Ashleigh McIvor became the first Olympic champion in women’s ski cross at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
McIvor won the inaugural women’s Olympic ski-cross final at Cypress Mountain near Vancouver. She finished ahead of Norway’s Hedda Berette and France’s Ophelie David, while Switzerland’s Fanny Smith placed fourth.
Ski cross is a race in which several skiers start together and negotiate jumps, rollers, berms and banked turns. Unlike traditional alpine events, competitors race directly against one another, making starts, line choice and tactical positioning especially important.
Women’s ski cross was added to the Olympic programme for Vancouver 2010, alongside the men’s event. McIvor’s victory gave Canada another home-soil title and made her the event’s first female Olympic champion. Marielle Thompson later won the women’s Olympic title at Sochi 2014, so she was not the inaugural champion.