Jared Schmidt had yet to reach the quarter-finals this season in ski cross. He remedied the situation on Saturday, even winning the small final to place fifth at the Idre Fjäll World Cup.
Ninth after qualifying, Schmidt was fastest in his first two races of the day. In the semi-finals, he was the third to cross the finish line, which relegated him to the small final.
The 31-year-old skier finished first, just ahead of his compatriot Kevin Drury.
“I’m happy with my skiing today! I really like the track here in Sweden and the whole environment [autour de l’évènement]. It was nice to finally show the fast skiing I’m capable of after a bit of a tough start to the season,” shared Jared Schmidt, who hadn’t made it to the final rounds since winning a bronze medal at the Arosa World Cup in December 2021.
“I’m looking forward to Sunday,” he concluded.
Sweden’s David Mobaerg pleased the home fans by winning the gold medal. He beat Canadian Reece Howden and his brother Erik Mobaerg in the grand final.
Thanks to his silver medal, Howden increased his lead in the World Cup standings in his discipline, which he leads with 381 points.
Other top 10 for Hannah Schmidt
Like her brother, Hannah Schmidt took part in a small final on Saturday in Sweden.
Opposed to two other Canadians in Marielle Thompson and Tiana Gairns, in addition to the French Marielle Berger Sabbatel, Schmidt finished fourth in this race to rank eighth.
It is the third time in a row that she has climbed into the top ten after her eighth and ninth places obtained in Italy last December.
Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund’s winning streak has extended to 15 on the World Cup circuit. The gold medal achieved in the team event in Arosa in 2021 was followed by 14 individual victories, not to mention his triumph at the Beijing Olympics.
On Saturday, Naeslund edged out Fanny Smith of Switzerland and Daniela Maier of Germany.
Idre Fjäll’s World Cup will resume on Sunday. Jared Schmidt will face Mathias Grad, Jonathan Midol and Elliott Baralo in the first round. For her part, Hannah Schmidt will face Sandra Naeslund, Linnea Mobaerg and Sonja Gigler.