Sport Shorts: A 2nd World Championship Medal for Hollingsworth
Skeleton Bronze: Veteran skeleton racer Mellisa Hollingsworth (Eckville, Alta.) captured bronze for her second-career World Championship medal over the weekend. She slid to a time of three minutes, 29.74 seconds in Konigssee, Germany. “I am super happy. I did my work, maintained my focus and I got the job done. It is such a tricky track. You have to be bang on or there are severe consequences,” said Hollingsworth. She also won a World Championship silver medal in 2000.
Four Moguls Medals: The Canadian freestyle team proved hard to beat at a World Cup in Mananske Lazne, Czech Republic, taking home four out of six possible medals. Olympic champion Alex Bilodeau (Montreal) led the pack and narrowly edged out teammate Mikael Kingsbury (Deux-Montagnes, Que.) for gold in dual moguls. It was Bilodeau’s third victory in four starts in the dual event this season. The rising star Kingsbury vowed to “get him next time.” On the women’s side, two-time Olympic medallist Jenn Heil (Spruce Grove, Alta.) won silver while teammate Chloe Dufour-Lapointe (Montreal) captured bronze.
Judo Bronze: Amy Cotton (Antigonish, N.S.) capped a solid season with a great performance Sunday at a World Cup judo tournament in Prague. Cotton took home the bronze medal in the 78 kg event. Notably, this final World Cup of the season was the first to count toward 2012 Olympic selections.
Rush to the Finish Line: Lyndon Rush (Humbolt, Sask.) finished his post-Olympic season in four-man bobsleigh by piloting the crew to a 6th-place result at the World Championships. He teamed up with Edmonton’s David Bissett and Neville Wright and Ottawa’s Cody Sorenson to finish with a combined time of 3:17.51. Rush had won three medals earlier in this World Cup season.
Three Canadian Men in Top-15: Cross-country skier Devon Kershaw (Sudbury, Ont.) was top Canadian in 9th spot in the 30 km pursuit at the World Championships in Olso, Norway. Alex Harvey (St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que.) battled through cramps to finish 12th while Ivan Babikov (Canmore, Alta.) rounded out the strong Canadian efforts in 15th spot.
Top-Five For Janyk: For the third time in 2011, Whistler’s Mike Janyk cracked the top-five in alpine. He finished an impressive 5th at a World Cup slalom event in Bansko, Bulgaria.
Sisters Earn Silver: Montreal sisters Carol-Ann and Pamela Ware earned a score of 301, good for a personal best and their second career Grand Prix medal over the weekend. The divers won silver in the 3-metre synchro at a FINA Grand Prix event in Penza, Russia. Mandy Moran (Thunder Bay, Ont.) prevailed through a back injury to finish 6th in the 3-metre final.
Three-Medal World Cup: Canadian snowboarders put on a solid show for the home fans at a World Cup event in Calgary over the weekend. Brooke Voigt (Fort McMurray, Alta.) and Robby Balharry (Canmore, Alta.) each captured a silver medal in slopestyle while Zach Stone (Collingwood, Ont.) took bronze to round out a three-medal morning for Canada. There is a push to have this event included in the Olympic program.
Remembering Vancouver 2010: Watch “The Canada That Now Is” Video www.facebook.com/v/10150103508098632
