OLYMPICS, SKI ROSS. VANCOUVER, Feb 21 - Michael SCHMID (SUI) won the men's Ski Cross event to give Switzerland its third Gold medal in Freestyle Skiing in the history of the Olympic Winter Games.

Audun Groenvold (L) of Norway and Christopher Delbosco of Canada compete in the men's ski cross race big final on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)

Only Canada and the United States have won more Gold medals in this sport at the Olympic Winter Games. Silver medallist Andreas MATT (AUT) got Austria its first medal in Freestyle Skiing. Austria now has at least one Olympic medal in 12 different winter sports. The only sport in which Austria has yet to win an Olympic medal are Curling, Ice Hockey and Short track.

Audun GROENVOLD (NOR), winner of the Bronze medal, became the first man from Norway to win a medal in Freestyle Skiing. Norwegian women have already claimed six medals in this sport at the Olympics.

Quotes

Michael SCHMID (SUI) - Gold
"It's amazing. I don't find words for it. I don't realise this at the moment. I'm very happy. The course was different. The snow was very different. It was so soft but the slope was good. We had a lot fun out there today. The start was very important. The technician and my skis were great. Today was almost perfect. I had very fast skis and all the small things were great. Of course I felt threatened in a way. I couldn't make any mistakes at all. But it was a perfect day and everything went well."

Andreas MATT (AUT) - Silver
"I knew that Michael was incredibly fast and perfect at the start. My strategy was to stay with him, don't make any mistakes and stay behind him. I got the best finish I could get. I'm more than happy. It was the best for that race."

Audun GROENVOLD (NOR) - Bronze
"I think we definitely did a good show for the audience. There were a lot of close races and a lot of crashes. I didn't directly see Christopher DELBOSCO's (CAN) crash. I even did not feel anything. I knew sometimes over the bumps I could see a shadow behind me. I was in third, he passed me, he was in third, he crashed and I passed him."

FISfreestyle.com
Monday 22 February 2010

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A first for ski cross in Vancouver

This Sunday for the first time ever, spectators will be able to watch ski cross in the Olympic Games. The men's and women's events, which form part of the discipline of freestyle, will celebrate their Olympic premiere on 21 and 23 February respectively at Cypress Mountain. Ski cross will feature four athletes racing a spectacular course, which includes turns, banks and jumps. Structures on the course resemble those found in snowboard cross events. Physical endurance and strength play a key role as athletes ski four to five runs lasting 60 seconds or longer.

Rip it up

Ski crosser Ophélie David from France, a six-time ski cross World Cup champion, explains: "Ski cross is like motocross, so you have to have a really fast start and ski aggressively all the way. Last year we raced on the Olympic course at Cypress Mountain. While it's a great venue with superb views, the course itself is very up and down with a lot of jumps. You just get out there and rip it up. This is a great chance to showcase our sport to the world."

Jamaica in the starting gate

Although new to the Olympic programme, ski cross has existed since the early days of Alpine skiing competitions and, unsurprisingly, the majority of competitors have an Alpine skiing background. This is also true for Errol Kerr, a Jamaican ski crosser and Olympic Solidarity athlete. Yes, you have heard right: born to an American mother and a Jamaican father, Kerr grew up as a dual citizen between Lake Tahoe in California and Westmoreland in Jamaica. Jamaica's latest winter star is hoping to put his country on the map in the new Olympic event. "It's more than just a country," Kerr said. "It's in my blood, in my DNA."

From qualification into the finals

A timed qualification run is used to seed skiers into different heats, of four skiers each. The start, as well as the first sections before the first turn, are critical parts of the course, as passing can easily occur here. While other passing areas are designated on the course, interference with other skiers can lead to an athlete's disqualification. The top half of the finishing field then moves on to the next round in a series of quarter, semi and final rounds.

Contributed by IOC
FISfreestyle.com
Sunday 21 February 2010

Errol Kerr (L) of Jamaica and Michael Schmid of Switzerland compete in a men's ski cross race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images North America)

Errol Kerr of Jamaica, Anders Rekdal of Norway and Simon Stickl of Germany compete in a men's ski cross race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)

Errol Kerr (R) of Jamaica and Davey Barr of Canada compete in a men's ski cross race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images North America)

Michael Schmid of Switzerland competes in the men's ski cross big final on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)

Daron Rahlves of the United States competes in a men's ski cross qualification race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images North America)

Tomas Kraus of Czech Republic competes in a men's ski cross qualification race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images North America)

Tomas Kraus of Czech Republic competes in a men's ski cross qualification race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images North America)

A view at the men's ski cross qualification race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images North America)

Spectators watch a men's ski cross race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images North America)

Christopher Delbosco of Canada competes in a men's ski cross qualification race on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images North America)

Andreas Matt of Austria celebrates winning silver, Michael Schmid of Switzerland gold and Audun Groenvold of Norway bronze during the flower ceremony for the men's ski cross freestyle skiing on day ten of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images North America)