Kelsey Serwa (Kelowna, BC) won a Continental Cup ski cross race in Chapelco, Argentina, described as the first ski cross event ever in South America.
Serwa actually won two races, and was followed by teammate Danielle Poleschuk (Calgary, AB) in both, after race organizers elected to race two finals on Sunday to make up for a previous cancellation.
Canadian teammate David Duncan (Golden, BC) won one of the two races on the men’s side in the event which included skiers from Canada, Great Britain and Argentina and Brazil.
“I’m always happy when I win because on any day, any one of us can take home the victory,” said Serwa, who is in Argentina with several national ski cross teammates training for the upcoming FIS World Cup season.
“Training here with Danie (Poleschuk) and the others has been nice. We all have strong points which we can feed off of to improve our overall skills. My starts are fast right now and I am definitely using that to my advantage,” added Serwa, a World Cup winner who placed fifth in women’s ski cross at the Olympic Winter Games in 2010.
Canada Ski Cross coach Brent Kehl said the team, which began training in Argentina last week, has enjoyed excellent conditions since arriving. They will return to Canada Sept. 10.
The Canadian Ski Cross team is the reigning overall Nation’s Cup champion, with Ashleigh McIvor (Whistler, BC) becoming the first ever women’s ski cross Olympic gold medalist last February.