Breakthrough Olympic Games continue for young Canadian cross-country skiers

For the second time in as many days, a Canadian cross-country skier sat in their first-ever leader’s chair at the Olympic Winter Games.

On Day 7 at Milano Cortina 2026, Olympic newcomer Tom Stephen was temporarily the holder of the fastest finish in the men’s 10km freestyle interval start event. Given the staggered-start format of the event, he knew later-starting racers would ultimately post faster times, but it was still a thrilling experience for the 23-year-old.

“That was super cool,” said Stephen. “I’ve never sat in a leader’s chair before, so to sit in the leader’s chair at the Olympics is really awesome.”

A day earlier, fellow Olympic newcomer Alison Mackie had earned her first-ever leader’s chair spot in the women’s 10km event. And like Mackie, Stephen would finish his race inside the top 10, placing ninth.

“I’m super happy with how it went, and I’m quite excited about the race itself,” said Stephen. “It was super fast and the conditions were really good, and I just tried to ski as technically well as I could.

“I pushed it and I gave everything I had and I made sure to just keep the throttle on the whole race and yeah, I left it all out there.”

Stephen has never finished in the top 20 in an individual event on the FIS World Cup circuit, so a top-10 Olympic performance represents a significant personal milestone.

It’s also the latest example of a young Canadian cross-country skier perhaps surpassing expectations at these Games. On Day 2, 22-year-old Xavier McKeever turned in what he called “the race of my life” in the men’s 20km skiathlon.

McKeever comes from a family of world-class cross-country skiers, and he isn’t the only one with a family connection. Siblings Rémi Drolet, 25, and Jasmine Drolet, 23, have both competed in multiple cross-country skiing events at Milano Cortina 2026.

Rémi competed in the men’s 20km skiathlon, the sprint classic and the 10km interval start events. He finished 19th out of 113 competitors in Friday’s 10km interval start, while fellow Canadian Max Hollmann, 24, finished 23rd.

“It felt good out of there,” said Rémi Drolet, immediately after Friday’s race. “I’d say the first two races were a little bit tough for me, but I came into today with a really good mental focus and really positive attitude and ready to ski fast.

“I’m pretty happy with how I skied and right now it seems like Tom is in a really good position, so I’m just stoked for the team right now and having a great time.”