Canadian skeleton racers support coach's decision that drew ire of other athletes, countries

Canadian skeleton racers Madeline Parra and Brielle Durham say they were comfortable with their coach's decision to pull them from a race in a move that's created friction between countries trying to qualify athletes for the Olympic Games.

Parra and Durham were among four Canadian women taken out of a North American Cup race Sunday in Lake Placid, N.Y., where sliders chased qualification for February's Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

The removal of four of Canada's six women from the field dropped the number of entries from 23 to 19.

That dropped the number of Olympic qualification points available to competitors, which drew the ire of U.S. veteran slider Katie Uhlaender trying to qualify for a sixth Olympic Games, and Denmark's bobsleigh and skeleton federation.

Canada was accused of manipulating the field to protect rankings of its senior women for the Olympic Games. Hallie Clarke is ranked 12th and Jane Channell 26th in the world.

Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton countered in a statement the welfare of young athletes was paramount in the third of three straight races in Lake Placid where some had struggled in the first two.

The Canadian Olympic skeleton team is being accused of... sabotage?

Parra, 18, and Durham, 21, say the reasons given for their withdrawal were both — athlete welfare and enhancing Canada's chances of more than one woman sliding in the Olympic Games.

"They had come over and explained to us that it would be in the best interest for the way points had worked for Jane, so that we as a team can qualify two spots to the Olympics," said Parra.

Durham, a first-year slider, had crashed in the second of three races in Lake Placid.

"There are also mental and physical aspects that had to be evaluated on