FELDBERG, Germany — Toronto's Kevin Drury raced onto his first World Cup ski cross podium of the season, winning bronze on Saturday to open a double-header.
Drury, who won every heat en route to Saturday's big final, survived contact and a near-spill early on in the final to cross the line fourth. The jury reviewed the race and bumped Drury to bronze while disqualifying Switzerland's Alex Fiva.
"A small mistake at the start put me into third, and partway down the course, there was some contact made between me and Alex," Drury said. "It could have gone either way, really. (The contact) was just kind of a bummer of a situation, so mixed emotions for this podium but I'm still happy with the way today went."
Drury reached the podium three times last season, and is coming off a bronze-medal finish at the world championships earlier this month
Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., was the only other Canadian to race in a big final, finishing fourth.
"I skied well pretty much all day, in the final I just got stuck behind and really didn't have anywhere to go with the soft snow," said Thompson, who won gold at the recent world championships. "I tried a few things (to move ahead) but it didn't quite work out. Fourth's okay, but I'm hoping for more (Sunday)."
Racing continues on Sunday.
The Canadian Press
