Music: {allcanada} Canadians in top ten

Sunday, January 1, 2012

{allcanada} Canadians in top ten

OBERSTDORF, Germany -- Canada's Devon Kershaw raced to sixth place in the 20-kilometre pursuit race at the Tour de Ski on Sunday, with teammate Alex Harvey right behind him in seventh.

Petter Northug of Norway edged defending champion Dario Cologna of Switzerland to win a 10-kilometre classic-style and 10K freestyle skiathlon.

Kershaw, from Sudbury, Ont., finished just 2.6 seconds behind Northug, while Harvey, a native of St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., was 4.9 seconds off the pace.

"It think it went well," Kershaw said. "This course is really funky. It is not that physical, it is super tactical with all the corner and the flats.

"Once again my body felt super great. To be sixth I am happy... I'm very relaxed and super pumped for the next two races."

Harvey was able to pass a couple of skiers in the final push to the finish.

"There was a lot of traffic at the end, but we are trying to position ourselves well in the top-10," he said. "I felt super good today and I'm really happy to be back in the top-10."

Northug, the world and Olympic champion claimed a sprint finish to win in 50 minutes 27.3 seconds, 0.3 seconds ahead of Cologna, with Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin third, 0.6 seconds back.

After four of nine events, Northug leads by 1.1 seconds overall from Cologna.

The next race in the gruelling series staged over 11 days takes place in Toblach, Italy on Tuesday.

The women's 5K classic-style and 5K freestyle event was scheduled to start later Sunday.