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News Release

January 10, 2007

U of G Nordic Skier to Compete in World University Games

A first-year University of Guelph student and member of the Gryphon Nordic ski team is heading to Torino, Italy, Saturday to represent Canada in the World University Games Jan. 17 to 27.

“It feels great to have the opportunity to represent my country internationally,” said John Rennie, a political science major who qualified based on his results at the 2005 Canadian National Championships in Thunder Bay. “The World University Games are the second-largest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympics, so they will be highly competitive races.”

Rennie is among six men and six women from Canada who will be competing in the Nordic skiing events with more than 100 athletes from around the world. They will ski in the same venues used in the 2006 Olympic Games. The cross-country skiing events will take place in Pragealota, about one hour from Torino. The course is at a very high altitude, which makes it more difficult, said Rennie.

Although he’s been skiing since he could walk and competing since Grade 8, this is his first overseas competition. Of the five events — the 10-km classic, the 30-km skate, the relay, the sprint and the pursuit (7.5-km classic and 7.5-km skate) — he expects to perform best in the sprint.

“It’s been a tough year to train because of the lack of snow,” said Rennie. He went to Silver Star, B.C., to train in late November and found some snow in Ottawa and Quebec City over the holidays.

Soon after he returns from Italy, he’ll be training with the U of G team for the Ontario University Athletics championships in February.