Vernon’s Heather Mehain capped an already stellar season with a gold medal at the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Championships last week in Canmore.
Mehain, 19, captured gold in the classic sprint and added a fourth in the 5-km skate, and fifth-place finishes in both the 10-km classic and 20-km skate events.
“The gold medal in the sprint was a surprise for me, especially after qualifying 21st,” said Mehain. “However, I skied all the heats well tactically and used my strong double pole to pass in the finishing stretch.
“This was my first national championship gold medal, so I was very excited about it. Now I have achieved all my goals of the season – race at the world junior championships, Canada Winter Games, and win gold in the national championships. I couldn’t be happier.”
Mehain, a member of the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, was a member of the B.C. relay team that collected gold in the 4 x 3.75-km event at the Canada Winter Games last month in Halifax.
Enderby’s Alysson Marshal pocketed bronze in the 10-km classic, was fifth in both the sprint and the 5-km skate, and 14th in the 30-km skate.
Vernon’s Matt Wylie recorded sixth in the sprint and 29th in the 15-km classic.
Salmon Arm’s Jesse Heckrodt placed ninth in the 15-km classic.
