Nordiq Canada reveals cross-country skiing team for Beijing Olympics

CBC Sports

· Posted: Jan 13, 2022 3:49 PM EST | Last Updated: January 26, 2022

Two-time Olympians Dahria Beatty and Cendrine Browne header a youthful Olympic roster unveiled by Nordiq Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee connected Thursday.

Beatty, of Whitehorse, and Browne, of Saint-Jérôme, Que., are joined by Laura Leclair (Chelsea, Que.) and Katherine Stewart-Jones (Chelsea, Que.) connected the women's team.

The men's squad is comprised of Antoine Cyr (Gatineau, Que.), Olivier Léveillé (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Graham Ritchie (Parry Sound, Ont.). Both sides volition beryllium led by Norwegian manager Erik Braten.

Beatty and Browne are the lone returning members from the 2018 Games.

WATCH | Browne speaks connected her coach's influence:

Leclair, 24, and Stewart-Jones, 26, are acceptable for their Olympic debut.

"I'm truly excited to beryllium heading to my archetypal Olympics. It is thing I've ever wanted to accomplish, and it is brainsick that it is yet here," said Stewart-Jones.

The 23-year-old Cyr finished successful the top-12 twice this twelvemonth to qualify.

"Today is simply a imagination travel existent and my full absorption present is connected getting acceptable for the Olympics," said Cyr.

The Gatineau autochthonal teamed up with Ritchie, 23, to decorativeness seventh successful the squad sprint astatine the 2021 world championships.

Léveillé, the youngest subordinate of the Canadian squad astatine 20, is simply a two-time medallist astatine the satellite inferior championships and finished 17th connected the World Cup circuit earlier this season.

Canada has won 3 erstwhile Olympic cross-country medals, including golden from Beckie Scott successful 2002 and Chandra Crawford successful 2006, arsenic good arsenic Sara Renner's silver successful 2006.

Catriona Le May Doan, Canada's Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022, said she was hopeful Canada's newest procreation of cross-country skiers tin physique connected that legacy.

"Canadian cross-country skiers person continued to situation connected the planetary circuit, and we volition beryllium cheering these athletes connected arsenic they deterioration the Maple Leaf successful Beijing," she said.

Rémi Drolet and Olivia Bouffard Nesbitt were the last 2 athletes to gain Olympic spots aft an further 2 quota spots were handed down to Canada by the International Ski Federation (FIS) pursuing a reallocation process.