First to set off on the course of the 20 km classic individual start at the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, Katherine Stewart-Jones obtained 22e row, Sunday.
Published at 3:55 p.m.
The only Canadian registered, the Chelsea athlete signed her best World Cup result in a year since she was 18e place for the classic 10 km in Trondheim, Norway, in December 2023.
The 29-year-old cross-country skier finished just over 4 and a half minutes behind the winner, Norwegian Astrid Oeyre Slind, who won the first World Cup of her career at the age of 36. Slind finished ahead of Finland’s Kertuu Niskanen (+10.1 seconds) and Norway’s Therese Johaug (+13.5 seconds).
“I didn’t know what to expect today [dimanche]it was a difficult and quite long course, we did three loops of 7.2 kilometers, so almost 22 kilometers in total. I was the first to leave so I didn’t necessarily have any reference points on the course,” said Katherine Stewart-Jones in an interview with Sportcom.
“I was a little ill during the week, I didn’t know how I was going to feel on the slopes, in the end everything was fine, but maybe I didn’t have the best preparation. It was difficult for everyone, a great mental battle and I think I handled it well,” she added.
In the men’s event, Antoine Cyr ranked 32e just under 3 minutes from the winner, the Norwegian Martin Loewstroem Nyengent. In the first two intermediate stages, the Gatineau resident was in the top 15 before slowing down in the second half of the race.
Iivo Niskanen (+13.1 seconds), of Finland, and Hugo Lapalus (+35.1 seconds), of France, completed the podium.
Also present, Olivier Léveillé (+4 minutes 32.1 seconds) took 57e rang.
The athletes will now put the final touches to their preparation for the Tour de Ski which will begin on December 28 in Italy.
“I’m spending Christmas in Davos to be ready for the Tour de Ski! I would really like to finish in the top 15 in the general classification. My form has been improving since the start of the season and I think I have a good chance of doing well. It will also be interesting to ski on the course of the 2026 Olympic Games in Val di Fiemme,” concluded Stewart-Jones.
