Freestyle-Germany's Maier edges Switzerland's Smith for ski cross gold

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 20 - Daniela Maier of Germany claimed the gold medal in women's ski cross at the Winter Olympics on Friday, sprinting across the finish line just ahead of Switzerland's Fanny Smith in a rematch between skiers who shared bronze four years ago.

Defending gold medallist Sandra Naeslund of Sweden ended in third on the winding race course with light snow falling in the northern Italian town of Livigno.

Ski cross features high-speed races between four riders who slide down a 1.5 km course filled with bumps, jumps and turns. The sport is known for being unpredictable with competitors often knocking into each other and crashing.

Friday's final featured a battle between the current top four ski cross competitors in World Cup rankings.

Maier, 29, took the lead early in the last race and did not let up.

At the medal ceremony, she leaped onto the top spot on the podium, jumped up and down and kissed her gold medal. Tears streamed when her country's national anthem played.

"It's insane," Maier said. "I cannot really say what it means to me because I'm not realising it yet."

THRILLED WITH SILVER

Smith was thrilled with her performance, particularly given recent injuries. She also said it meant more to her being in Livigno, just south of the Swiss border, where she had many friends and family cheering her on.

"Silver tastes amazing," the 33-year-old said. "I’m quite emotional right now. It’s hard to find the words."

At Beijing in 2022, Smith originally was relegated to fourth place when an International Ski Federation (FIS) jury ruled she had impeded Maier. An appeals commission overturned that decision several months later to award Smith a bronze as well.

A large crowd of Italian fans turned out to watch hometown hero Jole Galli, who grew up in Livigno. The 30-year-old made it to the small final but she tumbled after crossing her skis and did not finish her last run, ending in eighth place.

"I’m a bit angry," Galli said after the race. "I was definitely aiming for something more, but I gave it my all."

Marielle Thompson of Canada, who took silver in Beijing, was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

The men's ski cross medal contest is scheduled for Saturday. REUTERS