:</b></p>
<p>Devon Kershaw. Kershaw was the most consistent North American World Cup skier on the men’s circuit. With 26 World Cup starts, Kershaw raced a full schedule of distance races and sprints. He scored World Cup points in 10 events, placed a season-best 5th (sprint) in Lahti and 12th in the 30km freestyle in Rybinsk, Russia. Kershaw was also one of two North Americans to start the Tour de Ski (along with teammate ), and stood in 16th position before abandoning the event due to illness. The Canadian star thrilled the home crowd by leading stretches of the World Cup 30km pursuit in Canmore. He finished tied for 38th in the Overall World Cup standings.</p>
<p>Kershaw got the nod over Andy Newell (USA) due to his strong results in both distance and sprint races, his large number of starts, and competing in the Tour de Ski — an event that is becoming a major feature of the World Cup season.</p>
<p><i>Honorable Mention:</i> Andy Newell (USA). Andy scored World Cup points in eight races, including a career-best 2nd place in the freestyle sprint in Lahti. Newell ended the season ranked 10th on the World Cup Sprint list and 36th on the overall list, capping another successful season that also included two National titles. </p>
<p><b>Skier of the Year (women):</b> Chandra Crawford (CAN). The defending Olympic medalist in the sprint discipline came back strong after a disappointing 2007 season. Chandra won two World Cup sprints in 2008, including on her home course in Canmore, Alberta. She scored World Cup points in eight events, and finished the season ranked 23rd overall and 7th in sprinting. Chandra also had three podium finishes at the Canadian National Championships, including a second in the 30km event — a surprise for the sprint specialist. </p>
<p><i>Honorable Mention:</i> Kikkan Randall (USA). Kikkan became the first American to win a World Cup race this season and scored World Cup points in five events. Randall showed marked improvement in both her classic sprinting and her distance racing. She finished the season ranked 15th on the World Cup sprint list, and 32nd overall. She won three National titles and also won two of the three races she started at Canadian Nationals, finishing second in the other.</p>
<p>Sara Renner (CAN). In her comeback season after having her first child, Renner placed consistently in the top 30 on the World Cup. Sara made 12 World Cup starts, scoring points in eight of them. She showed her usual versatility, posting a season-best sprint result of 14th in hometown Canmore, and a 16th in the pursuit in Falun.</p>
<p><b>Other FasterSkier Awards:</b></p>
<p> – <a href=http://www.fasterskier.com/racing.php?id=5336)
Harvey and Sargent are FasterSkier Juniors of the Year (April 21)– Stephen and Kuzzy are FasterSkier Rookies of the Year (April 22)
– Maria Grevsgaard and Marius Korthauer win FasterSkier Collegiate Skier of the Year awards (April 23)
– Babikov and Strandberg win FasterSkier Continental Skier of the Year (April 24)
– US Sprinters Newell and Randall win FasterSkier Performance of the Year (April 28)
– Burke and Compton Take Home Biathlete of the Year Award (April 29)
Related on FasterSkier.com:
– Fired Up Kershaw Ready to Make Move Up Tour de Ski Standings after Disappointing Sprint Race
– Crawford Wins World Cup Sprint, Randall 5th!
– Newell Wins Qualifying Round, Randall, Crawford, and Kershaw in Heats
– Chandra Crawford Reports From Liberec
– Crawford Wins in Canmore! Randall 8th
– Chandra Crawford and Fast and Female – An Interview with Chandra
Patrick Sinnott Photography)
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