Katherine Stewart-Jones and Antoine Cyr Ski into Top-25 in Tour de Ski Pursuit Races
OBERSTDORF, GER.—Katherine Stewart-Jones and Antoine Cyr continued to pick up precious spots on the world’s best in the fourth of seven stages on the Tour de Ski in Oberstdorf, Germany on Wednesday.
Starting the 20-kilometre skate-ski pursuit race in 29th place based on overall ranking after the first three races, Stewart-Jones (Chelsea, Que.) made up eight spots on the field after clocking the 15th-fastest time of the day to secure 21st place at 50:50.2 in the women’s race.
Antoine Cyr (Gatineau, Que.) took advantage of fast boards and good race conditions to bolt past eight skiers and move into 24th spot. The 24-year-old Cyr chalked up the seventh-fastest time of the day, taking 41:52.8 to complete the six laps in the men’s race.
Sweden’s Frida Karlsson and Norway’s Johannes Klaebo both won back-to-back in Germany. Karlsson claimed top spot on the women’s podium with a time of 48:02.6. Klaebo has not been beaten in the 2023 Tour, skiing to his fourth-straight stage victory with a time of 41:35.8
Canadian Women’s Pursuit Results:
- Katherine Stewart-Jones (Chelsea, Que.) 50:50.2
- Liliane Gagnon (Quebec City) 53:42.7
- Dahria Beatty (Whitehorse) 53:48.0
Canadian Men’s Pursuit Results:
- Antoine Cyr (Gatineau, Que.) 41:52.8
- Olivier Léveillé (Sherbrooke, Que.) 42:57.7
- Russell Kennedy (Canmore, Alta.) 43:25.1
- Sam Hendry (Canmore, Alta.) 45:41.9
- Graham Ritchie (Parry Sound, Ont.) 45:45.7
- Remi Drolet (Rossland, B.C.) 47:57.2
Sweden’s Karlsson and Norway’s Klaebo will wear the leaders’ bibs as the grueling nine-day affair now travels to its third and final stop in Val di Fiemme, Italy for the final three stages.
Two of Canada’s most consistent, all-around skiers Stewart-Jones and Cyr are well-positioned for strong overall results. The 27-year-old Stewart-Jones will ski into the final weekend in 23rd place overall. Cyr is hunting down a top-15 finish, advancing into 17th place in the men’s standings.
The fifth stage is slated for Friday in Val di Fiemme, Italy.
Modeled after the Tour de France in cycling, the 17th annual Tour de Ski is the ultimate test of fitness to determine the king and queen of cross-country skiing. The seven-race Tour through three countries in Central Europe tests the world’s best cross-country skiers in all race formats, culminating with a 425-metre climb to the top of Alpe Cermis in Val di Fiemme, Italy on January 8.