Mélanie Turgeon was the only Canadian woman to finish the ladies downhill that was finally held Tuesday afternoon. The race was originally scheduled to start on Monday morning at Snowbasin Ski Resort, and was rescheduled twice due to high winds at the start of the course.

Turgeon had a solid run and finished in 8th position with a time of 1:40.71. France`s Carole Montillet was the surprise winner with a time of 1:39.56.

Anne Marie Lefrançois of Québec, QC crashed into the protective fencing lining the course but got up on her own power and didn`t appear to be injured. Sara-Maude Boucher of Sherbrooke, QC was forced to pull out before the race started due to a collection of injuries suffered in training.

"I was thinking and hoping that I would end up in the top 10," said Scott. "This is the best finish I have had in this event and it's a good indication for the rest of the races, especially for the pursuit."

Sara Renner of Canmore, AB was the next best finisher with a 15th place finish, which is also a Canadian best result, followed by Milaine Thériault of Moncton, NB in 25th and Jaime Fortier of Edmonton, AB in 47th. Norway's Bente Skari took the gold medal.

Sara Renner, de Canmore, Alberta, a offert la deuxième meilleure prestation du Canada, avec une 15e place, devant Milaine Thériault, de Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick, et Jaime Fortier, d'Edmonton, Alberta, qui ont fini 25e et 47e respectivement. C'est la Norvégienne Bente Skari qui a enlevé l'or.

Donald Farley, de Montréal, Québec, le seul homme au sein de l'équipe canadienne de ski de fond, a pris la 46e place au 15 km classique, mardi après-midi.

Wotherspoon's time of 34.63 would also have been the third fastest time on Monday-- beaten only be eventual gold medallist, and training partner, Casey Fitzrandolph of the U.S., and 1998 gold medallist Hiroyasu Shimizu of Japan who took the silver this year.

The top Canadian was 2001 World Sprint Champion, Mike Ireland of Winnipeg, MB in 7th place. Patrick Bouchard of Charlesbourg, QC finished 20th while Éric Brisson of Greenfield Park, QC finished 24th. Wotherspoon, Ireland, Bouchard, and Kevin Marshall of Victoria, BC will compete next in the 1000m on February 16.

Avec son chrono de 34.63, il aurait inscrit le troisième meilleur temps - derrière seulement le médaillé d'or pressenti, son partenaire d'entraînement, Casey Fitzrandolph, des États-Unis, et le médaillé d'or de 1998, le Japonnais Hiroyasu Shimizu, qui s'en tire avec l'argent cette année.

Le Canadien qui a offert la meilleure performance est le Manitobain Mike Ireland, de Winnipeg, qui a pris la 7e place.

Bellavance, who entered the finals in 10th position, improved in the finals to finish in 6th position. Ryan Johnson of Calgary, AB was right behind in 7th position. Stéphane Rochon of Montréal, QC, who was the top Canadian leading into the finals, fell to 15th place. 1994 Olympic champion Jean-Luc Brassard of Valleyfield, QC failed to qualify for the finals and finished 21st.

"It's a disappointment because I've been trying hard to get back," said Brassard about his run. "The biggest disappointment is not so much for me, but that I wanted to show the people that I was working out and really skiing well--well enough to be on the podium."

Dixième au départ de la finale, Bellavance a amélioré son classement en terminant 6e, juste devant son compatriote, Ryan Johnson, de Calgary, Alberta, qui a pris la 7e position. Le Québécois Stéphane Rochon, de Montréal, qui dominait la représentation canadienne a dû se contenter de la 15e position. Le champion des Jeux olympiques de 1994, Jean-Luc Brassard, de Valleyfield, Québec, n'a pas réussi à se qualifier pour la finale et terminé au 21e rang.

" Je suis déçu parce que j'ai vraiment travaillé fort pour revenir en pleine forme, a dit Brassard après sa descente. Si je suis si désappointé, pas tellement pour moi, mais parce que je voulais montrer aux gens que je m'entraîne et que je ski bien - assez pour être sur le podium. "

Stokjo stepped out of his quad in his quad-triple combination, and the judges penalized him enough for it that he now stands in 7th position leading into the free skate on Thursday evening.

Emanuel Sandhu withdraw from the competition Tuesday afternoon after announcing at a press conference that he has torn cartilage in his right knee and is slated to undergo surgery Thursday in Vancouver.

"I'm really, really disappointed," Sandhu said, after limping into the news conference on crutches. "If something doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, right?"

La dernière chance d'Elvis Stojko de remporter l'or olympique semble compromise à l'issue du programme court qui s'est déroulé mardi soir au Salt Palace Ice Center.

Stokjo n'a pas bien réussi sa combinaison quadruple-triple, et les juges l'ont pénalisé au point où il sera 7e quand il entamera son programme libre jeudi soir.

Emanuel Sandhu s'est retiré de la compétition mardi après-midi après avoir annoncé en conférence de presse qu'il souffre de déchirures au cartilage du genou droit et qu'il doit subir une chirurgie à Vancouver jeudi.

" Je suis très, très déçu, a déclaré Sandhu, qui s'est rendu à la conférence de presse avec des béquilles. Si un revers ne nous tue pas, c'est qu'on peut le surmonter et en ressortir plus fort, non? "