Sandra Naeslund fights back to end ski cross double-header on a high
BySportsbeat
Updated 04/03/2018 at 16:50 GMT
Sandra Naeslund ensured her absence from the ski cross World Cup podium was to only be a temporary setback after storming to gold in the second race of the Sunny Valley double header.
Sandra Naeslund of Sweden takes 1st place, Kelsey Serwa of Canada takes 3rd place, Georgia Simmerling of Canada competes during the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Men's and Women's Ski Cross on December 7, 2017 in Val Thorens, France.
Image credit: Getty Images
The Swede was forced to settle for fourth place at the same Russian venue on Saturday, involved in a crash to miss out on the top three for the first time in 14 competitions.
But within 24 hours she was back and triumphant as the same four skiers reached the big final, forcing an early lead that she would not lose.
Naeslund came under pressure from Saturday's victor Fanny Smith but did enough to hold on for the win ahead of PyoengChang Olympic silver medallist Brittany Phelan.
For the Canadian this was consecutive second-placed finishes over the weekend, with Smith left to settle for third place ahead of Katrin Ofner.
"It feels really good to be back on the top of the podium today," said Naeslund.
"It was really fun racing today, really tight heats, and to come out on top is great. I had a little bit of a better start today and it's easier for me to run my race from the front.
"Yesterday I had some stupid tactics and today I was better…with a little bit of luck, also."
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Fanny Smith in action
Image credit: Reuters
Naeslund's seventh victory of the season means she is within touching distance of the freestyle skiing overall globe, aiming to become the first ski cross victor in nine years.
Meanwhile the men's competition saw Kevin Drury secure his first World Cup win, despite this being just his fifth appearance in a World Cup big final.
Muscling ahead of the pack, the Canadian had Jonas Lenherr on his ski, the Swiss rider who had prevailed in Saturday's race in this double-header weekend.
But Drury held on as Lenherr had to settle for second, while a superb last jump from Filip Flisar saw him soar into third place for his first podium of the season.
Drury is now up to third in the season rankings with 398 points, just five behind Jean Frederic Chapuis of France, though it's Marc Bischofberger who still leads the World Cup.
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