Team Canada won three bronze medals in a World Cup ski cross event in Innichen, Italy over the last two days. On Sunday, Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, British Columbia won the bronze medal in the men’s World Cup ski cross event, and Canadian Olympic silver medalist Brittany Phelan of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec won the bronze medal in the women’s World Cup ski cross event. Then on Monday, in the second women’s World Cup ski cross race of the events in Innichen, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Marielle Thompson of North Vancouver, British Columbia won the bronze medal too. Thompson won gold in women’s ski cross at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and Phelan won the silver medal in women’s ski cross at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
In the men’s ski cross race on Saturday, Howden placed behind gold medalist Ryan Regez of Switzerland and silver medalist Bastien Midol of France. For Howden, it was his eighth World Cup medal. In the men’s World Cup men’s ski cross standings, Howden is in 13th place with 107 points. The World Cup leader is Midol with 357 points.
In the women’s ski cross on Sunday, Phelan placed behind gold medalist Sandra Naeslund of Sweden and Fanny Smith of Switzerland. It was Phelan’s 10th World Cup medal. In the women’s ski cross on Monday, Thompson also placed behind Naeslund and Smith. But it was Thompson’s 49th World Cup medal.
In the World Cup standings in women’s ski cross, Phelan is in third place with 301 points and Thompson is in fourth place with 289 points. Naeslund leads with 550 points. The medals for Howden, Phelan and Thompson will give them confidenmce as they prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
