Bronze team win cherished moment
Cr oss- country s kier Devon Kershaw considered calling in sick for Sunday’s World Cup relay and staying back in his adopted home of Oslo, Norway.
His wife Kristin is expecting the couple’s first child on Saturday, and Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., does not want to miss the moment that will change his life forever.
But with no sign of an early arrival, Kershaw followed his wife’s advice and lined up for Sunday’s 4 X 7.5 km relay with countrymen Alex Harvey ( Saint-Ferreol- lesNeiges, Que.), Len Valjas ( Toronto) and Knute Johnsgaard ( Whitehorse, Yukon)
Together, they stopped the clock in one hour, six minutes and 48 seconds to claim bronze — Canada’s first medal ever in a men’s World Cup cross-country relay.
“The team relay and the 50 kilometre are the biggest races in our sport by far, so this means the world to us,” Kershaw said from Ulricehamn, Sweden. “We have talked about this medal a lot when I first came onto the World Cup. It’s something we have always wanted and weren’t able to get it done in previous generations — even back to the Pierre Harvey days.”
Pierre’s son Alex Harvey, 28, is the modern-day superstar on the Canadian team and one of the top crosscountry skiers in the world.
Valjas, 28, is a sprint specialist, Johnsgaard, 24, is a World Cup rookie and Kershaw is nearing the finish line of his career at age 34.
Somehow, they made history. And to mark the moment, they turned their skis into air guitars and celebrated madly.
“We have never put a Canadian men’s team on the podium dating back to the 1920s,” said Kershaw, who finished second overall in the 2011/12 World Cup standings. “Cross- country skiing is an uptight sport, so you might as well have a little fun and play a fake riff or two.
“If it’s only going to come around once every 85 years or so, you better take the time to enjoy it.”
Alex Harvey has 21 World Cup medals on his resume, but this one is different. “We’ve been chasing this feeling since I’ve been on the team and for some reason, we just could never get all four of us on the same day,” Alex Harvey said. “When you do this together, it’s so emotional.”
Canadian wax technician Yves Bilodeau and coach Ivan Babikov broke down in the finish area. “We have wanted this for so long,” Valjas said. “Dancing to the music just cranked in the wax room is something I’ ll never forget. We were the happiest team out there for sure.”
Norway captured the gold in 1: 06: 47.5. Sweden seized silver in 1:06.48.
The only other time Canada won a World Cup crosscountry relay medal came 30 years ago when the women’s foursome of Angela SchmidtFoster, Carol Gibson, Jean McAllister and Marie-Andrée Masson nabbed bronze in Canmore, Alta.
The World Cup circuit travels to Falun, Sweden next week. Kershaw is leaning toward taking a pass to hopefully meet his first son or daughter.
“I’m not just happy to stay home — I want to be there for my family,” he said. “I think there are more important things in life than Nordic skiing. This is the most important thing in my life. Ever.”
WE WERE THE HAPPIEST TEAM OUT THERE FOR SURE.