Cross-country men's team emerges under radar

Members of this Team Canada may not be household names yet, but after Wednesday there may be a few more people who are aware of their presence.

They are the men's cross-country team of Ivan Babikov, George Grey, Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw — men on thin skis who have had a breakout performance at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

On Feb. 22, Harvey and Kershaw finished fourth in the team sprint event — giving Canada its best-ever Olympic result in the race.

Kershaw was quick to praise his compatriot.

"Alex Harvey is the most talented skier I've ever, ever trained with, or raced with," he said. "Sometimes we almost forget he's almost 21 years old because he's been making so much noise internationally."

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, along with Grey and Babikov, they may be able to provide a memorable moment in the 4x10-kilometre relay.

The race begins at 11:15 a.m. PT at Whistler Olympic Park.

At last year's world championships in the Czech Republic, Canada was fifth in relay, behind Nordic powers Norway, Germany and Finland, and right on the tail of the Italians.

That was also ahead of the Swedes and their star Marcus Hellner, who in these Games has a gold and a fourth.

On Feb. 20, the Canadian four put a scare into the big boys by putting three skiers in the top 10 in the 30-kilometre pursuit, with Babikov fifth, Grey eighth, Harvey, ninth and just to make a point, Kershaw 16th.

Babikov was just 9.1 seconds off the gold medal.

'Historic underdogs'

"We're ecstatic," Grey told Canwest News Service. "If anyone's going to be crying over a fifth-place finish today, they're going to be tears of joy.

"We are aiming high for the medals, but we are the historic underdogs. It felt great. We couldn't have asked for more."

What seemed most heartening is that the man who came fifth, Babikov (a transplanted Russian athlete who has settled down in Canmore, Alta.), wasn't ecstatic, he was annoyed.

"I've finished fifth in the world, but when you realize it, it was one chance to get a medal," the 29-year-old said. "So close, and yet so far."

Why the men have suddenly risen over the accepted levels of dreary middle-of-the-pack finishes we've become so used to can be traced to the legacy of the Calgary Olympics in 1988 through the Canmore Training Centre, more funding, better coaches, wax technicians and trips to world events

And that's developed two strong generations of male skiers.

There is an older group, led by national team veteran Grey, 30, of Rossland, B.C. (and he's racing with a broken thumb), Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., who is a spry 27, and Babikov.

Good genes

Then there are the kids, headlined by Harvey, of Mont Sainte-Anne, Que., who is just 20 and already has a couple of World Cup podiums to his credit.

Behind him are three other 20-year-olds on the junior team, including Julien Nury, from Quebec, and Graeme Killick, of Alberta, who both had top 10 finishes at the age group worlds last year.

David Greer, of Whitehorse, was in the top 20 at the 2009 world juniors.

Harvey comes by his talent through hard work and good genes, as his dad Pierre was twice a summer Olympian in cycling, and twice at the Winter Games in cross-country.

Alex has a little catching up to do with dad, who won three World Cup races and had four podiums, but the son has already bettered Pierre's best Games performance of 14th.

The young men are the future heading for 2014, but right now from the veterans there may be a medal in the Whistler hills, and before the Games not many Canadian fans might have known that.