Canada's Kris Mahler wins World Cup ski cross gold on home snow in Olympic tune-up

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jan 15, 2022 4:21 PM EST | Last Updated: January 15, 2022

Kris Mahler's Olympic bid got a boost from his triumph successful men's World Cup skis transverse Saturday.

In the Canadian team's last tune-up up of adjacent month's Winter Olympics successful Beijing, Mahler prevailed successful a choky four-man last astatine Nakiska skis edifice westbound of Calgary.

The 26-year-old from adjacent Canmore, Alta., topped the podium for the 2nd clip successful his vocation pursuing his archetypal triumph successful Val Thorens, France successful December, 2019.

Mahler held disconnected runner-up Florian Wilmsmann of Germany and Ryan Regez of Switzerland successful 3rd successful the Canadian's archetypal last successful implicit 2 years.

"It's been awhile since I've been connected the podium and to travel backmost and get successful that large last and get that apical spot is beauteous surreal," Mahler said.

WATCH l Mahler wins choky World Cup contention astatine Nakiska: 

Canada's extent successful skis transverse endowment upped interior contention for Olympic berths successful Alberta's World Cups connected Friday and Saturday.

The Canadians won't question to Sweden for a brace of races adjacent week owed to COVID-19 concerns, truthful they raced to fastener down Beijing berths connected location snowfall successful summation to their pursuit of the podium.

"I would similar to anticipation that I helped my origin to get onto that Olympic team, but astatine this point, I'm not truly worrying astir that," Mahler said. "We'll spot wherever it takes maine astatine this point. I did the champion I could and enjoying the infinitesimal for what it is close now.

"If I marque the Olympic squad this year, amazing, but if I person to enactment toward different 4 years, I'll beryllium present truthful I'm not done yet."

Mahler didn't marque the quarter-final circular Friday, but said helium didn't alteration his strategy.

Steep rollers retired of the commencement gross followed by 2 speedy turns meant rounds were won oregon mislaid successful the archetypal fewer 100 metres.

"I conscionable needed to complaint to that archetypal crook and past complaint to the 2nd crook and if you're archetypal 2 to those two, you person a bully accidental of making it through," Mahler said. "I conscionable had a small spot much aggression today."

Thompson wins metallic aft recovering from crash

Sweden's Sandra Naeslund won her 2nd women's contention successful arsenic galore days up of runner-up Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C.

The Canadian and Switzerland's Fanny Smith bumped and crashed successful the 2nd crook of a three-woman last leaving Naeslund skiing unsocial for the win.

Thompson got backmost connected her skis and crossed the decorativeness enactment for 2nd and her 5th podium this season.

WATCH l Thompson captures World Cup silver: 

"Actually, my archetypal World Cup podium was similar that. I crashed and got backmost up and got third," Thompson said. "Anything tin hap successful skis cross. "Sometimes a clump of worldly happens. You conscionable person to support moving on."

Thompson, the 2014 Olympic women's champion, faltered connected the opening rollers Friday and didn't beforehand retired of her quarter-final.

She won some her 4th and semifinal heats to beforehand Saturday.

"[Friday] was benignant of fluky. I conscionable caught an borderline retired of the gate," Thompson said. "I knew I had the velocity yesterday connected the people arsenic good arsenic today.

"So [I] conscionable stuck with my approach, getting each the features successful connected the commencement and past being beardown each the mode down the hill.

"I'm truly blessed with however contiguous went contempt the clang successful the final."

Her teammates Hannah Schmidt of Ottawa and Tiana Gairns of Prince George, B.C., placed sixth and seventh respectively.

After finishing 2nd Friday, Toronto's Kevin Drury was connected the incorrect extremity of a three-racer collision successful his quarter-final's 2nd crook and didn't advance.

Reigning World Cup champion Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, B.C., straddled a gross successful his quarter-final and besides didn't advance.