The countdown is on.
Less than a year away from the Sochi Winter Olympics, Canadian athletes and officials have gameplans in place for a big performance in 2014.
In Vancouver, the Bow Valley produced more Olympians than anywhere else in the country and there’s no reason the region can’t replicate the feat in 2014.
Home of the national cross-country and biathlon teams, as well as several alpine and other snowsport racers, Banff and Canmore are Canada’s central mine for gold, silver and bronze.
While there are several wild cards in the Valley who have the next year to prove they belong at the Olympics, here are the current frontrunners:
Alpine
sure bet
Jan Hudec: The Panda is poised to pounce in Russia and while most alpine athletes view the Olympics as secondary to the World Cup, Hudec would probably hang the medal on his Lamborghini rearview mirror and blaze down Banff Avenue, doling out high-fives along the way.
Considered one of the most naturally talented super-G athletes on the circuit, Hudec is a Bow Valley athlete who has a chance to win every time he’s on the race course.
Biathlon
Rosanna Crawford: Talk about a breakthrough season. Last year, she clawed her way onto the World Cup circuit, struggling to stay out of dead last.
This year, Crawford has shot from back of the pack to the top 15, leading Canada’s World Cup team early in the season, where she ranks 36th.
Finally healthy and with one Olympic games appearance under her belt, Crawford’s sharp shooting has her ready to emerge from behind big sister Chandra’s shadow in Sochi.
Zina Kocher: Kocher has been the lynchpin of the Canadian women’s system for years, and for good reason – she’s incredibly fast on course and in the range. For the past year, she’s been a shot shy of top 10 on several occasions and continues to tinker with her shooting. When the field is incredibly tight, it’s only a matter of time before Kocher reaches the podium.
Scott Perras: Steadily improving year by year, Perras could be Canada’s fastest skier on the biathlon circuit. He narrowly missed meeting Olympic criteria in 2010, but won’t let that happen this year. Currently ranked 46th in the world, Biathlon Canada coaches know on a good day he’s a podium threat.
On the bubble
Megan Imrie: After making huge leaps and bounds on the World Cup scene last season, Imrie has battled illness for much of the season. Her return to form would strengthen Canada’s team immensely.
She’s already partially qualified, but needs to get healthy and bring her eagle-eye shooting skills to the team.
Scott Gow: The space camp graduate is no air cadet on the biathlon course. He was the youngest athlete (22) to compete in the World Championships pursuit race this past week and is steadily improving after years of dominant junior results. He needs a few more top 30 finishes, but he’s found success at every level thus far.
Brendan Green: Arguably the country’s most gifted biathlete, Green’s back problems have cost him the entire season.
Even with a ruptured disc, he’s cracked the top 10 on the World Cup scene and has all the tools to reach the podium.
A healthy Green would be a huge boost to the men’s team and would give Canada great depth. He’s yet to race this season, but expect Green to start the next year on fire.
Cross-country skiing
The sure bets
Chandra Crawford: How much does Crawford want another medal? Enough to shut down her game a year before Sochi in order to focus on the Olympic sprint. Crawford has had a tough year trying to live up to her own high standards, but showed she’s still a race day horse with a gutsy sixth-place result in front of friends and family in Canmore.
A year of calm, focused training could mean a matching 2014 medal for her vintage 2006 model.
Ivan Babikov: Babikov is having his best season in years on the World Cup, showing tremendous consistency. Motivated to medal in the country that deemed him too small to be a cross-country skier, the 33-year-old Babikov is a beast on the distance course and big climbs. Since that’s exactly what the Sochi courses require, it could be a great winter for Canada’s Russian workhorse.
Dasha Gaiazova: A bronze medal in the Sochi team sprint has propelled Gaiazova into the medal contender stratosphere. She’s peaking at just the right time, racing smart and it’s translating into success. Gaiazova was 22nd in Vancouver and there is no reason to believe she won’t improve on that result.
Perianne Jones: Like Gaiazova, Jones is a proven medal threat on the Olympic course and is poised to improve greatly on her 41st place finish at the Vancouver games in the sprint. A disciplined skier, Jones has proven to the world and herself that she belongs amongst the best.
Devon Kershaw: Canada’s cross-country ski king is still haunted by his near miss at the Vancouver Olympics 50 kilometre race and must be getting pretty sick of talking about it. He trained like a man possessed this year, has missed his top gear on the World Cup circuit and still cracks the top 10. Kershaw was the second best skier in the world last season and likely would have had stronger results in Sochi this month if not for a bout of food poisoning. A motivated Kershaw is a dangerous beast.
On the bubble:
Jesse Cockney: The Canmore phenom is determined to reach Sochi and showed flashes of his speed with a ninth-place finish in Canmore. He needs another top 16 finish to grab a spot, so his March starts on the World Cup are crucial. His sprint results have been phenomenal, and his distance races are still coming along.
Emily Nishikawa: Consistently the country’s best domestic distance racer, Nishikawa has gotten stronger as the year has gone on. After an epic battle with Alysson Marshall last season this year and pushing Brittany Webster for the spot this year, the 23-year-old has certainly earned her chance to test herself against the World. She will need some great results in the March World Cup races, but can rise to the occasion.
Graham Nishikawa: It took a while, but Nishikawa now believes he can compete on the World Cup circuit, and it’s paying off. A 15th place finish in Canmore was a revelation, and he subsequently dominated the NorAm circuit through January. He still needs another top 16 result in a distance race to meet criteria, but he’s skiing the best of his life and shows no sign of slowing down.
Phil Widmer: Canada’s best sprinter not on the World Cup circuit, Widmer is poised to prove his finishing kick is amongst the best. He needs another top 16 finish to punch his ticket and will get the chance after World Championships to grab that result. If he finds consistency on race day, watch out.
Ski Cross
On the bubble
Tristan Tafel: Tafel should be a sure bet for the Games, but, given the confusing selection criteria that pits ski cross racers against moguls, half pipe and slope style, he’s in the dark.
If he isn’t selected, Canmore ski fans should probably form angry mobs and hunt down selection committee members, however, it shouldn’t come to that. With two World Cup medals at 22, Tafel is the future of ski cross in Canada and will be a medal contender in Sochi. Given he won silver last week by sliding across the finish line on his face, he’s willing to make the sacrifices to earn that spot.
Slopestyle
On the bubble
Rob Balharry: Balharry has flown under the radar for much of the season, but then placed fifth at World Championships, just to remind the nation how talented he really is.
While flashy American Shaun White shoots Hollywood movies, Balharry is part of an incredible Canadian team that’s not afraid to hunt down podium spots.
Again, a convoluted selection process makes Balharry a longshot for the Sochi games.
