McIvor cruises through big final to lift Canada's sixth gold

From Sportsbeat Staff, in Vancouver

WHISTLER-NATIVE Ashleigh McIvor added the Olympic freestyle skiing ski cross title to her world crown, cruising through the big final to claim Canada's sixth gold of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

GOLDEN GIRL: Ashleigh McIvor clinches the first ever Olympic ski cross gold - Canada's sixth of the Games (Getty Images)

The 26-year old beat Norway's Hedda Berntsten and France's Marion Josserand into silver and bronze as she led from the front in the final to become the inaugural women's Olympic ski cross champion.

And the Canadian admitted she owed a lot to Canada's much-derided 'Own the Podium' campaign.

"Skiing in the back country and just racing your best friends from the top to the bottom, that's what ski cross is all about and who can represent Canada better than a girl from Whistler," said McIvor.

"I felt so prepared thanks to the 'Own the Podium' support. You can't do it without this kind of support. You can't do it on your own dime.

"Yeah, there was pressure, but you can look at it as people having confidence in you as well."

The line up of the small final was arguably stronger with Canadian youngster Kelsey Serwa eventually finishing ahead of Sweden's World Cup leader and fastest qualifier Anna Holmlund and prodigious Swiss teenager Fanny Smith.

But it's the big final that decides the medals and after despatching Smith in the semis, the Canadian shot to the front in the medal race and pulled away from her three rivals.

Austria's Karin Huttary slumped out of the gates and immediately lost her chances of a medal.

And when Berntsten and Josserand began to fight it out behind McIvor, the Canadian knew the medal was hers - at the same venue as her country's first gold nine days ago.

And former alpine skier Josserand admitted McIvor was in a different league in the big final.

"Ashleigh is a really big champion," said Josserand. "She is at home in front of all of her fans so I knew she was going to be on the podium.

"But from the quarter finals on, I started believing I could be there too. I was ready to fight all the way for that medal.

"I started thinking about a knee injury before the Games and other things, but I really wanted it."

 

AS IT HAPPENS: Follow day 12 of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver