HIGH ACHIEVERS: Jared Schmidt captures third straight World Cup men’s ski-cross gold, sister Hannah earns women’s bronze

By Martin Cleary

First comes the hours, weeks, months and years of training on and off the ski hills.

Then, there’s the racing as the results start somewhere in the lower half of the standings and slowly improve, if you patiently manoeuvre the steep and precarious slopes, knowing hundredths of a second mean a lot one way or the other.

Finally, if you’re still in the game and pounding your way through endless practice sessions, you can see and maybe step onto the medal podium.

And if you become an accomplished skier, the belief in your abilities grows much greater. Confidence is a wonderful tool to unpack every day along with the skis, poles and protective equipment.

Right now, siblings Jared and Hannah Schmidt of Dunrobin are bursting with confidence and are dominant figures on the FIS World Cup ski-cross circuit.

For the third time in as many World Cup competitions, Jared emerged Thursday as the men’s champion in the opening of two races in Innichen, Italy, giving him a commanding lead in the overall point standings.

For the second time in as many World Cups, Hannah proudly stood on the medal podium, after earning the bronze in the women’s Big Final.

At the last World Cup in Arosa, Switzerland, nine days ago, Hannah scored her first tour victory and combined with Jared’s first-place showing, they made history as the circuit’s first siblings to record wins on the same day. Their wins were only minutes apart.

“We have the confidence right now, both Jared and I,” Hannah said in a post-race interview with a FIS broadcaster. “We’ve worked really hard. I think we’ve proven ourselves. Confidence is key and we’re really building on that.”

Their confidence levels will continue to be high and percolating as they are scheduled to race a second World Cup on Friday over the Innichen course.

After missing the quarterfinals of the opening World Cup in Val Thorens, France, Jared has been perfect ever since, mixing strong and controlled skiing with some outside opportunities for three straight wins.

On Thursday, he won his round-of-16 race against three other skiers and placed second in both his quarterfinal and semifinal. The top two in each race advance to the next round. He captured the final on a tricky, icy track with big jumps, while travelling at significant speeds.

“I did it. Wow. I don’t have too many words,” a shocked Jared initially told a FIS reporter, after becoming the first Canadian male to post three consecutive World Cup ski-cross wins. Marielle Thompson won three in a row on the women’s circuit in 2017.

“I’ve kind of known it has always been there. I just needed to find that extra gear and I think I found it. I think we’re rolling pretty fast now and I’m just excited to keep skiing and having fun.”

In the Big Final, a stretching Jared narrowly finished ahead of runner-up Nicolas Raffort of France, who qualified for his first Big Final and earned the silver medal after a photo finish with Youri Duplessis Kergomard of France. Adam Kappacher of Austria claimed fourth place.

Jared threw his arms skyward in celebration but missed braking in time to avoid the fencing in the finishing area, which he slid through. Not to worry – Hannah trudged over to offer him a helping hand and moments later he was back on his feet, howling triumphantly while hurdling back over the fence.

Jared’s victory puts him solidly in first place on the World Cup Crystal Globe standings with 312 points. Teammate Reece Howden of Chilliwack, B.C., who placed fourth in the Small Final for eighth overall, is second with 152 points, while Tristan Takats of Austria is third at 140 points.

It was Jared’s 38th World Cup start. After winning a pair of World Cup bronze medals in the 2021-22 season, he missed the podium during a dozen races in 2022-23.

His unexpected golden success this season also has put him on top of the World Cup ski-cross prize money list. After the first four races, Jared has earned 40,500 (Swiss Francs) or more than $62,000 (Canadian). Takats is second at 13,500 (Swiss Francs), while Howden is third at 8,400 (Swiss Francs).

“I said in Arosa that our team was skiing really well and I think we showed it today – Carson (Cook, Edmonton, sixth) stepping up (and) Reece in the Small Final. It just feels great – three back-to-back.

“It’s what we work so hard to do. It feels good to be able to do it. Thank you to my girlfriend, my family and all my sponsors that have helped me get here. It has been a wild ride.”

Olympic and world champion Sandra Naeslund of Sweden was unbeatable in all three of her races on Thursday, including the Big Final for a fifth consecutive title. She finished ahead of Fanny Smith of Switzerland, Hannah Schmidt and Marielle Berger Sabbatel of France.

Schmidt won her quarterfinal and placed second to Naeslund in the semifinal to reach the Big Final. Naeslund leads the World Cup standings after four races with 295 points, while Berger Sabbatel is second at 270 points. Schmidt has climbed into third place at 237 points.

The World Cup women’s prize money standings show Schmidt is in second place with earnings of 19,500 Swiss Francs or more than $30,000 (Canadian). Naeslund leads with 30,000 Swiss Francs.