FILE PHOTO - Kelsey Serwa is pictured in this contributed photo. Serwa won gold in ski-cross on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado.
Image Credit: Contributed
January 31, 2016 - 10:30 AM
ASPEN, Colo. - Canada's Kelsey Serwa and Brady Leman both won gold in ski-cross on Saturday at the X Games.
Serwa and Leman both placed first, while Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., earned silver in the women's race and Montreal's Chris Del Bosco took bronze in the men's event.
"I'm so happy to be back here at the X Games. I was tired of being second so I made a plan and stuck with it today," said Serwa, a native of Kelowna, B.C., on earning her first-place finish. "What made me most happy was to land on my feet in the finish."
This is Serwa's second Winter X Games gold medal, also capturing one in 2011. It's Leman's second Winter X Games podium, besting his third-place finish from 2010.
Calgary's Leman was in full control of the men's races, leading the heats and putting down perfect runs, right through the final heat.
"This year I worked a lot more on the mental side of things and changed my approach," said Leman. "I've always been strong in training but I couldn't manage to put it together until today. I was relaxed and calm and had three perfect starts. I've dreamed of winning the Winter X Games in ski cross long before wanting to win a World Cup. This event pioneered our sport and it's huge day for me. A best day."
Thompson finished just behind Serwa, finishing in second to join her teammate on the podium. Thompson and France's Alizee Baron battled it out in the finals with Baron rounding out the podium, finishing in the third-place.
On the men's side, Del Bosco, the former Winter X Games defending champion, fought all the way to the finish line, stealing third-place after moving from fifth to third in the last 12 seconds of the final. This is Del Bosco's fourth podium at the Winter X Games. France's Bastien Midol beat out Del Bosco for second-place by just tenths of a second.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016