Community Involvement & Commitment

J.F. Mackie & Company proudly sponsored Chandra Crawford who won a gold medal in the Women’s cross country 1.1 Kilometer sprint at Torino winter games.

 

Crawford golden in front of hometown fans

John Down, Canwest News Service Published: Saturday, January 26, 2008

CANMORE, Alta. - Chandra Crawford, carrying the expectations of a huge hometown crowd on her shoulders, did her thing, didn't disappoint and won her first World Cup cross-country ski race Saturday.

The 24-year-old Olympic gold medallist put away all challengers in the final of the women's freestyle sprint, holding off Pirjo Muranen of Finland in the fourth trip over the 1.1-kilometre course to a thunder of cheers from a crowd in excess of 3,000.

"This is on par with that feeling of excitement," smiled Crawford when asked to compare her 2006 Olympic gold victory to Saturday's. "The Olympics was such a shock and surprise . . . this is incredible to win at home. Wow."

While Crawford looked comfortable and in complete control at her specialty throughout the qualifying, the quarter-finals, the semis and the final, it didn't start out that way.

She admitted to feeling huge pressure, so much so that she didn't sleep all that well and couldn't even look at toast or eggs for breakfast because of a stomach full of butterflies.

"But once I got to the course I felt much more relaxed," she said.

And she was off like a jack rabbit. Going to the front in each race, settling back to tight seconds and then bringing it home with just enough to save something for the following heat.

 

To find out more information about Chandra Crawford visit her offical site.