LAPPE NORDIC Centre – Sports – Friday was the final day of the 2023 Nordiq Canada Ski Nationals, University (CCUNC), and Para Nordic Championships. The Lappe Ski Centre has been hit with heavy snow, -24 windchill, and poor visibility, making it a challenging race day for our athletes. But the local athletes from Lappe Nordic, Big Thunder Nordic, the Lakehead University Varsity Ski Team (LU), and the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) were undeterred and showed their mettle on the trails, coming away with great results. Let’s take a look at the highlights of the day’s races.
In the Open Women’s 30 km mass start classic technique, Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt of Fondeurs-Laurentides took the win in 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 0 seconds, with Amelia Wells of Strathcona Nordic close behind in second place. Local athlete Sarah Peters of Lappe Nordic had a fantastic race, finishing in 10th place.
Leo Grandbois of Orford dominated the Open Men’s 30 km race, finishing first in a time of 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 27 seconds. Erikson Moore of Fondeurs-Laurentides/NTDC/LU was close behind, taking second place and first in the CCUNC category. NTDC teammate Julian Smith of Georgian Bay Nordic took the bronze medal.
In the U20 Women’s 20 km race, Anna Stewart of Nakkertok Nordic took first place, with teammate Katya Semeniuk close behind in second. Sarah Cullinan of Big Thunder Nordic finished in seventh place, taking third in the CCUNC category.
The U20 Men’s 20 km race was a nail-biter, with Alexis Ermel of Mont-Sainte-Anne narrowly beating out Samuel Picard of Fondeurs-Laurentides for first place. Edgar Sarrazin of Lappe Nordic, who raced up a category to U20 after racing yesterday in the U18 event, showed his abilities by finishing 15th.
Awards were also given to the aggregate winners based on points earned in each of three races this week – interval free technique race, sprint, and the mass start classic race. In the Open Men category, Erikson Moore placed third overall, Julian Smith placed fifth, and Conor McGovern of Big Thunder Nordic/LU placed eighth. For the aggregate club points, Nakkertok Nordic (Ottawa) took the win.
And that’s a wrap, folks! It has been an exciting and challenging week of racing at the 2023 Nordiq Canada Ski Nationals. Congratulations to all of our athletes for their impressive performances and for showing us what it truly means to be a champion.”
