ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Sports

    • Canada's Thompson wins silver in dramatic women's ski cross final at Beijing Olympics

    Canada’s Marielle Thompson takes silver in the freestyle women’s ski cross during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Canada’s Marielle Thompson takes silver in the freestyle women’s ski cross during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
    Share
    ZHANGJIAKOU, China -

    For more than half of the women's ski cross final it looked like Canada wasn't going to reach the podium for the first time since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 2010.

    But Marielle Thompson's lengthy career has taught her how to persevere.

    The Whistler, B.C., native didn't pass any of her competitors until the race's fifth turn, trailing by as much as a second in the course's early segments. But Thompson bore down to earn silver in a drama-filled big final on Thursday at the Beijing Olympics.

    Thompson even closed some distance on gold medallist Sandra Naeslund of Sweden despite the Canadian's slow start.

    "In the final I really just stuck with it because a ski cross race isn't over until you're across the finish line," said Thompson. "So happy I stuck with it and really just focused on what I needed to do to do well."

    Switzerland's Fanny Smith appeared to win the bronze medal, but she was penalized after a lengthy post-race review found she purposely impeded Germany's Daniela Maier. The German was awarded the bronze following Smith's yellow card.

    Thompson was pretty sure she wasn't going to be affected by the review, even though there appeared to be some contact as she passed Maier.

    "I didn't really know what was going on," said Thompson of the review. "I just hoped that they weren't reviewing me because I thought my pass was pretty clean."

    Smith was visibly upset after her bronze medal was overturned. She's the most successful skier in the sport's history with 56 podiums on the World Cup circuit and 29 victories.

    Cameras showed Smith having an animated conversation with an official at the bottom of the ski cross course at Zhangjiakou Genting Snow Park as Maier leaned against an Olympic backdrop nearby. Smith didn't speak to media afterwards but Maier addressed the controversy.

    "It was weird because I was like, 'OK, I'm fourth, damn, (expletive).' I was a bit disappointed, I have to say, and for me in that moment I don't really know what happened," said Maier, who won Germany's first-ever Olympic medal in ski cross.

    "The jury decided this way, so I need some more moments to realize that that result is like that and that I won a medal."

    Swiss ski cross coach Rolf Pfaeffli took questions in German, French and English after the race and agreed that Thompson's passes were clean. Pfaeffli said the judges found that Smith intentionally kicked Maier to slow the German down or prevent her from passing.

    Pfaeffli said that 90 per cent of the spectators watching the race would think Smith's penalty was unfair. He said in English that Swiss Olympic officials were looking into the possibility of an appeal.

    "My bosses are on that but this rule was created that you can't really appeal this," said Pfaeffli. "We have to see how it's exactly written because normally there's no protest about yellow cards, there's just acceptance that this yellow card happened, like in football. The result will never change.

    "The only thing they can do is a review board and then this review board looks at the case and if they say there was no yellow card then the yellow card will be taken back but the result will stay the same."

    However, in French, Pfaeffli said the Swiss would not appeal because it would be unfair to Maier to potentially take her medal away.

    It was a personal triumph for Thompson, who earned her second Olympic medal after winning gold at the 2014 Sochi Games. She had struggled with injuries since becoming an Olympic champion, rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in October 2017 while training for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

    Thompson tore the same ACL in March, disrupting her 2021-22 training plan. She earned four World Cup podiums since her latest injury, all in the leadup to Beijing. Thompson won a bronze at Val Thorens on Dec. 12, gold in Arosa, Switzerland on Dec. 14, bronze in Innichen on Dec. 20 and silver in Nakiska on Jan. 15.

    "I kind of found my form in December and then have really been building each and every race," she said. "I think I brought my best skiing I possibly could here to the Olympics and I couldn't ask for more than that."

    Canada had won every Olympic women's ski cross championship since the sport's introduction at the Vancouver Games. Ashleigh McIvor (2010), Thompson (2014), and Kelsey Serwa (2018) had won three straight golds for Canada.

    Despite not winning a fourth-straight Olympic gold for Canada, it was still a dominant performance for the national ski cross team.

    Pyeongchang silver medallist Brittany Phelan of Mont-Tremblant, Que., won the small final to finish fifth. Courtney Hoffos of Windermere, B.C., was sixth and Ottawa's Hannah Schmidt was seventh.

    "I get to train with the best in the world," said Schmidt, whose brother Jared will compete on Friday in the men's event. "Four ladies in the top eight? I think that's the strongest team out there."

    Phelan, Schmidt and Hoffos all spoke about how Canada's deep roster actually helps them because it makes their training camps like miniature World Cups.

    "If someone can't pull through then someone else will," said Hoffos. "I think we all push each other so much in training every day and it definitely shows on the world stage."

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2022

    CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

    Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    Canada

    • Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan has pulled out of a national body representing Métis, citing problems with an Ontario group and throwing the future of the Métis National Council into question.

    • Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

    • The debate over sexual orientation and gender identity education in schools is heating up. Protests both for and against SOGI in the curriculum took place across the country Friday.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    • It was the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge Friday as hundreds of family, friends and fans attended a public memorial in Calgary.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • When Bernard Morissette got a call from Loto-Quebec on Sept. 18 and was asked if he was sitting down, he had no idea what was coming his way.

    • An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    Sports

    • The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have won five in a row. The Edmonton Elks have won five of their last six games. They are the two hottest teams in the West. When they meet Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, something has to give.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • F1 star Max Verstappen punished over bad word

      Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was ordered to 'accomplish some work of public interest' after uttering an inappropriate word Thursday at the news conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    • Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

    • The debate over sexual orientation and gender identity education in schools is heating up. Protests both for and against SOGI in the curriculum took place across the country Friday.

    • A fire that destroyed a historic bridge in Kamloops, B.C., is now being investigated as arson, local Mounties say.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

    • Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • The man charged with fatally stabbing lifelong Banff resident Ethan Enns-Goneau in 2022 has been convicted of second-degree murder.

    • Environment Canada issued a frost advisory for Calgary late Friday afternoon.

    • Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is urging the Alberta government to preserve pieces of the massive Green Line transit project now being dissolved.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • For years, the commute to Ottawa's west end was one of the biggest complaints for attending fans. But those who live in Kanata and in the immediate LeBreton area say the move would be a big change their respective neighbourhoods.

    • Ottawa police are investigating a shooting downtown Friday afternoon.

    • Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • When Bernard Morissette got a call from Loto-Quebec on Sept. 18 and was asked if he was sitting down, he had no idea what was coming his way.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Two Edmonton Police Service officers have been criminally charged in connection with an assault.

    • There's a friendship in the Edmonton Oilers crease between Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.

    • A woman is dead after a highway collision on Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

    • A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    • Day two of New Brunswick’s provincial election campaign saw the Liberals and Green Party make healthcare announcements, while the Progressive Conservatives focused on a previous promise to cut taxes.

    • Relatives of a 60-year-old man who took his own life in a Nova Scotia jail after long periods of confinement in his cell have launched a lawsuit against the province.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • A plane approaches the grass runway at Harv’s Air School south of Steinbach. Nothing is getting in the way of a clear, smooth landing, but owner Harv Penner worries, that could soon change.

    • The University of Manitoba's College of Dentistry is dealing with some unexpected consequences from the federal government's new Canadian Dental Care Plan

    • Five Regina schools were placed into lockdown or secure the building mode following a report of a weapons investigation at Miller High School on Friday.

    • A 21-year-old man from Codette, Sask. is facing numerous charges in connection to a fatal crash near Wapella, Sask. Wednesday night that claimed the life of a 22-year-old Alberta woman.

    • The City of Regina and provincial government have committed a combined $400,000 to Carmichael Outreach for an 80-person warming space set to open no later than Nov. 1.

    • Protests were held in front of Kitchener City Hall on Friday, both for and against LGBTQ2S+ inclusive education and queer rights in schools.

    • Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas are being monitored at Brantford Collegiate Institute after a leak in their geothermal system.

    • A new scam is being reported in communities across the country.

    • A garage fire in Saskatoon’s Willows neighbourhood on Friday narrowly missed igniting an attached home, according to the fire department.

    • The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan has pulled out of a national body representing Métis, citing problems with an Ontario group and throwing the future of the Métis National Council into question.

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    • A man is in hospital with life threatening injuries following a collision between a motorcycle and a vehicle on Friday afternoon.

    • NEW

      NEW

      Under intense cross-examination from Crown Attorney Jennifer Moser, the embattled former Mayor of Woodstock stuck to his story denying that he ever did anything inappropriate to his female accuser.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

    • A jury has found a Barrie man guilty of second-degree murder for the stabbing death of a man at a Banff bar two years ago.

    • The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is searching for the occupants of a vehicle caught on security cameras during a fatal police-involved shooting on Goyeau Street.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family’s backyard pool.

    • The federal government is investing $18.4 million dollars into the region.

    • New Democrat Leader David Eby has launched his British Columbia election campaign a day early, making the key battle ground of Surrey his first stop.

    • The Old Man Lake wildfire near Sooke is the only one currently burning on Vancouver Island. It’s a region of the province that this year saw a drastic drop in blazes in the backcountry.

    • Police in Victoria, B.C. issued a warning this week about lighters that look like pistols, saying they have received 20 reports of firearms in public spaces since July 1 that turned out to be gun-shaped torches.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • After a summer of preparation, the Lethbridge Hurricanes are ready to open the 2024-25 season.

    • As a new semester is underway, Lethbridge Polytechnic and the University of Lethbridge say the number of students on campus is on the rise.

    • A Lethbridge resident is facing charges after police seized drugs and weapons at a traffic stop for bicycle equipment violations.

    • A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News