Hannah Schmidt continued her momentum in the Ski Cross World Cup on Sunday in St. Moritz, Switzerland, as she reached a third consecutive podium, finishing in third place. In the final won by Canadian Marielle Thompson, the Mont-Tremblant athlete ranked behind Switzerland’s Fanny Smith.
It was Thompson who took control of the final while behind, Schmidt was in fourth place. Her overtaking of Switzerland’s Saskja Lack, coming out of a turn midway through the course, allowed her to finish in the trio of medalists.
“I was confident and knew there were options to overtake. Even though I didn’t have a good start, as long as I was close [des autres], it was possible to overtake. I’m very happy with my skiing today and I can’t be disappointed or angry,” admitted the Ottawa native, adding that she lacked consistency in the timing of her starts.
“It’s satisfying to know that even if I don’t have a great start, I can make passes and get through the rounds. »
In the women’s small final, Brittany Phelan won, which earned her fifth place in the final ranking.
Canadian Reece Howden placed fourth in the men’s final won by Italian Simone Deromedis. For his part, Jared Schmidt did not complete his descent in the round of 16 and ended his day at 49e rank.
This is a fourth podium this season for Hannah Schmidt who won the double last weekend in Nakiska, Alberta. Thanks to this consistency, the 29-year-old athlete went from second to first place in the general classification with her 529 points to beat Frenchwoman Marielle Berger Sabbatel (480), disqualified in Saturday’s qualifications.
“It’s cool to be in the lead, especially since Jared is too (Editor’s note: with a 22-point lead over Reece Howden). We are both skiing well this season and it’s nice to have results to prove it,” continued the leader, who knows she will have to keep an eye on her teammate Marielle Thompson (467).
“It will be a close race for the general classification. I started the season with the goal of finishing in the top three overall. It’s in sight, but I want to ski one race at a time. »