She really likes this racing thing!
Tiana Gairns is continuing her remarkable ‘comeback’ season in punching a ticket to the 2021 FIS Ski Cross World Cup Finals after a standout stint in Russia this past weekend.
On Saturday (March 13), the Prince George product won a second Small Final of the 2020-21 campaign with Canada’s national ski cross team, claiming fifth place overall after starting the day in ninth via her qualification run.
“I had a really good start and managed to hold everyone off with some good skiing,” she explained in tying her personal best on a World Cup circuit.
“I’m really proud of myself.”
The 22-year-old was competing at Sunny Valley, less than 1,800 km east of Moscow and roughly 150 km north of the Kazakhstan border.
The weekend bumped Gairns up to 14th in the rankings among the world’s best women’s ski cross competitors.
The 👑of ski cross! Reece Howden left no question after today's World Cup from Sunny Valley, RUS where he stood on top of his fourth podium of the season! @courtneyhoffos came in fourth while Tiana Gairns won the small final to finish in 5th! 🔜World Cup Finals.
— Alpine Canada Alpin (@Alpine_Canada) March 13, 2021
📸 GEPA pic.twitter.com/54lzDK6Hye
She guaranteed herself a spot in the top eight after getting to the final line in second place during her quarter-final run, which also included fellow Canadian Marielle Thompson.
Gairns fell to third place in the semi-finals before out-shredding her opponents in the last run of her day to get to that fifth-place finish.
This comes nearly two months of consistency and results after unlocking a career-high fifth-place in Sweden on Jan. 23.
Since then, Gairns has earned enough points to rise in the standings and potentially staying on the radar of national coaches when it comes to picking a Canadian team for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
"Being on the Canadian ski cross team is something I have so much pride in," she told PrinceGeorgeMatters in an earlier interview.
"The team is like a second family and sometimes I still can't believe I get to be a part of it. Canada has one of the strongest teams in the world and representing our nation in such a way is an incredible honour. These last two years have been challenging for me because I have missed both seasons due to injury. I'm really hoping I can stay injury-free this year and put some solid results down before the Olympic year."
The World Cup Finals are scheduled for Sunday (March 21) at Veysonnaz in Switzerland.
Gairns’ 2020-21 international results thus far are as follows:
- Fifth in Sunny Valley (Russia)
- Fourth in Bakuriani (Georgia), mixed ski-cross team event
- Eighth in Bakuriani (Georgia), individual event
- 24th in Reiteralm (Austria)
- 15th in Idre Fjall (Sweden), third event
- Fifth in Idre Fjall (Sweden), second event
- 13th in Idre Fjall (Sweden), first event
- 17th in Arosa (Switzerland), second event
- 22nd in Arosa (Switzerland), first event
