(photo Nordiq Canada)
CANMORE, Alta. – Brittany Hudak and Natalie Wilkie finished 1-2 for Canada in the women’s standing race and sit skier Collin Cameron was also a victor in the cross-country sprints Tuesday at the Para nordic World Cup.
As was the case for the short and middle-distance races on the weekend, Hudak and Wilkie were in the medals in the sprint. Hudak took the gold in the one-kilometre race.
Wilkie, who tied Hudak for first in Saturday’s five-kilometre event and then won the 10 kilometres, followed while Emily Young of North Vancouver was fourth.
‘’I’ve felt good in my classic racing this year so I knew there was potential for something good,’’ said Hudak. ‘’But I never thought I would take a victory in a sprint race. It was really fun out there with the three of us (Wilkie and Young), in the final.’’
In the men’s sit ski sprint, Cameron collected his second medal this week clocking 1:53.39 in a tight finish. Ivan Golubkov of Russia took the silver in 1:53.89 in the 26-man field.
Full results can be found HERE.
Canadian Para alpine skiers open season with five medals at World Cup
In Steinach an Brenner, Austria, Alexis Guimond of Gatineau, Que. and Mollie Jepsen of Whistler, BC won two medals each and Kurt Oatway of Calgary added a fifth at the season opening World Cup in Para alpine skiing.
Two super G races were held in each class. Guimond took the bronze in the first Super G in the men’s standing finishing 1.37 seconds behind the winner Arthur Bauchet of France. He was much more satisfied with his second race as he climbed one step higher on the podium.
“I pushed the pace and was aggressive and technically sound,’’ said Guimond. ‘’I wasn’t leaving anything on the table.’’
Double bronze medallist Jepsen was anxious to test her mettle on the World Cup slopes after a long absence due to the pandemic as well as battling injuries and illness since her remarkable quadruple medal performance at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.
‘’I am going into these races with no expectations and an open mind,’’ said Jepsen, 22, prior to Tuesday’s races. ‘’I want to give myself the time to get my start routine dialled and get comfortable in the environment again. I am looking forward to getting some starts under my belt in both the speed and GS (giant slalom) races.”
Oatway, the reigning Paralympic Games champion in the event, was third in the first men’s sit ski Super G.
“I'm happy to be back racing after such a long hiatus,” Oatway said. “While I’m happy to hit the podium I feel like I have more in the tank and I'm looking forward to some GS races in the next few days.”
Full results can be found HERE.
With files from Nordiq Canada, Alpine Canada and IPC
