ASAHIKAWA, Japan – Canada’s para-nordic athletes rattled off three medals for the second-straight day at the IPC World Cup on Sunday. Brittany Hudak of Prince Albert, Sask., captured her first career victory in the women’s standing division, Mark Arendz, of Hartsville, P.E.I., skied to the bronze in men’s standing and Chris Klebl of Canmore, Alta., grabbed the bronze in the men’s sit-ski race.
“The learning curve has been so huge for me,” said the 21-year-old Hudak, who was introduced to the sport just two years ago. “Now having the opportunity to attend national training camps, particularly the New Zealand camp this summer, I have noticed a huge improvement in my technique. It has been such an advantage for me to be in the same environment with the high-performance athletes, seeing how they train and learning from them.”
FULL COVERAGE: Canada Winter Game 2015
Japan’s Yurika Abe was second, while Russia’s Ekaterina Rumyantseva grabbed the bronze medal.
Arendz, a two-time Paralympic medallist won his second-straight bronze medal. The 24-year-old had his personal best finish in a classic cross-country ski sprint race.
“The snow conditions were changing throughout the day, but the staff gave me great boards and I finished a close third,” said Arendz.
Russia’s Vladislav Lekomtcev won the men’s standing race. Japan’s Yoshihiro Nitta was second.
Klebl shared the podium with Americans Andrew Soule and Daniel Cnossen, who finished first and second respectively in the sit-ski race.
Emily Nishikawa of Whitehorse finished 36th in the women’s 10-kilometre skate-ski race with a time of 26 minutes 2 seconds.
Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla won the women’s skate-ski race with a time of 23:26.1. Norway’s Marit Bjoergen was second at 24:02.5, while Therese Johaug, also of Norway, snagged the bronze with a time of 24:19.7.
Ivan Babikov, of Canmore, Alta., was the top Canadian in the men’s 15-km skate-ski race. Babikov clocked a time of 34:57.3 to finish 49th. Michael Somppi, of Thunder Bay, Ont., placed 69th at 36:04.4.
Norway’s Finn Haagen Krogh finished on top with a time of 32:46.0. Maurice Manificat of France was second at 32:59.5, while Sweden’s placed third at 33:04.
Comments