It didn’t take West Vancouver multi-sport star Georgia Simmerling long to get her ski legs under her in her first season back on snow following a foray into competitive cycling.
Simmerling scored her sixth career World Cup ski cross medal Dec. 21 in Innichen, Italy, finishing third behind gold medalist Heidi Zacher from Germany and Canadian teammate Marielle Thompson. The podium placing was Simmerling’s first since she claimed bronze in track cycling women’s team pursuit at the Rio Olympic Games in August.
In the big final in Italy Simmerling jumped into the lead and held top spot for nearly the entire race, with Zacher and Thompson both narrowly stretching past her in a thrilling three-way photo finish. It was Simmerling’s first World Cup ski cross podium finish since claiming silver at Val Thorens, France in January of 2015.
“I’m stoked to get back on the ski cross World Cup podium today,” Simmerling said in an Alpine Canada release. “Jumping head first back into ski cross with five World Cup races in under three weeks has tested my patience and frustration levels for sure. I also think it’s been the best way to get back as quick as I can to where I left off two years ago.”
During the two-week Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup Cross Alps Tour held in December, Simmerling posted three ninth-place finishes and an eighth before racing onto the podium in Italy. She finished the six-race tour with a fifth-place showing in Innichen one day following her bronze-medal win.
The World Cup circuit will get zooming again Jan. 14 with a race in Watles, Italy. Simmerling, who is still looking for her first World Cup gold medal, currently sits seventh overall in the season-long standings.
