ASPEN, Colo. - Ski cross world champion Christopher Del Bosco won gold at the Winter X Games on Sunday while Canadian teammate Dave Duncan took the bronze.
Del Bosco, a Montreal resident, took the lead midway through the men's Skier X final and held on to win in one minute 20.589 seconds.
"It's amazing, this is my favourite event," said Del Bosco in a statement. "I have had an up and down season and this one was the big one on my list. So to come in and grab gold is pretty special."
Finland's Jouni Pellinen got out to an early lead, but Del Bosco used the inside line on the first turn to move to the front of the pack.
The Canadian found himself in the bronze-medal position but again found the inside line for a big pass on the triple to take the lead across the finish line.
"This course is set up really well for me," said Del Bosco. "I knew the triple was one of the spots where I could make a move if I needed to make something happen.
"I kind of set it up a couple of turns before."
Filip Flisar of Slovenia was second in 1:20.730 and Duncan, from London, Ont., was third in 1:20.814.
Del Bosco also won the event at the 2010 X Games.
Canada also won gold in Mono Skier X as Samson Danniels of Whistler, B.C., blew past the competition.
Danniels finished ahead of American Gregory Peck with a time of 1:51.977. Peck won silver in 1:52.612, while Josh Dueck of Vernon, B.C., took bronze.
"Oh my god it doesn't even feel real," Danniels said. "This is unbelievable."
Danniels passed Peck for the lead near the final turn.
"I just came out and gave it everything I got and skied hard," Danniels said. "I blew up a ski this week in practice and I am using a ski that is not even mine. I cannot believe it. This goes out to my friends back home in Whistler."
Mono Skier X is open to disabled or adaptive athletes. The adaptive skiers race over a course of tabletop jumps, banked turns, rollers and gaps using a sit ski.
A mono ski is a bucket seat fastened to a metal chassis that is shock-mounted on a single alpine ski. Athletes use hand outriggers for balance while racing.
Danniels became a paraplegic after a mountain bike accident and is paralyzed from the armpits down.
Shaun White continued his domination of men's superpipe, winning his fifth consecutive X Games gold medal in the event.
Even still, White managed to make it a special one. With the gold already his, White laid down a victory lap to remember — a perfect one.
White earned a perfect 100 on his third and final run.
"It's unreal," said White. "I've been wanting that 100 forever."
He scored a 94.00 on his first run and wiped out on his second run, but no one could catch him. Iouri Podladtchikov finished second, followed by Ryo Aono.
With the gold, White is the third Winter X five-peat athlete, joining Nate Holland in snowboardcross and Tucker Hibbert in snocross.
White competed despite a left ankle injury that forced him to withdraw from the slopestyle competition.
Earlier, Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., settled for fifth place in the women's Skier X final. She had the lead at one point in the race but slid out about halfway down the hill.
Marte Gjefsen won gold in 1:26.877 and fellow Norwegian Hedda Berntsen took the silver in 1:27.792.
Jenny Owens of Australia took the bronze in 1:29.055.
___
With files from The Associated Press.
