Canadians to Catch This Month
February will be an action filled month for Canadian athletes around the world for many notable reasons. The next four weeks will include the start of four World Championships and two on home turf in Whistler, BC. February will also be significant for Sochi 2014 Winter Games hopefuls with seven Olympic Test events taking place in Sochi giving athletes their first taste of what to expect approximately one year from now.
Bobsleigh Skeleton World Championships – Feb. 1- 3 – St. Moritz-Celerina, Switzerland
Week 2 of the Bobsleigh Skeleton World Championships start early on Feb. 1 in St. Moritz-Celerina, Switzerland. Skeleton athletes will take to the course first with 2010 Olympic champion Jon Montgomery (Calgary, AB) and 2006 Olympic bronze medallist Mellisa Hollingsworth (Airdrie, AB) leading the way. In Bobsleigh action, pilot and Olympic bronze medallist Lyndon Rush (Humboldt, SK) will try to make up for a disappointing eighth-place finish in the two-man by captaining the four-man team into action starting on Saturday.
St. Moritz-Celerina is a unique hosting site as the birthplace of the sports of Bobsleigh and Skeleton. The city has hosted the World Championships a record 17 times.
Lyndon Rush hopes to lead the Canadians to a podium finish in the four-man event at the Bobsleigh World Championships. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Athletes to watch: Lyndon Rush (@goldrush781), Jesse Lumsden (@JesseLumsden28), Lascelles Brown, Jon Montgomery (@jrmonty12) and Mellisa Hollingsworth (@Mehollingsworth)
TV broadcast schedule:
Women’s Skeleton
Friday, Feb. 1
7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (Sportsnet One)
Men’s Skeleton
Sunday, Feb. 3,
1:30-2:30 a.m. (Sportsnet One)
12:00-1:00 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario/East)
Four-Man Bobsleigh
Sunday, Feb. 3
1:00-2:00 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario/Pacific/East/West)
4:00-5:00 p.m. (Sportsnet One)
Luge World Championships – Feb. 1-2 – Whistler, BC
Two-time Olympian Alex Gough (Calgary, AB) broke new ground for Canadian lugers two years ago at the World Championships when she won bronze in a history making moment. Gough is the only Canadian to ever win a medal at Worlds and will be looking to repeat the feat in Whistler, BC after a fourth-place finish in 2012. Expect Gough to challenge for a relay medal as well with Calgary athletes Sam Edney, Tristan Walker and Justin Snith. The event will be making its Olympic debut in Sochi and the foursome will have high hopes having already won two silver medals this season.
Athletes to watch: Alex Gough (@AlexGough), Sam Edney (@samueledney), Tristan Walker (@tristanluge), Justin Snith (@justinsnith)
Stream live at: http://www.luge.ca/wc2013/
Alpine World Championships – Feb. 4-17 – Schladming, Austria
All eyes will be on the Canadian Cowboys when the Alpine World Championships take place in Scladming, Austria from Feb. 4-17. The Cowboys have had great success in the biannual event dating back to 2007 when Calgary’s Jan Hudec won silver in the men’s downhill. The streak continued in 2009 when John Kucera (Calgary, AB) captured gold to become the first ever Canadian man to win gold in any alpine event at World’s. That same year Michael Janyk (Whistler, BC) also won bronze in men’s slalom, making him the only Canadian to podium in slalom at a World Championships. Mont-Tremblant, QC’s Erik Guay will be entering this year’s event as the reigning and defending downhill champion and all eyes will be on him to repeat.
Athletes to watch: Erik Guay (@eguay), Jan Hudec (@pandaHAUSofROCK), John Kucera, Michael Janyk
Erik Guay hopes to soar to another world title in Alpine Skiing in Austria. Pentaphoto/Alpine Canada
TV broadcast schedule:
Alpine Ladies’ Super-G
Tuesday, Feb. 5
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario/East)
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. (Sportsnet West)
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (Sportsnet Pacific)
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario)
10:00 – 11:00 p.m. (Sportsnet One)
Wednesday, Feb. 6
12:00 – 1:00 a.m. (Sportsnet One)
Alpine Ladies’ Super Combined
Friday, February 8
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario/East)
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (Sportsnet One)
Saturday, Feb. 9
12:00 – 1:00 a.m. (Sportsnet Ontario/East)
2:00 – 3:00 a.m. (Sportsnet West)
3:00 – 4:00 a.m. (Sportsnet Pacific)
Men’s Super-G
Wednesday, Feb. 6
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (Sportsnet One)
Thursday, Feb. 7th
12:00 – 1:00 a.m. (Sportsnet One)
1:00 – 2:00 a.m. (Sportsnet Ontario/East)
3:00 – 4:00 a.m. (Sportsnet Pacific/West)
Men’s Downhill
Saturday, Feb. 9th
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario/Pacific/West/East)
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (Sportsnet One)
Devon Kershaw looks to help lead his team to World Championship gold in Italy. COC Photo/Patrice Lapointe
Biathlon World Championships – Whistler, BC – Feb. 6-17
Canada had a breakthrough on the World Cup circuit this season when Quebec City, QC native Jean-Phillipe Le Guellec made history in Ostersund, Sweden winning gold at the opening Biathlon World Cup event of the season to become the first male Canadian to earn a victory on the circuit. Le Guellec bodes well for a program that has not won a medal at a World Championships since two-time Olympic gold medallist Myriam Bédard (Neufchatel, QC) captured gold in the sprint event and silver in the 15km race in 1993.
Athletes to watch: Jean-Phillipe Le Guellec
Nordic World Ski Championships – Val di Fiemme, Italy – Feb. 20 – Mar. 3
Devon Kershaw (Sudbury, ON) will take centre stage at the 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships as one half of the defending team sprint champions after winning the event in 2011 with Alex Harvey (St.-Ferreol, QC). Harvey is sitting out with an injury, but expect Kershaw to have a strong performance along with up and comer Lenny Valjas (Toronto, ON) and two-time Olympian Ivan Babikov (Canmore, AB). On the women’s side, look for 2006 Olympic gold medallist Chandra Crawford (Canmore, AB) to lead a talented team featuring Daria Gaiazova (Banff, AB) and Perianne Jones (Almonte, ON).
Athletes to watch: Alex Harvey (@Alex_Harvey), Devon Kershaw (@devonkershaw), Lenny Valjas (@LennyValjas), Ivan Babikov (@IvanBabikov), Chandra Crawford (@ChandraCrawford), Daria Gaiazova, Perianne Jones
SOCHI TEST EVENTS
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