Howden dedicates Kopaonik victory to 'role model' Drury

Reece Howden dedicated his victory on day two of the FIS Ski Cross World Cup in Kopaonik to injured team-mate Kevin Drury, whose crash left the current men's crystal globe leader "pretty broke up".

Howden's victory came the day after he was jostling for the lead in Friday's big final, which led to a coming together with Florian Wilmsmann that saw all three skiers but Howden crash out of the race.

Drury remained down for a while to receive medical attention, and though no official confirmation has been issued regarding the extent of the injury, the 37-year-old posted a picture of his leg in a cast on social media with a caption that said it was "not the way" he wanted to end his career.

It led to a fired-up Howden, whose 23rd World Cup victory extends his record as the most successful male athlete in the sport, to dedicate Saturday's win to a man he described as his "role model".

"Today wasn't about me, it's about Kevin Drury. I'm pretty broke up by what happened yesterday," Howden said after the men's big final.

"I would have loved to spend more time skiing with Kevin Drury. I feel so honoured to have been a teammate with Kevin, shared the podium with him, travelled the world, and got to learn from a guy like that.

"Whether it's stuff outside of skiing, when it comes to personal life and relationships, Kevin Drury has been a huge role model for me.

"Today I wasn't doing it for me, I was doing it for him. So when we're up there and we're singing 'Oh, Canada', don't be singing 'Oh, Canada' for me, sing 'Oh, Canada' for Kevin Drury."

Howden finished the big final ahead of Wilmsmann, who now has four consecutive World Cup podiums to his name, while Youri Duplessis Kergomard completed the podium and Melvin Tchiknavorian recorded a DNF.

While Friday's crash had affected more than one athlete, Howden says the reaction from his global opponents drove home the impact Drury has had on ski cross.

"He left an amazing mark on the sport," Howden said. "You really could feel it yesterday. I think every single team came up to me to ask how he was doing. Every time it broke me up a little bit.

"Just such an honour to have Kevin Drury involved with Canada ski cross and with the sport of ski cross. It's really hard to lose an athlete like that and I think the circuit is really going to miss him.

"I'm just so fortunate to have the opportunity to ski alongside a man like that."

Wilmsmann, meanwhile, kept pace with World Cup leader Howden with his fifth podium of the season, with the German having now finished inside the top five in seven of the last eight World Cup races.

"Especially after yesterday's race, awesome to get another chance in the big final," Wilmsmann said. "Over the race I felt like I was getting a little bit tired, because of the Olympics and the long weeks.

"Ending this trip on a podium, another second place, it's superb. I wanted to give it all for the win, but Reece had really good speed in the last section. I made a little mistake in the last turn, and you have to ski perfectly to get him."

'I'm an animal'

It was a third podium of the season for Duplessis Kergomard, who said he did it all on the back of a night with no sleep.

"This one was very important," the Frenchman said. "I had a lot of emotion on this one.

"It's not a victory, but it feels the same because the last few weeks was very hard after the Olympics and at home it's not all good. So it was really hard to get here just after the Olympic race.

"Yesterday I was not skiing my best, today I wanted to fight, and I'm happy with that.

"I didn't sleep at all last night, I was just thinking about too many things. But today I was like, 'I'm an animal and I can do it in ski cross, that's my job'."

In the women's section, Sandra Naeslund appears on track for a fifth crystal globe after she delivered back-to-back victories in Serbia.

The Milano Cortina 2026 bronze medallist led in each heat all the way to the big final, which she once again dominated to cross the line ahead of Olympic champion Daniela Maier in second, with Saskja Lack finishing third. Fanny Smith, meanwhile, also recorded a DNF in the big final.

'Proud being back'

The victory extends Naeslund's record as the most successful ski cross athlete of all time with a 46th World Cup victory, and means she is now 145 points ahead of Maier who is second in the overall standings.

"I'm so happy with my skiing this weekend, and the results, obviously. Super happy," Naeslund said after her seventh win of the season.

"It just feels really nice to be going home for a while, reset a little bit after the Olympics and everything, and then be ready for the last races."

While all skiers are struggling to overhaul Naeslund's form, Maier is proving consistency is key, after she bounced back from the disappointment of a quarter-final exit on Friday to record her sixth top-three finish of the season.

"I'm very proud being back on the podium," the German said. "I have to say yesterday was hard. In the days before, I realised that the Olympics were mentally pretty hard, especially the days before, and the competition day as well.

"I realised that it was not that easy going straight back into the competition. It feels very good being back on the podium. I had the feeling again and the mood, the vibe I want to have at each race."

For Lack, it was a fourth World Cup podium of her career and her second of the current season.

"I'm happy I could turn it around," she said after finishing 13th on Friday. "The last week with the Olympics and with yesterday was pretty hard emotionally, but to find some adjustments from yesterday and get it done today is cool."