Canadian Olympic gold medalist Marielle Thompson of North Vancouver, British Columbia won a World Cup silver medal in Reiteralm, Austria on Thursday. For Thompson, who won the gold medal in women’s ski cross at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, it was her 57th World Cup career medal. She has now won 25 gold medals, 20 silver medals, and 12 bronze medals.
Thompson placed behind gold medalist Sandra Naeslund of Sweden and ahead of bronze medalist Daniela Maier of Germany. It was the first of two women’s ski cross World Cup events in Reiteralm this week. On Friday, Naeslund won the gold medal again, with Sonja Gigler of Austria winning silver and Jole Galli of Italy winning bronze.
On Thursday. Thompson won the second quarterfinal heat, and placed second behind Naeslund in the second semifinal. Three Canadians qualified for the semifinals, as Thompson was joined by Hannah Schmidt of Ottawa, Ontario, and Tiana Gairns of Prince George, British Columbia.
In the World Cup women’s ski cross standings, Thompson is currently in second place with 474 points. Naeslund leads with 900 points.
There are three more World Cup women’s ski cross races this season. They will be in Veysonnaz, Switzerland on March 12, followed by two World Cup races at the Craigleith Ski Club in Collingwood, Ontario on March 17 and 18. The women’s ski cross event at the 2023 World Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding World Championships takes place in Bakuriani, Georgia on February 24. The silver medal for Thompson will give her confidence as she prepares for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina D’Ampezzo.
