Swiss sensation skis for gold

Canada's Davey Barr competes in the men's quarterfinals during the men's ski cross event at Cypress Mountain on Sunday at the 2010 Winter Games.

JENNA HAUCK/BLACK PRESS

WEST VANCOUVER – They call it a gladiator sport on snow. At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, Michael Schmid of Switzerland certainly has the body type to conquer the slopes.

The 25-year-old construction worker, who looks like he could bench press a fork lift, zoomed to the gold medal Sunday in the thrill-a-second men’s ski cross final before 4,344 sun-seekers at Cypress Mountain.

Ski cross, where four athletes race down a hill loaded with compression turns and jumps at warp speed, made a successful debut at the Vancouver Winter Games. Fans cheered just as wildly as they did earlier at freestyle moguls and boarder cross.

“Today was just a a perfect day,” smiled Schmid, at the post-race media conference. “I had very fast (Stockl) skis and all the small things were great. It’s amazing. I don’t find words for it.”

The Swiss sensation, who leads the World Cup rankings, grabbed a comfortable lead in the big final, avoided contact, and cruised to the finish. Andreas Matt of Austria struck the silver medal, while Audun Groenevold of Norway bagged bronze after born-in-the-USA Canadian Chris Del Bosco crashed on the second-to-last jump, settling on fourth.

Canada’s Davey Barr, who was supposed to be a stand-in due to injuries, ended up being a standout, placing second in the small final, for sixth overall.

An emotional Del Bosco, looking like he had just been in a UFC bout, didn’t face the media until 2 1/2 hours after the race. He cracked a slight smile when he revealed he had problems peeing at the doping checkstop, an issue “that just added insult to injury.” He also received medical attention.

Del Bosco, sporting a shiner on his right eye and cuts on his nose, said he wasn’t going to settle for third when he caught an edge and tumbled on his side.

“I just made an error at the end and ran out of room,” he said, softly into the microphone, choking back tears. “I left it all out there, and that’s just what I came to do. It could have happened in any of the rounds.”

Wearing a black Canada toque and hoodie, Del Bosco said he was going into the jump with good speed, but “just got bogged down.”

A Colorado native, whose past life of booze and drugs forced him into rehab five years ago, has dual citizenship through his father, Armando, and is in year two on ’The Eh Team.’

The 27-year-old 2010 X Games king came to Vancouver ranked third in the world. He said he wanted to “do Canada proud” and was content with his decision to represent his father’s country. His father played university hockey for the University of Denver Pioneers, and Chris learned to play the game as a tyke.

Barr, a 32-year-old carpenter who hails from Brackendale, B.C. (near Squamish), was an emergency last-minute replacement after teammate Brady Leman re-aggravated a leg injury in Saturday training. Calgary’s Leman, in turn, had subbed for David Duncan of Golden, B.C., the World Cup’s seventh-ranked skier who broke his collarbone in a Friday workout.

“The last 24 hours have been pretty insane,” said Barr. “I found out after yesterday’s training. So all I got were three runs this morning and qualifiers was like a training run.”

Barr, a bronze medalist at a 2009 World Cup in Japan, finished just behind Italian veteran Enak Gavaggio in the small final. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Vancouver-born athlete was third in the first semifinal behind Schmid and Matt.

Schmid won every battle on another gorgeous West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce sponsored spring-like day, qualifying No. 1 in the field of 33. The native of Frutigen then took top spot in the eights finals, before beating out Barr and others in both the quarters and semis. Schmid was really never seriously challenged.

Groenvold, who was behind Del Bosco when he crashed, said he felt compassion for his opponent.

“I saw Chris after and wished him all the best,” said Groenvold, in perfect English, at the media table. “He definitely made a big mistake at the end and I passed him and won the bronze medal. It’s a sport where you have to stay on your feet and keep control until the finish. I feel sorry for Chris.”

Stan Hayer, 36, of Calgary by way of Kimberley, placed 10th after getting knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Photos by Jenna Hauck/Black Press