As of one week ago, neither Hannah nor Jared Schmidt had ever won gold on the ski cross World Cup circuit.
But that all changed on Tuesday in Arosa, Switzerland, where the Ottawa siblings each captured the top spot in their respective races.
Hannah Schmidt, 29, earned her triumph by escaping a wild final race contested in the rain. The three other competitors — Canada’s Marielle Thompson, France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel and Austria’s Christina Foedermayr — all collided on one of the first turns of the course, taking each other out in the process.
That cleared the path for Schmidt to cruise to her first-ever gold medal, and her second podium appearance on the World Cup stage. She previously earned a silver last season at Val Thorens, France.
“I would say a little bit of luck was involved, but it feels amazing. … I’m super happy with today,” Schmidt said after the race.
The remaining skiers were all awarded a tie for second, marking Whistler, B.C., native Thompson’s 60th career podium appearance.
Jared Schmidt’s path to the top of the podium was decidedly less cluttered.
The 26-year-old, who just earned his first race on Friday, oddly also in Val Thorens, edged Canadian teammate and reigning Crystal Globe winner Reece Howden at the finish line to take top spot.
Sweden’s Erik Mobaerg grabbed bronze.
“I heard that Hannah won when I was in the start and it gave me a little extra boost,” Schmidt told Alpine Canada. “I carried a lot of confidence from last week, and I had some good starts today that really helped. It’s a great feeling and to see my sister there is pretty special.”
The ski cross season continues next Thursday with men’s and women’s races in Innichen, Italy.
