Cross-Country Skiing

CANMORE - In her last World Cup cross-country ski race on her home track, Sara Renner surprised everyone, especially herself.

Having already fought her way into the final of today's 1.4-kilometre classic sprint, something the veteran Olympian didn't expect, Renner raced past thousands of fans and friends, past her husband Thomas Grandi, all the way to the medal podium at the Canmore Nordic Centre.

The third-place finish signaled a fitting send-off for the 33-year-old Canmore resident, who was hugged by her female teammates before doing a celebratory jog and wave to the crowed.

"The home advantage was unbelievable," said Renner, who was 8.4 seconds off the winning pace set by Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk. Sweden's Ida Ingemarsdotter was second.

"I thought I was in the fourth heat (in the quarterfinals),"; Renner added. "My neighbour is a course marshal and told me I was in the third heat. I was in the wax area and she told me, ‘Renner, what are you doing?' ... I'm really happy we can celebrate this as a whole community."

Renner, who is about to compete in her fourth and final Olympics, didn't have great expectations for the sprint event here. She considers herself more of a distance skier, although she acknowledged, "I'm stronger in the classic."

Under brilliant skies and perfect weather, Renner's strategy was to hang with the leaders, such as Kowalczyk, then push in last 200 metres to the finish. That took her through the early rounds and into the final, where Kowalczyk pulled away from the pack and coasted to an easy result.

"To be in my own house, with Thomas and Aria, it felt like a normal day," said Renner of her experience. "We got lots of support from people ... I didn't expect this [result] because my sprinting has been awful."

Renner said she was donating her third-place paycheque ($5,000) to Right To Play, the child advocacy group. Chandra Crawford, Renner's teammate, had promised to donate $1,000 if she made the semi-finals. She didn't, but she donated the money just the same.

Renner's bronze medal marked Canada's best showing at the two-day World Cup here. Ivan Babikov turned in a hard-fought 10th-place effort in Friday's 15-km.

No Canadian men advanced to the final of the 1.7-km classic sprint. That event was won by Sweden's Emil Joensson. Norway's John Kristian Dahl was second and Switzerland's Dario Cologna was third.