
Reece Howden of Chilliwack, British Columbia won the gold medal in a World Cup men’s ski cross event in Innichen, Italy on Saturday. For Howden, it was his 13th career World Cup gold medal 23rd World Cup medal overall.
Alex Fiva of Switzerland won the silver medal. Simone Deromedis of Italy won the bronze medal. Howden won the seventh first round qualification heat, the fourth quarterfinal, and the second semifinal.
This was the second World Cup gold medal for Howden this season. He also won in Arosa, Switzerland on December 17. It is interesting that Howden won one race in the European evening (on Tuesday), and another one in the European afternoon (on Saturday).
In the World Cup men’s ski cross standings, Howden is currently in second place with 296 points. Florian Wilmsmann of Germany is the leader with 310 points.
There are 17 World Cup men’s ski cross events this year. Five have been completed with a dozen more to go on the schedule. The Canadian World Cup men’s events in ski cross will take place at Craigleith Ski Club near Collingwood, Ontario on March 14 and 15. The World Cup gold medal for Howden will give him confidence as he prepares for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.