One of the most dominant ski cross racers ever, Marielle Thompson, grew up on the ice as a figure skater as much as she did as a skier. Yet, it could have been hockey, given her hat-trick on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Canadian won her third-straight FIS World Cup ski cross race on Saturday in Val di Fassa, ITA, leading a Canadian double podium with Courtney Hoffos finishing in third. The win started a strong weekend for Thompson after she won both races in Veysonnaz, SUI the week prior.
“Great racing today. It’s really exciting to have three wins in a row,” Thompson said.
“I just have to refocus heading into tomorrow as it’s a new race. I feel good on my skis and am prepared and confident for tomorrow. I just need to make a few little changes and figure out the start, but I’m happy with where I’m at and super stoked to be leading the World Cup again.”
Thompson’s win came in a competitive final, too, battling with Hoffos and France’s Marielle Berger-Sabbatel for the top seed before separating herself over the penultimate turn, cutting off Berger-Sabbatel and crossing the line in first, with her teammate in third.
India Sherret, who came into Saturday as the overall World Cup leader, finished fourth after holding onto third place for portions of the final.
While the triple set of top spots is one thing, the win marked Thompson’s fourth and her fifth podium of the season, bringing her to 36 wins and 73 podiums throughout her World Cup career. Additionally, it’s the fourth of five women’s races in which Canadian athletes have taken two or more spots on the podium, and the eighth of 10 races in 2024-25 Canadians have at least one.
With 147 World Cup starts, Saturday marked the fourth time that Thompson has won a trio of races back-to-back. Her longest winning streak was five races, stretched over the end of the 2013-14 season and the start of 2014-15. The last time she won three in a row was between February 3-11, 2024, in Alleghe, ITA, and Bakuriani, GEO.
Hoffos’ seventh podium of her career was her first in 2024-25, having returned to the sport this season after missing 2023-24 entirely after sustaining a preseason injury in Austria.
“I was super excited to be on the podium, especially after a long season off and doing ACL rehab, so it feels like we’ve been trusting the process, and I’m getting back up to speed,” Hoffos said. “I didn’t have a great start to the day because in the training run, I hooked an edge in the start and did a penguin slide down the features, so I didn’t really get a chance to practice this morning, so I had to just bring it all in the race.”
No Canadian men reached the podium, with only Reece Howden cracking the semifinal for a 7th-place finish.
The overall World Cup standings remained close after Saturday’s race as Thompson took over the top spot on 681 points, sneaking ahead of Sherret, who sits second on 645. Hoffos rose to 8th on 297 points, just behind Hannah Schmidt, who is out for the season after picking up an injury in Reiteralm, AUT, in January.
On the men’s side, Howden sits fourth on 442 points, while Kevin Drury is 7th on 317.
Gosselin starts Canada at Para-Alpine World Championships.
Michaela Gosselin got Team Canada started at the FIS Para-Alpine World Championships in Maribor, SLO, with a fifth-place finish in the standing women’s Giant Slalom. The 23-year-old came into the race having placed second and third in St. Moritz in January for her first World Cup giant slalom podiums.
While Gosselin’s recent success has come in speed, winning two downhills in Santa Caterina, ITA in the days after her podium in St. Mortiz, she won’t have the opportunity to test that discipline at the World Championships.
FIS organizers cancelled the speed events at Maribor 2025, citing issues with the snow conditions, making it dangerous for sitting athletes.
The World Championships continue through Feb. 11, with Sunday seeing the men race the giant slalom, featuring Canada’s Kurt Oatway, Alexis Guimond, and Kalle Ericsson (Kimberley, BC), and guide Sierra Smith (Ottawa, ON).
Next CANskiteam World Cup races: (link to FIS Calendar)
Ski cross race again in Val di Fassa (ITA) on February 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.