CANMORE, Alta. -- The Naional Trainding and Development Centre-Thunder Bay kicked off the cross-country skiing race season this past Wednesday, with three athletes competing in World Cup qualifying races on the Frozen Thunder early season snow loop in Canmore, Alta. .
The early season sprint race featured a stacked field of top North American skiers, as the Canadian National Team looked to make their last selections for World Cup events in Europe. NTDC veteran Bob Thompson posted the team’s top result, narrowly missing a World Cup berth with a 4th place finish in the qualifier.
Thompson is a past winner at the event, having won the qualifier last season to earn starts at World Cup events in Norway and Sweden. In the heats Thompson went on to battle Olympian Lenny Valjas in the semi final and final, finishing a close 2nd in a sprint finish.
Julian Smith and Angus Foster also posted solid results for NTDC Thunder Bay at the events, with Smith finishing a best ever 11th in the qualifier while Foster improved to 16th in the heats.
All three men will continue to race and train in Canmore before returning to Thunder Bay for NTDC’s annual Nordic Fest Fundraiser dinner and auction on Nov. 18, which will officially kick off the team’s Olympic season.
