Reece Howden of Canada secured bronze in the men's ski cross event on Saturday in Val di Fassa, Italy, while teammate Kevin Drury finished fourth. On Friday, Marielle Thompson earned bronze in the women's competition. These results came in the final World Cup races before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The World Cup ski cross competitions in Val di Fassa, Italy, delivered strong performances from Canadian athletes over the weekend of January 30-31, 2026. In the women's event on Friday, Olympic gold medalist Marielle Thompson of Whistler, British Columbia, claimed bronze. She finished behind gold medalist Jole Galli of Italy and silver medalist Marielle Berger Sabbatel of France. Thompson advanced by winning the sixth elimination heat, the third quarterfinal heat, and the second semifinal heat.
On Saturday, Reece Howden of Chilliwack, British Columbia, took bronze in the men's race, with Kevin Drury placing fourth. Howden trailed gold medalist Simone Deromedis of Italy and silver medalist Florian Wilmsmann of Germany. His path included winning the fourth elimination heat, finishing second in the second quarterfinal heat behind Evan Klufts of France, and placing second to Wilmsmann in the first elimination heat.
These medals highlight the Canadians' form heading into the Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Howden leads the men's World Cup standings with 593 points, ahead of Deromedis at 460 points. Deromedis may benefit from home-course advantage at the Games. In the women's standings, Thompson sits 17th with 173 points, while Sweden's Sandra Naeslund leads with 668.
Howden has amassed 36 World Cup medals, including 22 golds, nine silvers, and five bronzes. Thompson, the 2014 Sochi Olympic champion, holds 75 medals: 36 golds, 23 silvers, and 16 bronzes. The Val di Fassa event marked the last World Cup stop before the Olympics begin on February 6.
