Canada’s Reece Howden narrowly missed claiming his fourth consecutive gold medal at a World Cup ski cross event in Veysonnaz, Switzerland on Friday. The athlete from Cultus Lake, B.C., dominated the big final for most of the race but had to settle for silver as French skier Youri Duplessis-Kergomard surged ahead towards the end of the course. Switzerland’s Tobias Baur secured third place on the podium.
Despite the silver finish, Howden maintained his overall lead in the tour standings with a total of 433 points this season. Duplessis-Kergomard is the closest contender, trailing the Canadian by 152 points. Meanwhile, Canada’s Jared Schmidt clinched second place in the small final, landing him in sixth position overall.
In the women’s competition, Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund claimed the gold medal, followed by Germany’s Daniela Maier and Austria’s Katrin Ofner who secured the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Ottawa’s Hannah Schmidt emerged as the top Canadian finisher, victorious in the small final and placing fifth overall for the day.
The ski cross action in Veysonnaz continues on Saturday, with live streaming coverage available on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem starting at 8 a.m. ET.