Canada’s Reece Howden won a second men’s World Cup ski cross race this season with Saturday’s victory in Italy.
The 26-year-old from Cultus Lake, B.C., ran the table by finishing first in his heat, quarterfinal and semifinal to reach the four-man final.
Howden’s win comes after his first of the season in Arosa, Switzerland.
The Canadian team competing in a fifth race in 10 days to start the ski cross season were held off the Innichen podium in the first of two days of competition there before Howden’s 13th career World Cup victory.
“I was just happy to be able to make some corrections for today and ski cleaner, for the most part, and just send it,” Howden said. “Last race before Christmas, there’s no reason leaving anything in the tank.”
The course that had hardened overnight suited Howden.
“This was the classic Innichen with nice hard, fast snow and multiple racing lines,” he said. “This cross-Alps tour to start the season is a lot of racing in a short period of time and we couldn’t do it without the amazing support we have.”
He moved into second in the men’s World Cup standings behind Florian Wilmsmann of Germany. Howden was the lone Canadian man to reach a final Saturday
Canada’s women were held off the podium taking fourth through seventh. India Sherret of Cranbrook, B.C., was the top Canadian in fourth to move into second in the season standings behind leader Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C.
Ottawa’s Hannah Schmidt was fifth, Thompson sixth and Courtney Hoffos of Windermere, B.C., seventh Saturday.
