Katherine Stewart-Jones and Antoine Cyr had similar outings in the Ruka Cross-Country World Cup 10km Classic Individual Start, as they both finished in the Top-30 on Saturday in Finland.
Stewart-Jones was 25th, while Cyr was 27th (1:4.5). Still in the men’s event, Olivier Léveillé (1 min 15.5 s) and Léo Grandbois (1 min 23.1 s) finished in 40th and 65th places.
The cross-country skier from Chelsea, in Outaouais, was 1 minute 29 seconds behind the winner, the Swede Ebba Andersson. Silver went to American Rosie Brennan (4.9 s) and bronze to Swede Frida Karlsson (9.9 s).
” I’m happy ! I was a little stressed before the race because I wasn’t feeling great last weekend during a race in Sweden. Today (Saturday) I felt a lot better, I had more energy and I skied really well. The form is coming and I’m even more looking forward to tomorrow,” said Stewart-Jones.
A year ago, almost to the day, in the same place, she placed 24th in the classic 10 kilometer in a race that was also won by Andersson.
“This year I did a little more training before Ruka and pushed a little more in order to stay in shape during the season. I am happy that my body reacted well, even if there is a little bit of fatigue,” she continued in an interview with Sportcom. “It’s a good start, but I hope to have better results during the season. »
Antoine Cyr made comments similar to those of his teammate.
“It’s okay, although I sure would have liked better than that. It’s a good way to break the ice at distance races. There are a lot of positives, it was very close and I will make small modifications in the coming weeks to get into the Top-20. »
Norway’s Martin Loewstroem Nyengent was quickest to surprise crowd favorite and world’s best classic cross-country skier, Finland’s Iivo Niskanen, by 2.9 seconds. Another Norwegian, Erik Valnes (9.7s), completed the podium.
The 2023-2024 season marks the ban on fluoride in the waxing of athletes’ skis, except that the Finnish conditions were not a headache for the waxers.
“We had good competitive skis yesterday and today. […] It is in more difficult conditions that we will really see if there is a big difference, but I am hopeful. My job is to ski to the best of my abilities and if the equipment follows, so much the better! And I’m not worried,” added the Gatineau athlete.
In a season without World Championships, he will aim for good results at the Tour de Ski and the World Cup races in Canmore, Alberta.
At the third World Cup of his career, Léo Granbois mentioned that the last two kilometers of the course hurt because he suffered muscle cramps.
“It’s a course that’s really difficult with some good hills. If you’re not able to ski efficiently, you lose a second and that’s two positions. It’s so tight, but I remain motivated for the future, I’m still just as hungry and I’m not worried,” underlined the 24-year-old cross-country skier.
Two 20km freestyle mass start races will be on the program for the final day of competition, Sunday, in Ruka.
