Ski cross racer Kevin Drury feels like he’s getting into shape at the right time.
The 33-year-old from Toronto was on his second Friday at Nakiska ski resort for his first World Cup medal since breaking his leg in a race on December 20, 2020.
Canadian Kevin Drury celebrates finishing second after the men’s final in the World Cup ski cross event at Nakiska Ski Resort in Kananaskis, Alta., on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The Canadian, who won the men’s ski touring World Cup outright title in 2019-20, finished behind Sweden’s David Mobaerg on the steep Mighty Peace piste west of Calgary.
Saturday’s second World Cup in Nakiska is the last tune-up race for the Canadian host team before the Beijing Winter Olympics next month. The Canadians will not travel to two races in Sweden next week due to COVID-19 concerns.
The country has a lot of talent for cross-country skiing, so there is internal competition in Nakiska for Olympic places.
READ MORE: Canadian cross-country ski team races at World Cup in Alberta ahead of Beijing
Drury says his leg is fully healed and not slowing him down, but he missed days of training to rehab it in 2021. His first stint on a cross-country ski course after the injury was a November training run in China.
“I was about 35 days behind the rest of my team,” Drury said. “I’ve just been trying to get my top speed back, build my confidence on the track, find balance in my aggression.
“It’s starting to trend in the right direction.”
German Tobias Mueller was third. Drury was the only Canadian to reach a final on Friday.
Sweden’s David Mobaerg, center, celebrates his victory with second-placed Canadian Kevin Drury, left, and third-placed German Tobias Mueller, after the men’s final at the Men’s World Cup event backcountry skiing at Nakiska Ski Resort in Kananaskis, Alta., on Friday. January 14, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The top two skiers in each elimination round advance. After comfortably winning his quarter-final, Drury edged out France’s Bastien Midol in a semi-final turn to take second place and move on to the four-man final.
“I felt it when he went into that last turn into what we call the GS section and I said to myself ‘no, I’m not going back,'” Drury said.
“I didn’t have the best starts today. We knew there weren’t going to be many passing opportunities today just because of how fast he went from one turn to the next and how quick he was, but somehow I figured out a couple of ways to get around a couple. people in key situations.
Canada’s Kevin Drury, right, leads Switzerland’s Joos Berry, center, and Austria’s Tristan Takats over a jump during the men’s quarterfinals at the World Cup ski cross event at Nakiska Ski Resort in Kananaskis, Alta ., on Friday, January 14, 2022 .
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund took the women’s four final ahead of runner-up Fanny Smith of Switzerland and Daniela Maier of Germany in third place.
Hannah Schmidt from Ottawa was the best Canadian woman in fifth place, and her teammate Courtney Hoffos from Windermere, BC, was in sixth place.
Seven Canadian women were among the 16 who advanced from Thursday’s standings, but their ranks were hit by bad luck on Friday.
Olympic gold medalist Marielle Thompson of Whistler, BC, hung on the rollers coming out of the starting gate and failed to make it out of the quarterfinals.
Hoffos and India Sherret of Cranbrook, BC collided mid-air in a spin that sent Sherret into the safety net in the quarterfinals.
Phelan of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, and Schmidt veered off course in their semifinals.
That’s cross country skiing. Anything can happen,” Schmidt said. “You get lucky sometimes. You’re out of luck other times.
“It was really difficult to race here today. Conditions were bumpy.”
Reigning World Cup champion Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, BC, 2014 Olympic champion Brady Leman of Calgary and Chris Del Bosco of Montreal did not advance from the men’s quarterfinals.
The Canadians get another chance in the local snow on Saturday when Drury expects the racing to be even tougher.
“The hardest part of a doubleheader is that everyone on the field gets to see video of the previous race,” he said. “Everyone on Day 2 is a little bit more aggressive. Everyone has seen where you can go and where you can’t.
“I’m just going to do my best and try to figure out the start and get through. If I go ahead, I don’t think anyone will catch up with me. If not, it will be the same battle-only mentality. Take my opportunities when they come and go after them.”
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Reference-globalnews.ca