Kates & Dunne on World Junior Team
Press release from Cross Country Canada web siteVal Cartier, Quebec -- Six junior cross country skiers have been selected to represent Canada at the World Junior Nordic ski championships after trial races at a Continental Cup in Val Cartier this weekend.
Tara Whitten from Edmonton, Alberta dominated the junior women's events all weekend. She won the 12.5 km Classic event on Thursday, the Sprint on Saturday and a 5km skate on Sunday. Fellow Edmontonian Claire Critchley who was second in Thursday's race rounds out the Junior Canadian Women's team. Whitten will be racing her third World Junior Nordic Championship, Critchley her second.
Adam Kates and Brady Dunne from Sault St. Marie, Ontario will be joined by Guillaume Joly from Joliette, Quebec and Devon Kershaw from Sudbury, Ontario to make up the Junior Canadian Men's team.
Kates and Joly were fighting for top spots all weekend. Kates won the men's 20 km Classic event on Thursday in a time of 1:01.59, ahead of Joly who came in at 1:03.04. Joly won Sunday's 10 km Skating event in a time of 32:19.6, less than one second ahead of Kates who came in at 32:20.2.
Dunne won the junior men's sprint event on Saturday.
The athletes will leave for Northern Italy on January 13 for one week of training before traveling to Nove Mesto, Slovakia for the World Junior Championships which run January 26 30, 2000.
For further information and results, check the Cross Country Canada web site.
Contact:
Blanka Jelen, Communications Director
Cross Country Canada
Tel: (403) 286-5980
e-mail: bjelen@hotmail.comPhotos and biographies - Brady Dunne - Adam Kates