Sprint and Interval Starts Wrap Up Season-Opening Nordiq Cup (COC) and Canada Cup Races in Sovereign Lake B.C.

December 06, 2022

VERNON, B.C.—Canada’s cross-country ski athletes combined to win 26 medals in sprint and interval start races to cap off the opening Nordiq Cup, Super Tour CCUNC, and Canada Cup races of the year at Sovereign Lake Nordic Club near Vernon. B.C. over the weekend.

Weekend Highlights:

Strong international field descended on Sovereign Lake Nordic Club;
Julien Locke was the lone Canadian to reach the Nordic Cup Open podium in the sprint event finishing bronze
Canada’s U20 women won four medals including a sweep of the interval start podium, Tory Audet won sprint silver;
Canada’s U20 men won gold and bronze in the interval start;
Xavier McKeever won three gold medals in U20 racing, winning individual start classic race and finishing sixth overall in Open category. He was third in Open classic-ski sprint;
Scott Hill was top Canadian in the Open interval start race, placing fourth;
Liliane Gagnon sprinted to fifth, finished as top Canadian woman in Open category;
Teo Wadsworth, son to Two-time Olympic medallist Beckie Scott and Justin Wadsworth, wins U16 individual start Canada Cup race

Athlete Quotes:

“I feel like skate sprints are my go-to race. I did make it to the finals and was expecting a bit more. I’m feeling good so really hoping to continue to deliver.”

Liliane Gagnon (Quebec)

“I haven’t raced since February last year, so this was my first race and I had to fire the body up a bit. I had a lot of fun out there. Overall, it is a step in the right direction for me. I’m happy with the start and look forward to the season. It feels good to be back racing fast.”

Julien Locke (British Columbia)

“It was good. The 10km is not the most common distance for us so it took some getting used to. I’m working into shape. It’s not quite where it will be soon. It is definitely a hard course. It’s great to have the Americans here. If it was just a Canadian field, I’d have a false sense of confidence. I got my butt kicked by just over a minute so I’m hungry to give those guys a better run for their money next time.”

Scott Hill (Ontario)

“I decided to take the sprint race off to conserve some energy. Just wanted to play it safe, be as smart as possible and try to get some recovery before the final race. I tried to be more conservative, ski into it a bit more. Lap two I died a bit and lost some time. There is a little more shape to come and some more training will be good. It was a good result in the end, so I have to be happy. It’s always a pleasure to come to Sovereign Lake Nordic. They are always hard races here, coming to altitude. It is one of the best events in Canada and I can’t wait to come back.”

Xavier McKeever (Alberta)

Race Results:

Nordiq Cup/Super Tour – December 3: Skate Sprint

Open Women

1. Hailey Swirbul (USA)

2. Sarah Goble (USA)

3. Weronika Kaleta (POL)

5. Liliane Gagnon (Quebec)

Open Men

1. Andreas Kirkeng (NOR)

2. John Steel Hagenbuch (USA)

3. Julien Locke (British Columbia)

U20 Women

1. Samantha Smith (USA)

2. Tory Audet (Quebec)

3. Ava Thurston (USA)

U20 Men

1. Max Kluck (USA)

2. Fin Bailey (USA)

3. Derek Richardson (USA)

CCUNNC Races – December 3: Skate Sprint

Women

1. Liliane Gagnon (Cégep Garneau)

2. Amelia Wells (University of Calgary)

3. Marlie Molinaro (University of Calgary)

Men

1. Sasha Masson (Université Laval)

2. Ry Prior (University of Calgary)

3. Mats Halvorsen (Cégep Limoilou)

Nordiq Cup/Super Tour – December 4: 10km Individual Start Classic

Open Women

1.Hailey Swirbul (USA)

2. Hanna Abrahamsson (SWE)

3. Sydney Palmer Leger (USA)

6. Sonjaa Schmidt (Yukon)

Open Men

1.Andreas Kirkeng (NOR)

2. Finn O’Connell (USA)

3. John Steel Hagenbuch (USA)

4. Scott Hill (Ontario)

U20 Women

1. Alexandra Luxmoore (British Columbia)

2. Alison Mackie (Alberta)

3. Kayta Semeniuk (Ontario)

U20 Men

1. Xavier McKeever (Alberta)

2. Hugo Hinckfuss (AUS)

3. Garrett Siever (British Columbia)

CCUNNC Races – December 4: 10km Individual Start Classic

Women

1. Amelia Wells (University of Calgary)

2. Katherine Mason (Carleton University)

3. Natalie Thain (University of Calgary)

Men

1. Sasha Masson (Université Laval)

2. Robin Mason (University of Calgary)

3. Mats Halvorsen (Cégep Limoilou)

Canada Cup – December 3: Skate Sprint

U18 Girls

1. Sabine Comeau (Alberta)

2. Sophia Giangrande (Yukon)

3. Cora Faye Scott (USA)

U18 Boys

1.Tabor Greenberg (USA)

2. Brady Morigeau (USA)

3. Aidan Jacobus (USA)

4. Evan Edwards (British Columbia)

U16 Girls

1. Kate Sawatsky (Manitoba)

2. Aria Grandi (Alberta)

3. Aislin Simson (Alberta)

U16 Boys

1. Quinten Koch (USA)

2. Silas D’Atre (USA)

3. Lucas Gitt (British Columbia)

Canada Cup – December 4: 5km Individual Start Classic

U18 Girls

1. Sabine Comeau (Alberta)

2. Constance Lapointe (Yukon)

3. Mia Sawatsky (Manitoba)

U18 Boys

1. Brady Morigeau (USA)

2. Quinten Koch (USA)

3. Ben Field (Alberta)

U16 Girls

1. Ava Schneider (USA)

2. Caroline Menna (USA)

3. Emelie Kvick (British Columbia)

U16 Boys

1. Teo Wadsworth (Alberta)

2. Quinten Koch (USA)

3. Lucas Gitt (British Columbia)

Complete Results: https://zone4.ca/event/2022/NordiqCupSovereign/

About Nordiq Cup/Canada Cup Race Series:

Canada’s cross-country ski athletes will have equal opportunity to compete in one regional races in Western Canada in December and two in Easter Canada prior to heading west following the holiday break for the Olympic and FIS Nordic Junior/U23 World Ski Championships trials and second COC event.

The FIS Canada Cup Series provides the country’s high-performance nordic athletes the opportunity to earn FIS points without leaving their region by competing in two regional race series opportunities in Eastern and Western Canada. The FIS sanctioning of an event only affects the elite Open category. All other race categories will be run as Provincial Cups.

December Domestic Calendar:

December 10-11 – Nakkertok Nordic Centre, Gatineau, Que. East

December 16-18 – Mont Sainte-Anne, Que. East