Calgary, AB. (February 2, 2025 ) — One pole and two cowbells. Canada’s Marielle Thompson (Whistler, BC) completed the perfect weekend of racing in Veysonnaz, SUI, on Sunday, winning at the FIS Ski Cross World Cup stop for the second day in a row.
After topping the podium for her 34th-career World Cup win on Saturday, the 32-year-old put in a repeat performance on another bluebird day at the Valais canton resort to claim her 35th victory and 72nd World Cup podium performance
The win was far from simple. In the big final, she lost her pole in the start gate before beating Germany’s Daniela Maier, who finished second, Switzerland’s Fanny Smith, who finished third and Canadian teammate India Sherret (Cranbrook, BC) with just a single pole.
It didn’t matter much for one of the sport’s winningest athletes, though, as she secured the win and a second cowbell; the prize was given to the winners in Veysonnaz.
“I just wanted to leave everything out on the track, and I think I did that, so I’m super happy,” Thompson said post-race, maintaining her third place in the overall World Cup ranking with 581 points. “This course, if you lose any speed, it’s kind of the end. So, in the final, it was everything I had left in the tank, and it paid off. Unfortunately, I dropped my pole, but I did a phantom poll, and it gave me some extra speed, I think.”
“Who needs a pole if you have two cowbells, right? “I guess I need some cows. I already have a cattle dog.”
Jared Schmidt (Ottawa, ON) put Canada on the podium in the men’s race, claiming third for his first podium finish since December 12, 2023 when he won in Innichen, ITA. Finishing on the box for the sixth time in his career, Sunday’s race was the 27-year-old’s first third-place finish since Arosa, SUI since December 14, 2021.
France’s Youri Duplesis Kergomard led the men’s race, with Sweden’s David Moaberg taking second before Schmidt.
“It feels amazing; it’s been a minute since I’ve been on the box, and I’m feeling really good mentally right now,” Schmidt said. “I didn’t think too much about the skiing; it was kind of automatic and felt like my old self. It was nice to battle my way through, take it heat by heat, and just remember to breathe and have fun with it.”
“I’m really happy with my performance, but I’m also happy with my mental performance. It’s a fun weekend. I love it here; you can’t ask for a better race environment.”
Two of Canada’s Saturday medalists finished fourth on Sunday, with Sherret and Reece Howden (Cultus Lake, BC) finishing off the podium after making the big finals on both days.
While Sherret missed out on the top three and questioned her decision-making in the medal round, she held onto her lead atop the World Cup overall rankings with an eighth big final of the season, pushing her leading mark to 595 points.
“I went right [trying to pass Maier]. Maybe I should have gone left, but I just got pushed a little bit into the snow and dropped some speed. I was pulling it again, and then I slapped the finish, which is tough, so Fanny [Smith] got by me, but that’s just how racing goes,” Sherret said.
“’I’ve kind of just been working on staying relaxed. I have a bit of a tendency to get a little uptight, a little tense, and not breathe when I make mistakes, but just working on staying in the moment and having fun [this season] because racing is a lot of fun.”
Howden qualified for his fifth big final of the year and raised his overall ranking to fourth on 406 points.
“I had the feeling for sure and skied really well right up to the big final and then just one small mistake… maybe I got a little bit antsy and not as precise as I needed to be, but it’s always good to be in back-to-back big finals,” Howden added.
“It’s something to be proud of…so take this into [Val di Fassa], and it should be a lot of fun.”
The Canadians now look ahead to a pair of races in Val di Fassa, ITA on February 8-9 before three more stops on the World Cup tour, including a home race in Craigleith, Ont. from March 12-15 and the World Championships in Engadin, SUI from March 22-23.
Next CANskiteam World Cup races: (link to FIS Calendar)
Ski cross races again in Val di Fassa (ITA) on February 8 to 9
Men’s and Women’s alpine World Championships run in Saalbach (AUT) run from February 4 to 16
Para alpine World Championships run February 6 to 11 in Maribor (SLO)
Follow Canada’s Ski Team this season on Alpine Canada’s website, across our social media accounts and subscribe to our newsletter.
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Alpine Canada
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About Alpine Canada
Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine, and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance, and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship, and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration, and growth in the ski community.