Canadians Thompson, Drury reach podium at ski cross World Cup in Switzerland
CBC Sports | Posted: December 16, 2020 7:31 PM | Last Updated: December 16, 2020
Fellow Canuck Antoinette Tansley crashes in quarter-final
A pair of Canadians reached the podium at a ski cross World Cup event in Arosa, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
Marielle Thompson, the 2014 Olympic champion, finished second in the women's big final, while Kevin Drury, who was 30th in the season opener at the same location on Tuesday, finished third on the men's side.
"It feels pretty amazing especially after yesterday and how my qualification went. I tried to stay focused and stay in the moment and it worked out," Drury said.
"I felt flashes of last year. I'm excited for this weekend in Val Thorens to try to keep the momentum going."
WATCH | Kevin Drury captures World Cup ski cross bronze:
After an extended off-season Thompson was happy to be back on the podium but is hungry for more and ready to continue to find her grove as the World Cup tour continues.
"I like night racing, I'm a bit of a night owl and I come alive at night," Thompson said.
"I was happy to bounce back after yesterday's not so good result and to refocus and put a good effort in. It was fun racing all day."
WATCH | Marielle Thompson claims World Cup silver in Switzerland:
Zoe Chore and Courtney Hoffos also competed for Canada and were first and fourth, respectively, in the women's small final.
Fellow Canuck Antoinette Tansley crashed out in her quarter-final heat.
Canada's Brady Leman, who was eliminated in the men's 1/8th final, entered the season with a feeling of gratitude after suffering a mountain biking accident in May.
The start to the season comes after Alpine Canada called its athletes — who were already training in Switzerland — back to Canada in early November, citing the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Europe. Canada's ski cross team falls under this organization's umbrella.
WATCH | Leman leads ski cross team into new season:
The next stop on the World Cup stop ski cross calendar is scheduled for Dec. 19 and 20 in Val Thorens, France.
For more ski cross coverage, tune into Road to the Olympic Games on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.