Steadfast since the start of the cross-country World Cup season, Katherine Stewart-Jones reached an important milestone on Sunday, when she knocked on the door of the top 10, in Davos, Switzerland. Ranked 11e in the 20 kilometer freestyle individual start, the Chelsea athlete signed the best individual result of his career on the circuit, improving his 13e place obtained in the 20 kilometer classic mass start from Lillehammer, at the beginning of the month.
” One top 10, that’s really something I’m aiming for this year, especially at the World Championships. And with the Tour de ski coming up, a place in the top ten in the general classification would be really good! commented the 27-year-old athlete, happy with her result, especially since she did not feel very well in training on Saturday.
Stewart-Jones was 1 minute 40.5 seconds behind the winner, American Jessie Diggins, second in Saturday’s freestyle sprint. Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg was second (+5.5s) and another American, Rosie Brennan (+11.2s) was third.
Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt finished 30e (+3 min 14.9 s), two rows ahead of her compatriot Dahria Beatty (+3 min 58.0 s). Rookie Liliane Gagnon finished at 40e rank (+7 min 6.4 s).
What allowed Stewart-Jones to win this 11e place according to her, it is above all her race strategy, especially since it was the first time that she set off in a race of this distance in the individual start. The Olympian from the Beijing Games opted for a conservative start so as not to pay the price in the second half of the race on this high-altitude course.
At the seventh kilometer, she was caught by Frenchwoman Delphine Claudel, who started two rows behind her, and Stewart-Jones decided that Claudel would be her hare until the end.
“I knew she was in the top 5 [elle terminera sixième, NDLR] and in addition, his coaches speak French, so I could know all his time gaps, which helped me. She skis well and in a relaxed way, so she was a good person to follow. »
On what left little room for recovery, Stewart-Jones was able to stay on Claudel’s heels until the end.
“I know I’m good on the descents and I’m not one to brake, which allowed me to catch up with her. »
Norwegian male podium, Antoine Cyr 24e
On this same course, but in the men’s category, the representatives of Norway monopolized the first six places in the ranking. Gold went to Simen Hegstad Krueger ahead of Hans Christer Holund (+22.3s) and Sjur Roethe (+24.5s).
Ontarian Graham Ritchie (+1 min 42.2 s) was the best representative in the country with a 21e square. Antoine Cyr, from Gatineau, follows not far behind at 24e rank at 1 min 53.9 s from the head.
Olivier Léveillé did not start the race.