Marielle Thompson returns to World Cup ski cross podium with bronze at Val Thorens
2014 Olympic champion coming off knee injury suffered late last season
Marielle Thompson skied her way back onto a World Cup podium on Sunday.
The Canadian raced to a bronze medal at Val Thorens, France, for her 47th World Cup podium in her first weekend of competition this campaign following recovery from a knee injury suffered late last season.
"To come back from injuries with a podium means that all the hard work was worth it," Thompson said following her 101st World Cup race. "I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season."
The 29-year-old from Whistler, B.C., will be vying for a second Olympic medal in February after winning gold at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
WATCH | Thompson races to ski cross bronze:
Sweden's Sandra Naeslund took gold on Sunday while Fanny Smith of Switzerland finished ahead of Thompson for silver.
Canadian Britt Phelan, who took silver in Saturday's big final, finished just behind her teammate in the big final on Sunday, settling for fourth.
"I'm super happy about the start of my season with three solid top five results, especially after a two-year injury," the 30-year-old told Alpine Canada. "I'm feeling confident going into the next races and I just want to keep that consistency and try to focus on my skiing and myself."
Phelan boasts nine World Cup podium results and a 2018 Olympic silver medal from Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Howden 3rd in men's small final
Fellow Canadian Tiana Gairns finished second in the small final, good for sixth overall on consecutive days.
"I'm very proud of the skiing I've had in the last days," said the 23-year-old from Prince George, B.C. "Today, I just focused on skiing aggressive and calm on the course, and I managed to execute that.
Gairns is chasing her first-ever podium result after skiing into the small final in each of this season's World Cup races.
On the men's side, Alex Fiva of Switzerland won gold while Canada's Reece Howden finished third in the men's small final, and seventh overall.
"It's been a bit of a slow start to the season for me," explained Howden of Cultus Lake, B.C., who captured the ski cross Crystal Globe last season for earning the most points on the circuit.
"It was nice to get into the heats today and even though I was obviously looking for a better result, today is a start. We have lots more races coming up in the next few days."
The Canadian ski cross team will next be in action in Arosa, Switzerland for races Dec. 13-15, including the only team event on the World Cup schedule. The Innichen stop follows Dec. 18-20) before the Christmas break.
The lone North American ski cross World Cup is scheduled for Jan. 13-14 in Nakiska, Alta.
