In the second half of an Italian doubleheader on the World Cup ski cross, BC native Reece Howden showed he still knows the fast way to the finish line.
The 26-year-old from Chilliwack held off Alex Fiva of Switzerland and Italian Simone Deromedis in the big final Sunday, Dec.22 to claim gold on the slopes of Innichen, Italy.
That moved Howden, the 2021 Crystal Globe World Cup points champion, into second place in the world standings heading into the Christmas break. Howden now has 296 points, 14 behind leader Florian Wilmsmann of Germany, who won the Dec. 20 race at Innichen.
Prince George ski crosser Gavin Schmidt, who qualified 19th for Sunday’s race, was eliminated when he finished third in the eighth-final round.
Kristofor Mahler of Collingwood, Ont., Nicholas Katrusuak of Whistler, and Chris Drury of Toronto all advanced in their eighth-final heats but were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
In the women’s race, India Sheritt of Cranbrook got to the big final but finished fourth and was shut out of the medal podium.
The small final featured three Canadians. Hannah Schmidt of Ottawa won that race ahead of Marielle Thompson of Whistler and third-place Courtney Hoffos of Invermere.
Daniella Maier of Germany, who won on Thursday, Dec. 20, took over as World Cup points leader with 369. Sherritt is in second place (325) and Thompson is third (320). Schmidt ranks seventh (206) and Abby McEwen of Edmonton is 10th in the world (137).
Drury is also in the top-10 in the men’s point standings, ranked sixth overall (169).
The World Cup tour resumes Jan. 14 in Reiteralm, Austria.
