Brittany Phelan races to her first World Cup gold
Eight years after making her FIS debut, Brittany Phelan has won her first World Cup gold at the FIS Ski Cross World Cup in Reiteralm, Austria.
At 32 years old, Phelan is having the best season of her career, but had yet to reach the top of the World Cup podium before Sunday. It’s her 17th World Cup podium since her debut in 2016. but first at the top.
“It feels awesome to finally get the win today, it’s been a long time coming,” said Phelan following the win. “It’s been a bit of a joke that I’m always the bridesmaid and never the bride, so to cross that line in first and to get the win feels amazing!”
In the final, the skier from Mont-Tremblant, Q.C., had the upper hand over Marielle Berger-Sabbatel from France as well as Talina Gantenbein and Margaux Dumont, both from Switzerland.
After taking the lead at the first turn, Phelan was able to lead the race until the end, not without a push from Berger-Sabbatel who almost managed to steal gold at the end of the course. But it was Phelan who crossed the finish line in first.
Canadians India Sherret and Marielle Thompson saw their day end in the quarter-finals. Finishing in 13th, Thompson managed to hold onto first place in the World Cup standings, 22 points ahead of Berger-Sabbatel.
With the win, Phelan climbs into third place just ahead of her teammate Hannah Schmidt.
There are just two more rounds of the FIS Ski Cross World Cup to determine who will finish atop the overall podium. The next round will take place on March 16 in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, while the last event will take place a week later in Idre Fjäll, Sweden.
