Widmers sprint to double gold

Cooling down after her sprint win at the Callaghan Valley Trials, Heidi Widmer waited in anticipation for her big brother Phil’s race, phone in hand. She had her mother Lorraine and siblings Matt and Angela on the other line on speaker phone, hanging on her every word.

After the crack of the starting pistol, Heidi delivered the blow-by-blow account of the race. Her voice trembled as her older brother took the lead. By the end of the race, she held the phone up high so her family could hear the news over the speaker – Phil had won, and the Widmer sweep was complete.

“It’s pretty close to pure, unadulterated joy,” Lorraine Widmer-Carson said.

For the first time in their senior career, Banff’s sprinting siblings Phil and Heidi Widmer landed atop the podium together as both won their individual skate sprint races in Whistler on Saturday (Jan. 14).

The race attracts the best domestic racers in the country, however, none could beat the Banff skiers on the day.

“It’s something that brings you that much closer. Having someone who will support you no matter what is special,” Heidi said.

Heidi was the first Widmer to podium. In the A final, deep snow filled the track, leaving only one fast line to the finish. She took the lead early and tried to control the pace of the race.

“You’re at risk of someone from behind making a move, but I played that edge and saved energy,” Widmer said.

She fought off challenges in a strong A final to finish almost five seconds ahead of World Cup athlete Alysson Marshall to win the race, and clinch her spot at the U23 world championships in Turkey this year. Marlis Kromm finished third.

After cheering his baby sister on, Phil drew inspiration from her win.

“To watch her race early in the day, she skied so well. I was excited for her and tried to carry that energy into my race.”

The snow stopped falling by the time Phil lined up for his race. He had to ski smart against several of his Alberta World Cup Academy teammates. After a disappointing December where he lost one race due to a crash, and another after grabbing the wrong pair of skis, he made a statement with a convincing win. Phil finished 10 metres ahead of Graham Nishikawa and three seconds ahead of Jesse Cockney, the top U23 racer.

The win was a relief.

“I just had to refocus. What I was doing before wasn’t necessarily wrong, I just required better focus and execution on race day.”

AWCA coach Stefan Kuhn said the win was a long time coming for the Banff racers.

“Phil’s had a few tough calls. This time he won convincingly. He’s one of the best sprinters in the country. He had great training this year and to have a win with a 10 metre gap gives him confidence.”

It also gave Lorraine plenty of reason to smile at work on Monday.

“This is totally awesome. The whole family is excited.”

Both will compete in the Western Championships in Canmore this weekend.