Local cross-country skiers excel in Europe and at home
Members of the West Kelowna-based Telemark Cross-Country Ski Team were busy last weekend representing their country and province at competitions in Switzerland, Quebec and Prince George. Representing Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in Goms, Switzerland, Hannah Mehain raced to 29th place in the Junior Ladies Free sprint and Gareth Williams was 41st in the Under-23 Men’s 15K Classic. Fellow Telemark teammate and member of Team Croatia, Fran Vukonic, skied to 78th place in the Junior Men’s Free sprint.
Meanwhile, in Gatineau Que., nine members of the Telemark squad competed in the Haywood Eastern National Championships. Highlights included third- and fourth-place finishes by Ian Williams in the 2000 Boys 10K Classic and 7.5K Free, fourth- and sixth-place results for Cole Turner in the 2001 Boys 7.5K Free and 10K Classic, and a sixth-place finish by Jenna Sim in the Junior Women’s Classic sprint.
Closer to home, 15 members of the Telemark team competed at the BC Cup series in P.G. In the Classic sprint, Garrett Siever (2004 Boys) and Gregor Graham (2003 Boys) raced to first-place finishes, Tristan Lee was third (2002 Boys) and Nikhil Filatow finished in seventh (2004 Boys).
The next day, the Telemark squad competed in the Free technique event under heavy snowfall and in frigid (-19 C) temperatures. In the 5K distance, Siever was second and Filatow 13th (2004 Boys).
In the 7.5K event, Graham was third, Ian Mayer fifth, Mason Hawes 11th (2003 Boys) and Carolyn Shaw 15th (2002 Girls).
In the 2002 Boys division, Connor Hobbs was third, Grayson McKinnon sixth and Tristan Lee ninth.
The next event for Team Telemark is the BC Championships at the Telemark Nordic Ski Club in West Kelowna this weekend (Feb. 16-18). The event will attract more than 600 athletes from B.C., Alberta and the United States.