1er février 2006

Martin Cleary

The pain of the long-distance skier Chris Jeffries needed only one word to describe his past year as a skier on the World Cup cross-country circuit.

There he was, less than three weeks from the opening ceremonies at his first Winter Olympic Games Feb. 10 in Turin, Italy, and the word he came up for his performance wasn't "encouraging." Nor was it "positive," nor "motivating."

"Horrible," the Chelsea, Que., resident said before a World Cup event at Oberstdorf, Germany 11 days ago, summarizing a year-long slump and battle with injuries that started at a pre-Olympic series of races in Pragelato, Italy.

Yet later that day, the first anniversary of the day he qualified for his first Winter Games, Jeffries erupted with a breakthrough performance on the World Cup circuit.

He finished 24th in the World Cup men's 30-kilometre double pursuit race at Oberstdorf. He ranked 49th after the opening 15-kilometre classic race, but, following a quick transition to new skis, he posted the 18th fastest 15-kilometre time using the free-skate technique for a 24th overall result. He was two minutes, 28.6 seconds behind winner Tobias Angerer of Germany and only 15 seconds out of the top 20.

Suddenly, the Olympics had a significant purpose.

"The monkey is off my back and finally my body reacted the way it is supposed to in a World Cup race," Jeffries said.

"I'm happy with 24th, but the funny thing is, I now know I can finish even higher in the pack. I'm really excited to put in good ... training and continue to prepare for the Olympics."

But the day after excelling in his specialty race, he was 42nd in the World Cup men's 1.2-kilometre sprint. He didn't ski fast enough in the qualification round to reach the quarter-finals.

A year ago in Pragelato, Italy, the back-to-back pre-Olympic races Jeffries had a year ago were a bittersweet experience for the fifth-year national team member, whose father, Bruce, is the executive director of Cross Country Canada.

The day before the men's sprint relay, a novel two-man team sprint where the skiers alternate each lap, Chris Jeffries, 28, felt the muscles in his right calf seize, causing his right foot to collapse.

He could have withdrawn from the race, but that would have meant teammate George Grey of Rossland, B.C., would have lost an opportunity to qualify for the Turin Olympics. As the elder statesman on the team and the team leader, Jeffries felt compelled the next day to go to the start line and ski hurt. In the end, it was worthwhile.

Jeffries and Grey raced hard, finishing sixth in their semifinal, but missed qualifying for the final by one position and a few seconds. While they were 13th overall, Jeffries and Grey had the 11th best time on the day. The result was good enough to help them qualify for the Turin Olympics.

"It has been a year since I've had a great race I can hang my hat on," Jeffries said in an interview last month before his 24th-place finish in Germany.

A few days after his injury in the Italian race, Jeffries had an MRI and was told not to bear any weight on that leg for six weeks.

But 10 days later, he clipped into his bindings for the world championships, when he probably shouldn't have, placing 55th in the 15-kilometre race and not finishing the 50-kilometre test.

A week later, he soldiered on to World Cup races in Lahti, Finland, finishing 53rd in the sprint and 67th over 15 kilometres.

In May, four months after the injury, he finally learned he had tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction, which collapsed his foot.

After taking four months to have his injury properly diagnosed and treated, Jeffries hit the trails to record four top-10 results on the Nor-Am Cup circuit, including a bronze medal in the 30-kilometre pursuit.

But those results are to be expected as he dropped down to the domestic level to prepare for the World Cup circuit.

When the World Cup circuit came to in Vernon, B.C., and Canmore, Alta., this fall, Jeffries ploughed through the trails for four results, ranging from 34th in the sprint to 54th in the 30-kilometre pursuit.

Despite the middle-of-the-pack results over the past year, Jeffries can reflect on his efforts at Pragelato and Oberstdorf as a small source of Olympic inspiration.

"(The sprint relay at Pragelato) was a good race under tough conditions," he explained. "We raced well and expected to make the final. But my foot was too sore. We were good, but we didn't have it at the finish.

"That's not the way I wanted to get it (Olympic criteria). But I raced well enough to make it."

It wasn't until shortly before the Oberstdorf event that he had his first satisfying workout, which triggered his first quality result in a year.

"I feel ready to have good races," Jeffries said.

Before Obertsdorf, in 30 World Cup races since 2002, his best result was a 34th in a 2002 15-kilometre race at Soldier Hollow, Utah, and a sprint at Vernon, B.C.

"I've been pain free the last few months, but I haven't pushed myself in training or races. I haven't crossed that pain threshold physically or mentally.

"In my sport, if you don't push to the limit, you're on the way out. Pain is the name of the game.

"I kept telling myself to be prepared for February. My mindset was to try to get back to fighting shape for Turin. I'm on the right path. It's a matter of doing fine tuning."

At the Games, Jeffries is scheduled for the full complement of men's races over 15 days: Sprint, 15-kilometre classic, 30-kilometre double pursuit, 4x10-relay, 50-kilometre free, and the team sprint.

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