Toronto's Fiva drops in freestyle World Cup

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LES CONTAMINES, France -- Alex Fiva of Switzerland won a freestyle World Cup event Sunday to take the lead in the ski cross standings.

Fiva beat Didrik Bastian Juell of Norway, Toronto's Nick Zoricic and Jonas Devouassoux of France in the final.

The Swiss skier also won last week in St. Johann, Austria, and has a 64-point lead in the discipline standings over Calgary's Brady Leman, who was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

The 28-year-old Zoricic won bronze Sunday thanks to a late passing move that came after he saw his shot at claiming his first career World Cup race slip through his fingers.

"I feel relieved, to be honest," said Zoricic, who has had what he describes as a "disastrous" start to the World Cup ski cross season. "Today it could have been worse. It could have gone better, but it's nice to kind of stop the bleeding and remind myself that I belong and that I can do this.

"Given the position I had and where I was in the final, I should have been able to close it out. But all in all, it's fine. If you had told me at the beginning of the day I would be third, I would have taken it."

Zoricic's result was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing day for Canada's ski cross team.

World champion Chris Del Bosco of Montreal was also eliminated in the quarters. Breman was 11th, while Del Bosco was 14th. Stan Rey of Whistler, B.C., was 26th and Tristan Tafel of Canmore, Alta., was 32nd.

Sanna Luedi of Switzerland won the women's final just four days after earning her first World Cup victory at Alpe d'Huez.

Luedi finished ahead of French skiers Alizee Baron and Ophelie David and compatriot Katrin Mueller to increase her lead over Kelsey Serwa of Kelowna, B.C., to 113 points in the standings.

Serwa did not compete this weekend after injuring her knee at Alpe d'Huez.