Weekend Roundup: Howden makes history, return to podium for Longino
Several Canadian athletes are heading into the short holiday break on a high after another strong weekend of World Cup competition.
Reece Howden made history with his sweep of the men’s ski cross races in Innichen, Italy. Andrew Longino earned his first World Cup podium in ski halfpipe in more than a year. And ski jumper Abigail Strate stayed steady in Switzerland.
Here’s a quick look at the highlights.
Ski Cross: Howden becomes all-time men’s World Cup win leader
Canadian skier Reece Howden won three straight races in the last week to set and extend the record for most men’s ski cross victories on the FIS World Cup circuit.
READ : Howden completes sweep in Italy with third straight World Cup ski cross victory
On Tuesday, Howden stood atop the podium in Arosa, Switzerland for his 19th career victory. That put him ahead of France’s Jean-Frédéric Chapuis for first place on the all-time wins list. He then won back-to-back races on Saturday and Sunday in Innichen, Italy for career wins 20 and 21.
The 27-year-old from Cultus Lake, B.C. leads the FIS Ski Cross World Cup standings after having won the Crystal Globe for the third time last season. The circuit will not resume until January 21 in Veysonnaz, Switzerland.
Howden was joined in Saturday’s big final by Jared Schmidt, who finished fourth. On Sunday, Kris Mahler was second in the small final to place sixth overall.
Two Canadian women reached the small final on Sunday, with Hannah Schmidt and Brittany Phelan finishing seventh and eight overall, respectively.
Ski Halfpipe: Andrew Longino on World Cup podium for first time in a year
Andrew Longino stepped on the podium at a FIS World Cup event for the second time in his career. The 23-year-old finished third in the men’s ski halfpipe event in Copper Mountain, Colorado.
Longino earned a score of 84.00 points on his first run in the final, which stood up for the spot on the podium behind Americans Alex Ferreira (91.50) and Hunter Hess (89.00). Longino’s only other World Cup podium was a third-place finish in September 2024 in Cardrona, New Zealand.
The next World Cup event for ski halfpipe will take place on home snow in Calgary, January 1-3.
Ski Jumping: Strate continues steady season
Abigail Strate has finished in the top 10 in all nine large hill events on the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup circuit. This weekend she finished seventh in both events in Engelberg, Switzerland, which keeps her ranked fourth in the overall World Cup standings. The 24-year-old has two second-place finishes this season. The next World Cup event for women’s ski jumping will be December 30-31 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Bobsleigh: Two top 10s for Appiah
Cynthia Appiah posted her best results of the season at the IBSF World Cup stop in Sigulda, Latvia. Appiah finished eighth in monobob, matching her result from the week prior in Lillehammer. She then finished ninth in two-woman with brakewoman Niamh Haughey, Appiah’s first time in the top 10 this season in that event.