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The final showdown showcased the top four women from this season’s World Cup skicross rankings.
LIVIGNO, Province of Sondrio — On Friday at the Winter Olympics, Germany’s Daniela Maier clinched the gold medal in women’s skicross, outpacing Swiss competitor Fanny Smith.
Maier, 29, who is making her second Olympic appearance, seized an early lead in the four-woman race and skillfully maintained her advantage all the way to the finish line in Livigno. This victory adds a gold medal to her previous bronze from 2022.
Smith, 33, earned a silver medal to complement her two bronze medals from the last two Olympics.
Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund, the defending champion, secured the bronze medal. She experienced a sluggish start, allowing Smith to overtake her midway through the challenging course filled with banks, rollers, and jumps.
The final featured the top four women in the World Cup skicross points standings this season.
Marielle Berger Sabbatel of France finished fourth.
Maier and Smith were at the center of a judging controversy during the 2022 final when Smith crossed the finish line third, ahead of Maier in fourth. But the race jury flipped that result after deciding that Smith had interfered with Maier. Smith appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which overruled the officials’ decision and deemed that bronze medals should be awarded to both skiers.
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