Canadians Serwa, Phelan finish 1-2 in skicross final
BOKWANG — Canadian women finished 1-2 in skicross at the Pyeongchang Winter Games on Friday with Kelsey Serwa of Kelowna, B.C., taking gold and Brittany Phelan of Mont-Tremblant, Que., earning silver.
Switzerland’s Fanny Smith captured bronze while World Cup leader Sandra Naeslund of Sweden was fourth.
The medallists had to wait several minutes for the official results to be posted as judges reviewed the race.
It’s the second Olympic medal for Serwa, who took silver in Sochi four years ago.
Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., who won gold at the Sochi Games, was eliminated in the opening heat at Phoenix Park earlier Friday.
India Sherret of Cranbrook, B.C., was also eliminated in the first heat after a fall midway down the course. She crashed into a roller and had to be taken off on a sled.
Calgary’s Brady Leman won the men’s skicross race earlier this week.
It had been four long months of rehab and training for Thompson to get back in form to compete at the Winter Games after a serious knee injury in the fall. Her Olympic return lasted just 11 seconds.
Thompson fell behind early in her opening heat and was unable to land her first jump. She appeared to lose her balance and spun out.
It was her first competitive event since rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament during a training run in October. Thompson sat out the World Cup season and returned to snow last month.