Listen to this article
Approximately 3 minutes
The audio version of this article was created using artificial intelligence technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We work with our partners to continually analyze and improve results.
Rhys Howden now remains the winningest men's ski cross racer in World Championship history.
The Canadian won gold at the event in Arosa, Switzerland, on Tuesday for his 19th career World Cup victory. This broke the tie for the most wins by a male athlete in World Championships history, a record Howden shared with Jean-Frédéric Chapuis of France.
The Cultus Lake, British Columbia native admitted he had a few butterflies during the competition, knowing he could take sole possession of the record.
“Oh, I was nervous. Even in the last race I was trying so hard to get my act together and I just had to fight through it… it was really tough and I just knew I could just accept the feelings and focus on what I could control and hopefully it would work and it did,” Howden said after the race.
“First of all, I just want to say a huge thank you to Jean-Frédéric Chapuis, like: [he] set an amazing bar and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to compete with him and then take that mark and raise it even higher.”
Rhys Howden of Cultus Lake, British Columbia, won his 19th World Cup gold medal in Arosa, Switzerland, passing France's Jean-Frédéric Chapuis to become the top-ranked male ski cross racer in FIS World Cup history.
The 27-year-old racer topped qualifying and led his big final race from start to finish, which he attributes to the way he was able to handle the opening portion of the race in Arosa.
“There's a lot of guys here who are starting to get the hang of it and have a lot of speed, so I just focused on what I'm really good at, and that was the back half – [I] just trying to say calm and then really explode at the end of that start and minimize mistakes,” he said. “I think, [the start is] just tailored to my genetics and I really like the fight that comes in the beginning and that excites me.
“That’s one of the reasons I love ski cross.”
Austria's Johannes Aujeszky won silver and Sweden's David Mobaerg won the bronze medal. Canadian Jared Schmidt finished eighth overall and finished fourth in the small final.
On the women's side, Canada's Courtney Hoffos suffered a bad crash in the semifinals that sent her out of the race on a sled. The Windermere, B.C., native waved to the crowd as she was carried off the track but did not start in the small final.
Hoffos won silver at the season-opening race in Val Thorens, France, on December 11.
The next round of the Ski Cross World Cup starts this weekend in Innichen, Italy. CBC Sports will provide live coverage of the races, which begin at 6 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. Click here to view the CBC Sports broadcast schedule. for more information on when and where to watch.
