Canada’s Reece Howden fell just short of capturing his fourth consecutive gold medal at a World Cup ski cross event held in Veysonnaz, Switzerland on Friday. Hailing from Cultus Lake, B.C., Howden led the big final for most of the race but settled for silver as French skier Youri Duplessis-Kergomard surpassed him towards the end of the course. Switzerland’s Tobias Baur secured the third spot on the podium with a bronze medal finish.
Despite the silver, Howden maintained his top spot in the tour standings with a total of 433 points in the ongoing season. Duplessis-Kergomard trails as the closest contender, sitting 152 points behind the Canadian. Meanwhile, Canada’s Jared Schmidt clinched second place in the small final on Friday, securing a sixth-place overall finish.
In the women’s category, Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund claimed the gold medal, followed by Germany’s Daniela Maier and Austria’s Katrin Ofner who secured silver and bronze, respectively. Ottawa’s Hannah Schmidt emerged as the top Canadian finisher, winning the small final and securing the fifth spot overall on the day.
The ski cross action from Veysonnaz will resume on Saturday, with live streaming coverage available on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem starting at 8 a.m. ET.