Harvey Skis to Historic Bronze
VAL DI FIEMME, Ita.—Alex Harvey scripted another chapter for the history books on Thursday when he became the first Canadian male to win an individual medal at the Nordic World Ski Championships.
The 24-year-old Harvey, of Saint-Ferréol, QC, took on the biggest names in the sport and came away with a bronze medal in the classic-ski sprint race at the opening day of the premiere event on the international cross-country ski calendar.
“This is absolutely huge. I am so thrilled,” beamed the 24-year-old Nordic phenom. “The day started a little tricky with me qualifying 26th, but the skis sped up as the day went along, and I felt absolutely great in the final. This is huge for our program, and I hope the team can build a lot of confidence from this for the rest of the Championships.”
Fresh snow conditions made waxing difficult.
“There was a lot of action in the wax room and communication on the course today for sure,” said Justin Wadsworth, head coach, Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “These guys we have are the best in the business and should take a lot of pride in that medal today. It was a great team effort, and Alex showed all you need is one in the heats and anything can happen.”
The bronze medal is the third podium in the history of the Canadian program. Harvey joined forces with Devon Kershaw in 2011 where they skied to the gold medal in the team sprint in Oslo, Norway. Four-time Olympian, Sara Renner, was the first Canadian cross-country skier to win a medal at the World Championships when she claimed the bronze in a classic-sprint race at the 2005 World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany.
The Nordic World Ski Championships continue on Saturday with the men’s and women’s skiathlon races.
