Canadian Roundup: International results ahead of the holidays
Those sports that had yet to go on winter break provided the international entertainment this past weekend, with Canadians – as they do – finding themselves on podiums.
Alpine skiing
Read: Yurkiw gets on a World Cup podium in France
Larisa Yurkiw celebrates on the World Cup podium in Val d’Isere, France after a downhill third place finish on December 19, 2015.
Olympic skier Larisa Yurkiw took third place at Val d’Isere, France in a women’s FIS World Cup downhill, her second time on the podium this calendar year and first for a Canadian in the 2015-16 season.
Ski cross
Read: Leman and Serwa hit World Cup podiums
Brady Leman on the World Cup podium at Innichen, Italy on December 19, 2015 (Photo: GEPA Pictures for FIS).
Chris Del Bosco’s three-race FIS ski cross World Cup podium streak ended in Innichen, Italy over the weekend, where other Canadians found a silver lining.
Brady Leman was second in the men’s race on Saturday in the first of two World Cup finals. The next day, Olympic silver medallist Kelsey Serwa (who took last season off) returned to the spotlight finishing second in the final women’s competition before the calendar turns.
Football
Read: Canada assesses squad ahead of Olympic qualifiers
Christine Sinclair (left, in white) sets up to shoot against Trinidad and Tobago on December 13, 2015 at the invitational tournament in Natal. Sinclair scored at the 85th minute to tie Mia Hamm with 158 career goals for second on the all-time list (Photo: Vlademir Alexandre/Allsports).
Some athletes enjoyed warmer climates than others this weekend, specifically those on the national women’s soccer team. At an invitational tournament in the northeastern Brazilian town of Natal, Canada was unable to tame the host country, but head coach John Herdman got a look some young players he may be considering for the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic qualifications in women’s football.
The team’s most famous player, Christine Sinclar, tied Mia Hamm for second in the all-time international goals list with her 158th tally at the halfway mark of the tournament, in which Canada finished second behind Brazil, ahead of Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago.
Luge
Read: Canadians post season’s best results in Calgary
Kim McRae at the Luge World Cup in Calgary on December 18, 2015 (Photo: Dave Holland/Luge Canada).
At the home of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, Canadians delivered a national track record and three season’s best results for the fans in Calgary, but fell short of medals, particularly as the Germans were in a dominant mood and Americans continued their post-Sochi luge revolution with top results.
