POSTED: Wednesday April 6th 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Canadian Para-Nordic Sit Skiers Make History Winning Double Gold at IPC World Championships
Colette Bourgonje and Chris Klebl become first Canadian sit-skiers to win world title
Khanty Mansiysk, RUS—For the first time in the history of Para-Nordic skiing, Canada swept the golden step of the podium in men’s and women’s sit-ski racing at the IPC World Championships with Colette Bourgonje and Chris Klebl capturing the title ofWorld Champion in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia on Tuesday.
Saskatoon’s Bourgonje, who was a double silver medallist at the 2003 World Championships, captured her first world title after leading wire-to-wire in the women’s 10-kilometre sit-ski category with a time of 26 minutes, 56.0 seconds.
Bourgonje is one of the most successful athletes in the Canadian Para-Nordic program. An eight-time Paralympian in both the summer and winter Games, Bourgonje has eight medals under her belt including two from the 2010 Paralympics where she won a bronze and silver medal. Bourgonje was also awarded the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award at the Vancouver Paralymipcs - a prestigious award recognizing individuals who conquer adversities through the pursuit of excellence in sport.
Bourgonje was joined on the podium by Liudmila Vauchok, of Belarus, who finished second with a time of 27:05.7, and Germany’s Andrea Eskau, who locked up the bronze medal after clocking-in at 27:49.6.
The golden trail to the podium continued for Canada in the men’s 15-kilometre sit-ski event. Klebl, who moved to Canmore, Alta. to join the Canucks from the United States this year, also led wire-to-wire to capture his first international title. A two-time Paralympian, Klebl set the time to beat at 35:34.6.
“To win at this level you need everything to come together with favourable courses, fast skis and great performances,” said Robin McKeever, coach, Canadian Para-Nordic Team. “Today, we had it all. It is one of the most successful days in the history of our program.”
Klebl, who grew up in Austria where he skied and snowboarded became paralyzed from the waist down in 1995 in a snowboarding accident. Hestarted competing in cross-country skiing in 2005, and finished fourth overall on the World Cup in 2011 with one World Cup bronze medal.
Klebl was joined on the podium by Russia’s Irek Zaripov who grabbed the silver with a time of 35:43.6 and Italy’s Enzo Masiello in the bronze-medal position at 36:15.7.
Tuesday’s performances have added to a golden week for Canada’s para-nordic athletes. In addition to a handful of fourth-place finishes, Canada’s Para-Nordic squad have racked up four gold medals at the mid-way point of the 2011 IPC World Championships.
CrossCountry Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada, which is the nation’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually. Its 51,000 members include athletes, coaches, officials and skiers of all ages and abilities, including those on Canada’s National Ski Teams and Para-Nordic Ski Teams. With the support of its valued corporate partners - Haywood Securities Inc., AltaGas, Teck Resources Ltd. and Statoil - along with the Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and Own the Podium, Cross Country Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic and world champions. For more information on Cross Country Canada, please visit us at www.cccski.com.
FOR COMPLETE RESULTS: http://www.ipc-nordicskiing.org/Results
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Keywords · Para Nordic · Skiing · IPC World Championships · Cross Country Canada
Name: Chris Dornan
Organization: Cross Country Canada
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URL: www.cccski.com
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