Cdn Kershaw wins men’s sprint at World Cup
Posted February 17, 2012 4:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
SZKLARSKA POREBA, Poland — Canadian Devon Kershaw took advantage of a premature celebration to steal a victory Friday in a World Cup men’s sprint cross-country race.
Nikolay Morilov of Russia raised his right arm in the air as he crossed the finish line, unaware that a surging Kershaw had moved past him on the outside. Kershaw finished about half a ski length ahead for the win.
“I think it was a huge mistake,” Kershaw said. “I was coming with a lot of speed and who knows if I would have been able to nip him or not had he not done that.”
Morilov had opened a gap in front after the only climb of the 1.6-kilometre lap. He was unchallenged until the sharp curve before the finishing straight, when Kershaw made his move.
“It was a fairly clear victory for Devon and I’m sure the Russian is pretty upset about it,” said Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth.
Kershaw said he just put his head down and went for the win.
“It was just my strategy to attack that last 200 metres and go for broke completely and I did that.”
Ola Vigen Hattestad of Norway was third.
Kershaw won gold earlier this month in the 15-kilometre mass start skate-ski race in Russia. Friday’s victory was his first career World Cup victory in a sprint race.
“I thought the course was just such a fun course to race because with the long downhill section about two-thirds of the way through, there was a lot of jostling for position,” he said. “It was fun to take risks and those risks paid off so I’m elated. It’s awesome.”
Dario Cologna of Switzerland finished eighth to increase his overall World Cup lead on Petter Northug to 404 points.
Kershaw is third overall, just 146 points behind the Norwegian.
“It just comes down to his strength and his fitness,” Wadsworth said of Kershaw’s success. “It seems so basic but he still had the power to apply on the poles to generate that speed down the home stretch.”
Alex Harvey of St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que.’, was 27th and Philip Widmer, a Banff, Alta., native was 35th. Len Valjas of Toronto was 43rd.
Kershaw and Harvey won a world title in the team sprint last year in Norway.
The 29-year-old Kershaw — a two-time Olympian — now has 11 career World Cup medals.
“My head just feels so calm and cool and so focused on the process,” he said. “I’m just executing and really giving myself a chance to just let it happen and let things flow.”
