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Del Bosco back on top in ski cross

Ski cross competitor pulls off impressive win before the X Games later this month

Chris Del Bosco ended his World Cup podium drought in style on Sunday with a convincing win at Les Contamines, France - the last stop on the tour before the X Games in Aspen at the end of the month.

"It feels great," he said. "I've come so close but I haven't been able to do it. I've been skiing well enough to win but everything kind of worked out today.

Del Bosco has two fifth place finishes to his credit this season, which means he got bumped out in the semi-finals, then went on to win the small final. The same thing almost happened on Sunday.

"I had a pretty ragged semi-final, but I just fought through that," he said. "I managed to get the lead again in the final. I got out clean and there was a little bit of tangling behind me, which gave me a little gap and I was able to hold it together."

Also in the finals were Andreas Matt of Austria in second place, and Egor Korotkov of Russia in third. The other Canadians had mixed results, with Brian Bennett in 16th and Whistler skiers Stan Rey and Davey Barr in 38th and 40th.

On the women's side, Kelsey Serwa benefited from a collision on the course. She was sitting in fourth when disaster struck, and she was able to ski through the wreckage to pick up the silver medal.

"I was in fourth the whole way down - I had the best seat in the house," said Serwa. "I was just waiting for a chance to pass and they all kind of got tangled up."

Serwa came close to the gold medal, but Ophelie David of France held on to win the race. Germany's Heidi Zacher was third.

Whistler's Ashleigh McIvor made it to the semi-final, but lost her heat. She placed second in the small final to rank sixth overall on the day. Calgary's Danielle Poleschuk was 14th and Whistler's Marielle Thompson and Julia Murray were 15th and 16th respectively.

The X Games, taking place Jan. 27-30, will be a little different for the skiers. The course is big and burly, which the Canadians like, but each heat has six skiers instead of four.