Brady Leman storms to win the Olympic gold in men's ski cross event
Aug 31, 2018·Ski Cross
PyeongChang (KOR) - Four years after just missing out on a medal in Sochi, Canada's Brady Leman survived a rough-and-tumble day in the men's ski cross to win gold at Phoenix Snow Park on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old finished first in the big final ahead of Swiss skier Marc Bischofberger, while Sergey Ridzik (OAR) picked himself up from a crash to take bronze.
Leman saw his victory as a moment of redemption after missing the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games due to injury and finishing fourth at Sochi 2014.
"Just missing the podium in Sochi was kind of bittersweet," he said. "Fourth at the Games is a big accomplishment, but at the same time you're the first guy who doesn't get a medal. "To battle back from that and stay strong and confident in myself is huge, and I'm just so proud."
Leman's teammate Kevin Drury did not finish the final after losing a ski in a crash that also felled Ridzik.
Many of the medal favourites did not make the latter stages of the competition after crashing and missing out on the top-two finish needed to progress.
French skier Terence Tchiknavorian and Canada's Christopher Delbosco were taken off the course on stretchers after Tchiknavorian landed awkwardly during his heat, while Delbosco suffered a suspected broken pelvis.
Sochi 2014 gold medallist Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA) came last in his quarterfinal.
"I'm disappointed of course because at the Olympic Games the top three positions is our goal," he said.
World champion VIctori Oehling Norberg (SWE) did not make the quarterfinals after finishing third in his heat.
"It's a quick end to the Olympics for me," he said. "It's very sad. I was hoping for more today, but I just didn't have the speed."
Former world champion Filip Flisar (SLO) also could not hide his disappointment about not qualifying for his third Olympic big final.
"Even if you're really good, still something can go wrong," the 30-year-old said. "I was fighting as much as I could, so I have nothing to blame on my side."
Silver medallist Bischofberger was shocked he had won a medal on his Olympic debut.
"It's really unbelievable," the 27-year-old said. "First Games and the podium - the day couldn't be better."
Bronze medallist Ridzik had to dig deep after a dramatic crash in the final ruined his chances of gold, but he was proud to still walk away with a medal.
"When I fell I thought that finishing the race was one of my most important things to do, so I tried hard," the 25-year-old said.
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