THUNDER BAY – Andy Shields of the National Development Centre- Thunder Bay skied away with a gold medal in the 15km classic race at the Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore, Alberta today. Shields, the top junior today placed a very impressive 6th place in the Open Men’s category and is looking in great form for the rest of the championships. Shields commented after his race, “I had such a great race today and I am super pumped to finally get my 1st Nationals victory of my career. My skis were awesome and the coach’s and waxers have been nailing the wax everyday. I showed my true shape today and can’t wait for the rest of the races!” Shields is looking forward to the classic sprint races taking place tomorrow.
Other top NDC skiers included Michael Somppi crossing the line in 10th, Chris Hamilton in 24th, Dudley Coulter in 28th, and Leif Lennie in 31st. The Open Men’s category featured 118 of the best racers from across Canada. On the women’s side, Andrea Lee crossed the line in 16th and was the gold medal winner of the University Category in the 10km classic race.
Full result can be found at http://www.zone4.ca/live.asp?id=3814.
Racing continues tomorrow with the classic sprints.