Canadians secured two medals during the penultimate finals of the World Cup season held in Idre Fjäll, Sweden on Saturday. Reece Howden from Cultus Lake, B.C., clinched the gold medal in the men’s big final race. The silver and bronze medals were won by Italy’s Simone Deromedis and Sweden’s Erik Mobaerg, respectively.
Howden’s victory marked his sixth gold of the season, propelling him to the top of the overall season points leaderboard with 938 points. Deromedis follows closely in second place with 905 points, trailing by only 33 points.
In the women’s competition, Courtney Hoffos from Windermere, B.C., claimed the silver medal behind the winner, Daniela Maier of Germany. Fanny Smith from Switzerland secured the bronze medal, also securing the Crystal Globe for the overall season title with 976 points and one final race left.
Canada’s India Sherret, the second-placed ski racer with 869 points, concluded her season prematurely due to a fractured sternum suffered at the world championships in Switzerland. Although Maier accumulated 865 points, she couldn’t surpass Smith, as the maximum points attainable in a single race are 100 points.