’s optimal sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually. Its 60,000 members include athletes, coaches, officials and skiers of all ages and abilities. With the support of its valued corporate partners – Haywood Securities Inc., AltaGas, Swix and Lanctôt Sports– along with the Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Own the Podium and B2Ten, Nordiq Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic and world champions. For more information on Nordiq Canada, please visit us at www.nordiqcanada.ca.