Music: {allcanada} CANADA WINS FIRST MEDAL AT NORDIC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

{allcanada} CANADA WINS FIRST MEDAL AT NORDIC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

OSLO, Norway -- Canada's Alex Harvey edged Norway's Petter Northug in a photo finish Wednesday to win the men's classical-style team sprint at the Nordic world skiing championships.

Harvey and teammate Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., won the 6x1.5-kilometre race in 19 minutes 10 seconds to earn Canada its first medal at the world championships.

Norway's Ola Vigen Hattestad and anchor Northug crossed the line 0.2 seconds behind.

Russia's Nikita Kriukov made a late burst on the final straight to finish half a second behind Canada for bronze.

Harvey was coming off a silver medal performance Sunday at a World Cup skate-sprint race in Drammen, Norway.

The 22-year-old from St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., is the son of cross-country skier Pierre Harvey, the first Canadian to win a World Cup race.

Alex is no stranger to international success.

Last month he became the first Canadian to win at the world under-23 championships. He also has two World Cup bronze medals in his three years of racing on Canada's elite squad.