In a season unlike any other, Tiana Gairns is likely feeling very thankful to have competed wholeheartedly once more with the world's best.
At the 2021 FIS Women's Ski Cross World Cup Finals in Switzerland this past weekend, the Prince George product finished in a tie-for-ninth, but was the top Canadian from the individual event.
The 22-year-old competed in the last quarter-final heat on Veysonnaz slopes, located 135 km south of Bern near the world-famous Matterhorn.
However, she crossed the line in third by about half a ski-length in failing to secure a spot in the semis.
So close 🤏
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) March 21, 2021
A final effort from Canadian Tiana Gairns who just misses the semis in Veysonnaz
WATCH: https://t.co/5ZjHzQheIN pic.twitter.com/OzbeVUXgcE
The good news, her comeback season propelled her to 12th in the World Cup rankings, 10 spots higher than her last official placing in 2018 at 22nd.
A slew of injuries prevented Gairns from buckling into her skis, competitively speaking, in 2019 and 2020.
She was renamed to Canada's national ski cross team in June last year.
Gairns is now in a prime position to potentially represent her country on an even bigger stage at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
By the 2021 World Cup's end, she was the fourth-highest maple leaf in the rankings; her 12th-place overall was also out of 40 total international racers that suited up for the season.
Along the road, Gairns accomplished some new personal bests, including two individual Small-Final wins, good for fifth-place spots in Sweden and Russia, and reached the Big Final in the first-ever mixed ski-cross team event which she and Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, B.C. claimed fourth.
Howden became the second Canadian to capture the men's ski cross Crystal Globe as world champion after winning four races and standing on six podiums, all in his rookie campaign.
Gairns' results from this past season were as follows:
- Tie-for-Ninth in Veysonnaz (Switzerland), World Cup Finals
- Fifth in Sunny Valley (Russia)
- Fourth in Bakuriani (Georgia), mixed ski-cross team event
- Eighth in Bakuriani (Georgia), individual event
- 24th in Reiteralm (Austria)
- 15th in Idre Fjall (Sweden), third event
- Fifth in Idre Fjall (Sweden), second event
- 13th in Idre Fjall (Sweden), first event
- 17th in Arosa (Switzerland), second event
- 22nd in Arosa (Switzerland), first event
Alpine Canada says every racer on its roster, including Gairns, is heading home to 'rest before refocusing' on the upcoming year before the next Olympics.
