Canadian men sweep podium, Sara Renner wins women's race, Para-Nordic athletes enjoy solid start.

New Zealand (August 24, 2009) -- Canada's cross-country ski team began their final tracks to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games by participating in distance races at the New Zealand Winter Games on Sunday, August 23, as part of an off-season training camp.

Devon Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ontario, led a Canadian sweep of the podium in the men's fifteen-kilometre race. The leader of the men's team clocked a time of thirty-seven minutes, 51.82 seconds. Ivan Babikov, of Canmore, Alberta, was second at 37:56.36, while Alex Harvey, of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, rounded out the men's podium in third at 38:23.02.

Sara Renner, of Canmore, Alberta, also proved her summer training is on track by winning the women's race with a time of 29:49.37. Renner was joined on the women's podium by Brittany Webster, of Caledon, Ontario, who finished second at 29:49.37. Chisa Obayashi, of Japan, prevented the Canadian sweep in the women's ten-kilometre race by finishing third (30:16.46).

"It was a hard day with fresh snow last night and grooming in advance of the start of the race," said Dave Wood, team leader, National Ski Team. "The team has trained extremely hard since arriving here in New Zealand, and I'm pleased to see they still put up solid efforts and shows we are on track."

Canada's Para-Nordic Ski Team is also in New Zealand. Lou Gibson, of Langley, B.C., finished third in the men's sit-ski category, while Jody Barber, of Smithers, B.C. was second in the women's standing with a disability division. Gibson clocked a time of 32:09, while Barber was 40:57.07.

Canada is amongst a handful of nations competing at the New Zealand Winter Games including Australia, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand. Athletes will also race on Monday and Tuesday.

Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 51,000 members include athletes, coaches, officials, and skiers of all ages and abilities, including those on Canada's National Ski Teams and Para-Nordic Ski Teams. Cross-country skiing is Canada's optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.

Complete World Cup Results: http://www.fis-ski.com.