VEYSONNAZ — Another day, another women's World Cup ski cross win for Canadian Marielle Thompson.
Thompson, of Whistler, B.C., defeated Germany's Daniela Maier to capture the women's event. It marked the second time in as many days the two had squared off, with the Canadian winning both times.
But Sunday's win wasn't easy as Thompson lost her pole in the starting gate. But it didn't matter as the Canadian not only earned the victory but a second cowbell; the prize was given to the winners here.
"I just wanted to leave everything out on the track, and I think I did that so I'm super happy," said Thompson, who's third in the overall standings with 581 points. "This course, if you lose any speed, it's kind of the end.
"So, in the final, it was everything I had left in the tank, and it paid off. Unfortunately, I dropped my pole, but I did a phantom poll, and it gave me some extra speed, I think."
Thompson captured her 35th career World Cup victory.
Switzerland's Fanny Smith was third ahead of India Sherret of Cranbrook, B.C. But Sherret remained atop the overall standings with 595 points.
"I've kind of just been working on staying relaxed," Sherret said. "I have a bit of a tendency to get a little uptight, a little tense, and not breathe when I make mistakes.
"But just working on staying in the moment and having fun (this season) because racing is a lot of fun."
In the men's event, Ottawa's Jared Schmidt was third. France’s Youri Duplessis Kergomard finished first while Sweden’s David Moaberg took second.
"It feels amazing, it's been a minute since I've been on the box and I’m feeling really good mentally right now," Schmidt said. "I didn’t think too much about the skiing, it was kind of automatic and felt like my old self.
"It was nice to battle my way through, take it heat by heat, and just remember to breathe and have fun with it. I'm really happy with my performance, but I'm also happy with my mental performance. It’s a fun weekend. I love it here, you can't ask for a better race environment."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2025.
The Canadian Press
