Skicross gold for Thompson at world championships, Leman takes silver

SOLITUDE, Utah — Canadian skicross star Marielle Thompson raced to a gold-medal at the freestyle world championships on Saturday while Calgary’s Brady Leman won silver on the men’s side.

Thompson, from Whistler, beat Switzerland’s Fanny Smith across the finish line in the four-woman final.

Alizee Baron of France was third while Sanna Luedi of Switzerland was fourth.

Smith got the early lead on Thompson, but the Canadian rallied late to claim her world championship title.

Leman, the reigning Olympic champ, finished second in the men’s final behind Francois Place of France. Toronto’s Kevin Drury took bronze.

The 26-year-old Thompson, who tore her ACL and MCL four months before the 2018 Olympics, finished 17th in Pyeongchang. She won gold at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

Thompson finished first in each of her heats before Saturday’s final.

She was coming off a secondplace finish at a World Cup at Blue Mountain last weekend.

Kelsey Serwa, the 2018 Olympic champion from Kelowna, was first in women’s small final for a fifth-place finish overall.

Brittany Phelan of MontTremblant, Que., who won skicross silver at Pyeongchang Games, was sixth. Mikayla Martin of Squamish, was listed among the small final participants, but did not start.

Drury and Leman both finished first in their respective four-man semifinal heats.

Canadians Chris Del Bosco and Reece Howden did not advance past the 1/8th finals.