Canadian cross-country ski head coach Justin Wadsworth has been around the sport since 1986, and there’s not a lot that surprises him.
Unless it’s Len Valjas.
The 24-year-old showed extreme grit and determination on his way to a sixth-place finish in a World Cup classic sprint in Davos, Switzerland Feb. 16. The numbers don’t tell the entire story, Wadsworth explained.
“Len was at a complete standstill and I thought he was done. What he did is something I have never seen before in World Cup cross-country skiing. I had coaches from around the world amazed. It shows he is in phenomenal shape.”
In his quarter-final, Valjas was cruising at the back of the pack, conserving energy and waiting to make his move. The strategy works, unless the skiers in front of you crash, which is exactly what Valjas encountered. He had to wait on the technical course for other skiers to untangle themselves while the two front runners opened up a 100-metre gap.
Only the top two skaters in the quarter-final make it through, and Valjas knew he would have to empty the tank to earn a spot in the semifinals.
Remarkably, Valjas caught and passed one of the breakaway sprinters to earn his ticket.
He had little left for the final rounds, but made a statement that he’s ready for the next round of big races.
“I knew on the start line in the final it was not going to be pretty,” said Valjas, who finished the final 12 seconds back of winner Alexey Poltoranin of Kazakhstan. “I am happy with today though. I’m feeling really good and exactly where I want to be heading into the finals.”
Valjas is now ranked as one of the top 10 sprinters in the world going into next week’s world championships in Val Di Fiemme. Valjas won two medals in Val Di Fiemme on the Tour de Ski in December and is expecting big things.
Canadian coaches were also happy to see Devon Kershaw crack the top 10 for the second week in a row. Kershaw finished eighth on the day, just behind Valjas in the semifinal and appears to be rounding into form after battling sickness, food poisoning and a rolled ankle.
Alex Harvey was 39th and Banff’s Phil Widmer was 46th.
The Canadian women’s team was lead by Dasha Gaiazova, who continued her impressive streak on the classic sprint circuit. Gaiazova finished 12th on the day. She skied well through the day, but got caught in a tough semifinal. Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk won the sprint. Gaiazova is still on a high after she and Perianne Jones won bronze in a Sochi test event last week.
“I have no words to properly explain what it feels like to medal on the Sochi 2014 Olympic course one year prior to the Games. It’s huge! And I could not be happier that Peri and I raced so well there. A couple of people asked me what it feels like to be considered an Olympic medal contender. It feels awesome,” Gaiazova said.
In Davos, Jones was poised for another strong race, but fell on a downhill section of the course and finished 41st. Andrea Dupont, making her World Cup debut, finished 53rd.
Most of the Canadian team skipped the Sunday (Feb. 17) distance races. Zina Kocher was the top Canadian. On a special request from Biathlon Canada, Kocher was allowed to compete in Davos, and held her own, finishing 36th in the 10 kilometre skate race. Alex Harvey was the top Canadian in the men’s 15 km skate, finishing 56th, while Ivan Babikov did not finish, citing illness.
