Canada's Kevin Drury secures ski-cross silver at World Cup race in Alberta

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jan 14, 2022 4:27 PM EST | Last Updated: January 14, 2022

Ski transverse racer Kevin Drury feels he's rounding into signifier astatine the close time.

The 33-year-old from Toronto was 2nd Friday astatine Nakiska skis edifice for his archetypal World Cup medal since breaking his limb successful a contention Dec. 20, 2020.

The Canadian, who took the wide men's World Cup skis transverse rubric successful 2019-20, finished down Sweden's David Mobaerg connected the steep Mighty Peace people westbound of Calgary.

Saturday's 2nd World Cup astatine Nakiska is the big Canadian team's past tune up contention earlier Beijing's Winter Olympics adjacent month. The Canadians won't question to 2 races successful Sweden adjacent week due to the fact that of COVID-19 concerns.

The state is heavy successful skis transverse talent, truthful there's interior contention astatine Nakiska for Olympic berths.

WATCH | Drury snags silver:

Drury says his limb is afloat healed and doesn't dilatory him down, but helium mislaid grooming days to rehabilitating it successful 2021. His archetypal walk down a skis transverse people pursuing the wounded was a November grooming tally successful China.

"I was astir 35 days down the remainder of my team," Drury said. "I've conscionable been trying to physique backmost up to my apical speed, physique my assurance up connected the track, uncovering equilibrium successful my aggression. It's starting to inclination successful the close direction."

Germany's Tobias Mueller was third. Drury was the lone Canadian to scope a last Friday.

The apical 2 skiers successful each elimination-round vigor advance. After handily winning his quarter-final, Drury outmuscled Bastien Midol of France successful a semifinal crook to instrumentality 2nd and determination onto the four-man final.

"I felt him erstwhile helium went wrong connected that past crook to what we telephone the GS conception and I conscionable benignant of said to myself 'no, I'm not backing off,"' Drury said.

"I didn't person the champion starts today. We benignant of knew coming successful that determination wasn't going to beryllium a batch of passing opportunities contiguous conscionable due to the fact that of however rapidly it went from crook to crook and however accelerated it was, but I someway figured retired a mates ways to get astir a mates radical successful cardinal situations."

Schmidt finishes as top Canadian successful women's final

Sweden's Sandra Naeslund took the four-woman last up of runner-up Fanny Smith of Switzerland and Daniela Maier of Germany successful third.

Ottawa's Hannah Schmidt was the apical Canadian pistillate successful fifth, and teammate Courtney Hoffos of Windermere, B.C., placed sixth.

Seven Canadian women were among the 16 advancing retired of Thursday's qualifying, but their ranks were beset by atrocious luck Friday.

Olympic golden medallist Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., got hung up connected the rollers coming retired of the commencement gross and didn't marque it retired of her quarter-final.

Hoffos and India Sherret of Cranbrook, B.C., banged into each different successful the aerial disconnected a turn, which sent Sherret into the information netting successful their quarter-final.

Phelan of Mont-Tremblant, Que., an Olympic metallic medallist successful 2018, and Schmidt some skidded disconnected people successful their semifinals.

"That's skis cross. Anything tin happen," Schmidt said. "You person luck immoderate times. You don't person luck different times.

"It was truly pugnacious racing retired present today. Conditions were bumpy."

Reigning World Cup champion Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, B.C., 2014 Olympic champion Brady Leman of Calgary and Montreal's Chris Del Bosco didn't beforehand retired of the men's quarter-finals.

The Canadians get different accidental connected location snowfall Saturday erstwhile Drury expects racing to beryllium adjacent harder.

"The hardest portion astir a doubleheader is everyone successful the tract gets to ticker video from the contention before," helium said. "Everyone connected Day 2 is simply a small much aggressive. Everyone has seen wherever you tin walk and wherever not.

"I'm conscionable going to bash my champion and effort and fig retired the commencement and get ahead. If I get ahead, I don't deliberation anyone's catching me. If not, it'll beryllium the aforesaid mentality of conscionable battle. Take my opportunities erstwhile they travel and get aft it."