Canada’s men’s ski cross team faced an early exit at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy. None of Canada’s four entries progressed past the quarterfinals, including Reece Howden, the reigning World Cup Crystal Globe winner, who criticized the course conditions after the competition.
Howden expressed frustration with the weather affecting the course, stating that the heavy snowfall during the heats created slow and challenging racing conditions. He described the track as “dead slow” and criticized the event as not being true ski cross due to the weather conditions.
Despite starting strong and winning his 1/8 final heat, Howden encountered difficulties in the quarterfinals when he was crowded on a turn by an Italian competitor, leading to a loss of speed and ultimately finishing fourth. Kevin Drury and Jared Schmidt also faced challenges, with Drury finishing fourth in his quarterfinal heat, and Schmidt receiving a yellow card and ranking last in his heat.
Gavin Rowell did not advance after finishing fourth in his 1/8 final heat. The event was ultimately won by Italy’s Simone Deromedis, with Tomasoni and Fiva securing silver and bronze, respectively.
The disappointing results left Howden in 13th place, Drury in 14th, Rowell in 28th, and Schmidt in 31st in the overall standings. The challenging weather conditions impacted the performance of the Canadian team at the Winter Games.