FIS ANC X-Country Cup Race Series 2008 - Day 1

THURSDAY, 14 AUGUST 2008

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand - Cross country skiers from around the world gathered at Snow Farm NZ today for the first of the FIS ANC Cup Series races with a strong field of men and women from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and France.

In the men's 15km Classic Race, a tight bunch of five skiers were neck and neck for the first two laps. Eventual winner Tomio Kanamaru (JPN) broke from the group at the bottom of the last steep hill to finish ahead of nine-time Canadian national champion Robin McKeever and Masaaki Kozu (JPN) in a time of 43:15:20. McKeever has also won two gold and one silver medal athlete 2002 Paralympics, acting as the sighted guide for his brother Brian.

The Japanese skiers have been living and training at the Snow Farm and their altitude training and local knowledge has stood them in good stead. Kanamaru said, "This is my first race of the season and I was very happy to win. We love coming to train at the Snow Farm and enjoy competing against the New Zealand and Australian skiers in these races. Conditions were fast and we had a great group at the front." First New Zealander home was 18-year old Andy Pohl in sixteenth place.

"I was very pleased with my race and it is just so great to have a race with such high caliber skiers right here at the Snow Farm," said Pohl. Pohl will race the sprint and freestyle races on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and finish off the season training at the Snow Farm. In November, Pohl will return to Canada for a second season, racing in the domestic USA and Canadian competitions as a build up to the World Junior Championships to be held in Chamonix, France in January 2009.

In the women's 10 km Classic Race, Olympic bronze medalist Milaine Theriault (CAN) led from the start, winning in a time of 34:39:90. She built up a solid lead after one lap and had extended this to a one-minute lead over Katie Calder (NZE) by the finish. Calder is a recent addition to the New Zealand Cross Country Ski Team after moving from Australia where she has established herself as one of Australasia's top women skiers. In third place was Sumiko Ishigaki from Japan.

Wanaka's 15-year old Anna Hogg put in a strong performance in the women's race as an invited participant, keeping pace with the strong Japanese women's team members. Hogg is a member of the NZ Nordic Sports Development programme and has benefited from the season's coaching under visiting American coach Alexei Sotskov.

The Series continues this weekend with the Sprint Races on Saturday, August 16 and the Freestyle Races on Sunday, August 17.

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